DAY 1 WEDNESDAY MARCH 25 - BOARDING THE QUEEN MARY 2

Over the last three weeks we have had a farewell breakfast, morning tea, lunch, three afternoon teas, a dessert and a dinner.  Now it is time to justify all the kind messages of good will and actually do some adventurous travelling.

Farewell to our many walking and working friends in Killcare, whom we shall miss over the coming seven months.

And farewell to the most beautiful place in the world, Bouddi National Park. We shall still believe that to be true after our trip to 27 countries.

We started the day with final house cleaning jobs and repacking our luggage. Evelyn arrived at 9 o'clock and we gave her final instructions on looking after our mail and living in our house.  She will move her family in next Thursday.

We rang Telstra to suspend our landline until we return and to disconnect our mobile broadband from April 2 when we leave Australia at Fremantle.

Our embarkation card directed us to board at 1pm and we were finally ready to depart at 11am.  Evelyn took a short course from us on recharging the imiev (Mitsubishi electric vehicle) then drove us to Woy Woy station in it.

 Lyn had a wheeled suitcase and an Australian Geographic backpack as well as a shoulder bag.  Malcolm had a hybrid backpack with wheels, a red backpack, a suit bag with a shoulder strap and a bum bag and a camcorder bag.  We hope to leave the suit bag at our hotel in Southampton until we return to the QM2 on August 11.

We said farewell to our favourite station at Woy Woy

and had a very slow trip into town behind freight trains.  At Circular Quay we had our first view of the ship and it was bigger than we thought.  As we walked towards it the ship seemed to remain the same size but we felt smaller and smaller.

Robyn and Frances were waiting for us at the Overseas Passenger Terminal and gave us a great sendoff.

We passed smoothly through all the formalities and arrived at our stateroom at 2:20pm. Our luggage arrived soon after and it only took a few minutes to unpack and store everything in its place for the next 40 days.  We did an initial exploration of the ship, but it will probably be only when we get to Adelaide that we know where everything is.  There are 20 different restaurants and bars.
This is the where you enter the centre of the ship:

QUEEN'S LOBBY

At 5pm all the day trippers returned and the captain called the mandatory emergency safety drill and we were directed to the Wintergarden with our life jackets for practice in putting them on.  He assured us that seven short blasts followed by one long blast did not mean "abandon ship", it was just an emergency signal.  Back in our room on level 11 we dressed for an "informal" dinner at 6pm in the Brittania Restaurant on level 3.  Men have to wear long trousers, jacket, and enclosed shoes, Tie is optional. Women wear a cocktail dress or co-ordinated outfit and sandals are allowed.

We had chosen to register for a table of six and we will be with four others for dinner every day.  We met a couple called Joan and Geoff from Kurrajong and then a mother and daughter called Judith and Carolyn who flew down from Hervey Bay.  We were all starting our trip today and going to Southampton.  There were waiters everywhere and the meal was very pleasant.

We climbed up to level 7 to go outside on the promenade and watch the mighty ship being piloted to the heads at 7:30pm.  Just overwhelmingly beautiful with the bridge

 and the Opera House at twilight.

We were standing next to a couple who said to us: "We hate to admit it, but this harbour is really beautiful."  They were from Melbourne.

We walked right around the deck, which is something we hope to do several times per day, then retired to our rooms and by 9pm we could not keep our eyes open after all the excitement of the last week.