What is it about Australia all of a sudden? Ocean Village is being disbanded and sent down there, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 will be circumnavigating the continent in 2012 and now Silversea has said Silver Shadow will be cruising around Australia next year.
Silversea's 30-day Sydney round-trip, from January 19 to February 18, visits Brisbane, the Whitsunday Islands, Willis Island (for the Great Barrier Reef), Port Douglas, Cooktown, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Perth, Albany, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Hobart in Tasmania.
Prices start from £11,282 per person including all meals, drinks and gratuities, but excluding flights.
Cunard has three circumnavigation options in 2012 - 22 nights sailing from Sydney on February 14, 20 nights departing from Fremantle on February 8 and 21 nights cruising from Adelaide on February 11.
Cunard hasn't released any prices yet. The circumnavigation will go on sale in spring.
Incidentally neither can claim a first as Princess Cruises circumnavigated Australia in 2008/09 on Sun Princess and Dawn Princess - 31 days departing from Sydney or Melbourne.
Jane Archer
