Burnie

It was 20 degrees this morning when we arrived in Burnie, with clear blue skies!  You can tell this is a lumber town by the amount of pulp and paper at the ports getting ready to be shipped.  Burnie is a small port with a population of about 19,000.  The buildings in town reflect an art deco feel. When we exited the ship we were greeted by the mayor who was dressed in full regalia, which must have gotten a bit warm.  It is a great community as evidenced by all the volunteers who met the ship and were at the tourist centre.  Everyone in the town was very friendly.  Prior to leaving the ship we needed to go through customs and it was reminiscent of being at the airport with long queues and stern looking customs officials.  Once ashore if you had not chosen a tour you were taken to the town by shuttle bus which dropped you off at the first stop of the tourist information centre alongside a beautiful boardwalk that followed the beach.  During our travels we saw the ships photographerwho travels the town on roller blades to capture video and photos. We wandered around the town and then found a delightful city park called Burnie park.  This park on the hillside had walks leading to a waterfall and past flower gardens  that were just past their prime.  The roses were still lovely but the rhododendrons were already wilting, which made us glad that we did not shell out the $30 for a cab ride to the rhododendron gardens.  After buying  a Ukulele song book we found a pub where we tasted Tasmanian beer prior to returning to the bus headed for the ship.  When we arrived back at the ship the security officer welcomed us back home which made me the think that, yes this did seem somewhat like home,at least for now and a few months more. 

Cruise tip:  the town provides a free shuttle and at this port you are not allowed to leave the port unless you are in a bus.  Total time to walk the town centre was about 20 minutes.  
The Cel's cruise tip: Boag's (pronounced bogs) Draught is an excellent beer.