Cover Story

Cruising to new Heights

On board, the pampered guests have a remarkable choice of activities, from daily variety shows at the 500-seat theatre, to cooking demonstrations by regional gourmet chefs. But there is no resisting the temptation to take a break on land to sample some local delights, and Australian industry research shows that passengers will each spend approximately $180 per day while in port.

Darwin is doing extraordinarily well from what is a veritable boom in cruise ship tourism in Australia. In 2005-06, the Territory earned an estimated $13.4 million from cruise ship visits – a massive 97% rise on the previous year. Passengers particularly favour local crafts and Aboriginal art, souvenirs and luxury goods. After a photo op with Crocodylus Park’s baby croc at the wharf, many are tempted into day excursions to experience the local wildlife.

Richard Doyle, Tourism NT’s representative and current Chairperson of Cruise Down Under, an umbrella organisation which markets the Australia/South Pacific as a world-class cruising region, says that Darwin is capturing a growing share of a rapidly expanding market. “International cruise lines view Australia as an exotic destination and Darwin is uniquely positioned because of its culture, nature, access to world-heritage, warm friendliness and laid-back lifestyle,” Mr Doyle says.

Industry figures for the last financial year show Australia achieved an annual increase in total passenger expenditure from about $100 million to $158 million; the number of cruise ship visits was up from 325 to 406; the number of ports visited rose by 33% to 20; and the number of cruise ships jumped by 22% to 28. Many international cruise liners escape the northern hemisphere winter by moving their operations to the South Pacific. And they are being encouraged to either enter or exit Australian waters through the Port of Darwin, providing a boon to local traders during the usually quiet wet season.

One of those traders is luxury crocodile leather maker Di Croco. On the day the Aurora disgorged 1750 shoppers into Darwin, Retail Executive Quan Nguyen was making good sales by lunchtime. “In general, there is a big impact on our business when a cruise ship arrives – it depends how many people with big money are on board!” Mr Nguyen says. He believes that cruise ships are not only very good for business, but that the presence of affluent tourists can improve the general retail experience in the CBD.

The Waterfront development will do much to raise the city’s profile but, as Richard Doyle points out, “the number one thing that we have right now is a small expedition style ship.” That ship is the Orion, recognised as one of the world’s best and most environmentally friendly expedition ships, which plies waters from the equatorial tropics to the Antarctic coastline. For the past two years, from April to September the luxury vessel has called Darwin its home port, as it makes about 15 expeditions taking around 100 guests west along the ancient Kimberley coastline to Broome, East Timor and Kupang.

“We realised that to do justice to these magnificent locations you can’t take big ships with thousands of people up there because there is little infrastructure to support them,” says Sarina Bratton, founder and Managing Director of Orion Expedition Cruises. The investment is paying off – last year the Orion added a unique new itinerary called Mysteries of Arnhem Land to its offerings.

Ms Bratton estimates the ship’s orders for fuel, food, beverages, consumables and technical products are worth $4 million a year to Darwin’s economy. On top of this, the Orion puts about 1400 people a year through the city. “It’s rare for people to fl y in or out just for the cruise – they all make ‘pre-or-post’ arrangements, like accommodation and touring,” Ms Bratton says. Even though the new $4.5 million cruise ship terminal is scheduled to begin construction in June Darwin has some constraints to overcome before becoming an ideal home base for more cruise ships, the lack of efficient loading facilities being just one of them. “The authorities need to consider the needs of people like us, who are there for six months of the year, as against just building a terminal for massive cruise liners,” Ms Bratton says.

Ms Bratton says that the proposed superyacht facility could potentially suit her ‘mega yacht’ well, and Richard Doyle agrees about the need for new investment. “The cruise sector will continue to grow by 8-9% each year,” he says. “The challenge for Darwin, as the ships get bigger and passenger numbers increase, will be to provide the necessary infrastructure, services and amenities to cater for his growth.”

He is highly upbeat about the Territory’s prospects, especially about ‘pre-and-post’ cruise packages and linking with “land based product.” Darwin has been chosen as the host city for Cruise Down Under’s annual conference in August, reflecting its growing importance to the national industry. Critically, it has a deepwater port, is the only significant city on Australia’s northern coast and the first Australian attraction south of Singapore. It’s a stop guaranteed to deliver an experience unique among those in the exotic world of international cruising.

