Last updated 15 Jun 2008 

We couldn't have chosen a better day if we had tried for the QCC outing to Darling Harbour.  The plan was to see the current IMAX film then stroll down to the National Maritime Museum for a guided tour of the museum, have lunch in "Yotts Cafe" on the water's edge and finish with another guided tour, this time of the Daring class destroyer, HMAS Vampire, and the submarine, HMAS Onslow.  

IMAX were showing a film on the relics of ancient Greece including wonderful aerial shots of the Greek isles, Santorini in particular.  The photography and IMAX format were absolutely magnificent.  As time was short, the museum tour was fairly brief, but we learned enough to inspire us to return and do it at a more leisurely pace some other time.  One can spend days there to see everything and try and take it all in.  Lunch was excellent and gave us a chance to catch up with old friends, then it was back on our feet for the tour of the Vampire.  Because of the cramped conditions in the Onslow, visitors travel through the vessel from one end to the other, meeting guides at various key locations.  One has to take ones hat off to the mariners who served in such vessels, especially the tall ones (ouch!).

Many thanks to Lorraine Tacouni who organised an excellent day out.

Photos by Mike & Chris Hall.  Click on a thumbnail to enlarge.

IMAX Theatre, Darling Harbour	National Maritime Museum	Party gather for museum tour	Lunch at Yotts
IBM building to left of flag pole	Vampire & Onslow from Pyrmont Bridge	HMAS Vampire	Party gather for ships tour
Bounty's masts stand out	Officer of the watch Jock Marcks with Steve Shaw	Robbie & Ian Neale, Jock Marcks, Geoff & Rhonda Nash, Steve Shaw	HMAS Onslow
Steve Shaw in the Onslow's torpedo loading hatch	Torpedo tubes	Geoff Nash, Mike Hall and Jock Marcks in Onslow	NO- not that one, Jock! Aaaaaahh!!!

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