Cunard’s Sail of the Century set to sail into Freo

One of our favourite cruise ships, the beautiful Queen Elizabeth sailed into Sydney Harbour on 18 October to kick start the 2024/25 Australian cruise season.

Queen Elizabeth in Sydney

Her arrival marked a century of Cunard line sailing in Australia. The 100th anniversary was celebrated with lots of hoopla in Sydney, including ribbon-cutting and an exhibition on board the ship.

We recently wrote about her long tradition with Australia and the ‘Ten Pound Poms’ in our article Royals Coming To Freo!.

The QE arrived in Sydney with over 2000 passengers and 900 crew, to huge celebrations. Her arrival marked the beginning of the ship’s 125-day Sydney home port season.

There are a number of interesting cruises on her on offer this season, for example the inaugural Australian Literature Festival at Sea and the popular Great Australian Culinary Voyage, as well as other voyages with many interesting guest speakers.

Sadly, this will be QE’s last home port season in Australia. From 2026, the ship will sail year-round from North America, although according to Cunard, Australia will remain a ‘key destination’.

Queen Elizabeth arriving Fremantle 7 March 2023. Credit Fremantle Shipping News

And Freo is a current destination, as of tomorrow. The 14-year-old, 294m luxury Queen Elizabeth will steam into Fremantle in the early hours of Tuesday morning, around 4.40am. She’s here on a transit visit, in in the morning, out at 10 pm at night. There will be 1313 passengers on board, 552 are disembarking in Fremantle and 563 embarking — so a busy day around the fab Fremantle Passenger Terminal and our port city.

QE arrives in Freo as part of a 27-day Round Australia Circumnavigation. She’s sailing anti-clockwise, and will arrive from Geraldton.

Queen Elizabeth’s iconic funnel cowling. Credit Jean Hudson

So set your clocks and head on down to Victoria Quay or South Mole to watch her arrival.

All of us at the Shipping News love the iconic Cunard-Red funnel cowling, sleek lines and Gold Lion decal logo.

Did you know. . . years ago Cunard mixed buttermilk with the red paint to prevent it peeling? Strange, but we believe true!

If you can’t catch her arrival, keep an eye out for her steaming in here on the Shipping News. Or you can find your way to the port to see her depart in the evening at 10 pm – always a great sight too.

Oh, next stop Albany. Love to see her arriving there too!

By Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey. Jean is our Shipping Correspondent and also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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