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P&O Paves the Way for Cruise Holidays to Fraser Island

Ina meticulously planned operation that has been several years in the making, P&OCruises' Pacific Aria has become the largest ship to navigate the Great SandyStrait, with her call to Fraser Island opening up the World Heritage-listed destinationto cruise tourism.

Athigh tide this morning, the 55,820-tonne Pacific Aria entered the tidal straitto the west of Fraser Island, slowly cruising through the Great Sandy Strait –a succession of sheltered bays and sand flats – before anchoring off theisland's Kingfisher Bay Resort about 7am.

P&OCruises President Sture Myrmell said the cruise line had wanted to visit FraserIsland for some time, but had only been able to introduce cruises to the world'slargest sand island following the addition of two mid-sized ships – PacificAria and Pacific Eden – to its fleet late last year.

"Today'shistoric visit has been a feat of modern navigation. Our team has worked closelywith local authorities including Maritime Safety Queensland, the GladstoneRegional Harbour Master and the Australian Hydrographic Service to update shippingcharts in the strait and carefully plan cruise calls around high tides," Mr Myrmellsaid.

P&Oalso recruited former harbour master Captain Mike Lutze, the only experiencedFraser Island pilot, for the maiden call and will continue working with him totrain Australian Reef Pilots to ensure the viability of future cruise visits tothe island.

PacificAria's call today is part of a four-night roundtrip cruise which departedBrisbane on April 1. Pacific Eden will make the next Fraser Island call onDecember 12 during the first roundtrip cruise from Sydney, with a further five callsscheduled for 2017. The cruise calls are expectedto contribute more than one million dollars to the local economy.

MrMyrmell said Fraser Island was one of 15 regional destinations added to P&Oitineraries in recent years as a result of the cruise line's fleet expansion andthe increase in short break cruises.

"AsP&O expands, we're thrilled to be leading the way in introducing more ofAustralia to cruising, especially Fraser Island, which boasts some of theworld's most magnificent scenery, wildlife and visitor experiences. It's a veryexciting time for cruise tourism in Australia with passenger numbers continuingto surge and it's great to be able to share the economic benefits of thisgrowth with communities around the nation," Mr Myrmell said.

Thecruise line has partnered with the island's Kingfisher Bay Resort to offer itsguests the ultimate Fraser Island experience. During today's call, PacificAria's guests are participating in a range of activities including bush tuckertasting, a visit to the Central Station rainforest and crystal clear Lake McKenzie,mangrove walking tours and beach Segway rides. Future cruise calls will includetours to Hervey Bay and the historic town of Maryborough as well as seasonal whalewatching experiences.

Queenslandis home to more cruise destinations than any other state in Australia, withP&O ships sailing to 10 ports within the State. In recent years P&O hasopened up new Queensland ports including Mooloolaba and Moreton Island, followedby Gladstone last month and now Fraser Island.

Accordingto industry figures, Queensland is the second biggest source market forAustralian cruisers with nearly 240,000 Queenslanders cruising in 2014, anincrease of 21 per cent on the previous year.

The1500-guest Pacific Aria is scheduled to sail for Brisbane about 4pm today.

For more information visitpocruises.com.au.

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