Cruising – Territory Style

Adrian Rota, Yirrkala Dhanbul Community Association Co-ordinator, was beaming as he welcomed me to his small office in the town council building. The reason for his good cheer was anchored less than half a kilometre off the town beach. Dominating this remote Arnhem Land community’s seascape was the five-star luxury, purpose-built, expedition cruise ship Orion, the newest addition to the Australian cruise scene.

Earlier that morning 60 eager passengers disembarked from the rear deck into a fleet of black Zodiac inflatable’s, bound for a wet landing at Shady Beach, and a rendezvous with the local Aboriginal people, the Yolngu. Gathered under the leafy canopy of the seaside shade trees, Timmy Djawa Burarrwanga and his extended family were waiting to provide a traditional Yolngu welcome.

This was by far the biggest crowd Timmy’s fledgling tourism enterprise had engaged to share some of the distinctive cultural experiences of northeast Arnhem Land.

Visitors and Yolngu readily melded into an informal mob around small cooking fires and spread out tarpaulins under the shady canopy. A flurry of face painting quickly bridged the cultural divide. The customary smoking ceremony and welcome set the course for the day’s activities.

The group then split with half transported back to the heart of town and the Buku – Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre, one of the most prominent Indigenous art centres in northern Australia. The adjoining museum houses the famed ‘Church Panels’ which are an iconic art work and a powerful political statement about the changing world view brought on by the bauxite mining development nearby.

Positioning the ship just off the town beach rather than in Nhulunbuy harbour was a master stroke that added to the intimacy of the experience.

The mood at Shady Beach was decidedly relaxed with the tasting of local delicacies – oysters, mud crab and freshly speared fish – matching the gourmet fare served daily from the ship’s galley. Pandanus weaving, painting, spear throwing, discussion – men’s business, women’s business – rapidly filled out the day in what was a heady cultural experience, relished by all.

Back at the art centre, long-time co-ordinator Will Stubbs was in full flight. Despite the enticing array of exquisite local bark paintings, weaving, carving and prints, purchasing and acquisition had to take second place to Will eloquently presenting the history and stories about art and land to a captive audience. By the day’s end, numerous treasures were bought and returned to the ship or packaged off to new homes.

Yirrkala was a stand-out success and considered the highlight of a 10-day cruise across the top from Darwin to Cairns. Positioning the ship just off the town beach rather than in Nhulunbuy harbour was a master stroke that added to the intimacy of the experience and helped put the smile on Adrian’s face.

Expedition cruise shipping and charters have been booming on the nearby Kimberley coast for some years, with over 20 operators now active and more entering each year.

Over the past decade there have been irregular visits to key Arnhem Land centres such as Maningrida and Nhulunbuy, mostly in ‘across the top’ transits between Cairns and Darwin. There is now a growing interest and opportunity to seriously capture more of this lucrative market to benefit some of the Indigenous communities around the Northern Territory coast.

Orion has taken the initiative to establish this destination as a regular part of its cruise program. Last year visits were made to the Tiwi Islands and Coburg Peninsula taking in the early British colonial occupation at Victoriam Settlement and charter flights to Davidson’s Safari Camp at Mt Borradaile. Providing a more extended experience was part of a trial run in October last year on this cruise that took in exploration stops at Melville Island, Victoria Settlement on Coburg Peninsula, Maningrida, the Wessel Islands and Yirrkala.

Passenger feedback was enthusiastic, pointing to a more extensive itinerary for September 2007. This will provide opportunities for local communities, family ventures and art centres to benefit from the growth in this special tourism sector. It will need careful nurturing, but the rewards can be substantial. This is an exciting and non-intrusive way for Indigenous people to connect visitors with the land, culture and art of the spectacular Territory coast.

Directory: layouts -> download.aspx?SourceUrl= -> publications -> Documents
Documents -> Cover story
Documents -> Inside this issue
Documents -> Cover story
layouts -> Factors on the basis of which import or export duty and other measures in respect of trade in goods are applied
layouts -> Curriculum vitae (updated April 2016 )
layouts -> Periodic Vehicle Inspection for Emissions and Roadworthiness
layouts -> Namas Proposal – nama seeking Support for Preparation Title of Mitigation Action

Download 166.66 Kb.

Share with your friends: