Sydney - Australia's big ship buffs are in for a treat this
week when the cruise liners Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 berth
in Sydney's fabulous harbour.
'These two vessels will be back in Sydney Harbour again and we're
absolutely delighted to be here,' Cunard president Carol Marlow said
Monday.
The last time Cunard liners named after British monarchs were in
Australia's biggest city was April 9, 1941, during their war services
as superfast troopships.
The 151,000-ton QM2, the biggest ocean liner ever built, is the
largest moving object ever to visit Australia. Its length and its
draft mean the QM2's too big to fit under the harbour bridge or join
other pleasure craft tied up in Circular Quay.
Instead it will dock at Garden Island naval base just round the
corner from the Opera House.
The new Mary will be followed into the harbour by the QE2, which
is small enough to take up a spot at Circular Quay.
The Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth were frequent visitors to
Sydney in the war years. They were too big for any of the berths and
had to ride at anchor in the harbour. So big, in fact, that the
harbour could only accommodate them one at a time.
Cunard plans to mark the occasion of both queens being together in
the harbour with a firework display.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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