Sail of the Century Down Under

What is it about Australia and New Zealand that is attracting increasing numbers of cruise ships and, hopefully, passengers?
It can’t all be down to the fact that a million Brits emigrated to Oz as “£10 Poms” between 1945 and 1972, even if one of them – Julia Gillard – is now the country’s Prime Minister.
The second of Ocean Village’s two ships will soon complete its summer season in the Med and be transferred to the P&O Australia fleet as Pacific Pearl. It will take the line’s fleet to four, and joins Pacific Jewel which left the UK last year.
Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 will spend 28 nights in a circumnavigation of Australia in 2012 during her world cruise. Before then, P&O’s Oriana will visit Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns this November during a world voyage, and Fred Olsen’s Balmoral will be in the same ports next February and March.
Now Celebrity Cruises have announced a return Down Under. Their 1,800-passenger ship Century will be pulled out of Baltimore, Maryland, from where it is currently sailing regularly on 12-night cruises to the Caribbean and sails via Hawaii to Australia. It will sail five 12- and 13-night New Zealand cruises between Sydney and Auckland, including a Christmas special leaving Sydney on December 24.
Passengers will also have the opportunity to experience a rare, 36-night circumnavigational voyage with two back-to-back 18-night sailings: one will be along the southern coast and to New Zealand’s fjords; the second will be around the northern coast, and includes a visit to the island of Bali.
The voyages will attract plenty of local passengers as well as Brits and Americans prepared to make the journey. The number of Australians taking a cruise grew by 26 per cent between 2007 and 2008 to 330,000.