Julie's review..

Car + Boat = An easy trip to remember

What a perfect way to start our self-drive holiday in Melbourne. An easy breezy check-in on board the Spirit of Tasmania meant our holiday began as soon as we turned off our engine.

First on the bucket list was to check out our room, and it did not disappoint! We booked a (very spacious) twin cabin, which came with a fully equipped ensuite and porthole. If you're looking for ocean views, they don't get much better than this.

Just like a hotel, the Spirit of Tasmania has a number of different room types that can be booked. If you get in quick, try to book one of eight of the deluxe cabins - they are definitely worth the extra pennies! Families and groups have the option of a four or twin berth cabin, and for the more budget savvy travellers, opt for the ocean recliners (and maybe a sleeping pill!)

If you're worried you'll suffer cabin fever on board, think again. There is SO much to do on the Spirit of Tasmania. We began our night with a pre-dinner drink in one of the bars on board, where we had the chance to mingle with fellow travellers. Before we knew it, 7.30pm hit and it was time to set sail to the Leatherwood Restaurant.

Leatherwood Restaurant
We were met by our waiter, Seth, who explained the menu, pointing out that the chef only uses the very best Tasmanian produce - and boy was he right! Our three course meal was to die for.

I had entree of zucchini flowers, cape brim beef fillet served on a bed of garlic mash with mushroom gravy, which just melted in my mouth. For dessert, an individual mud cake with chocolate sauce, so light and yummy!

To top off the evening, we enjoyed a lovely bottle of wine and coffee to finish. The dining experience onboard the Spirit of Tasmania was far from disappointing and I cannot recommend it enough. You can have either a two course meal for $56 per person or three courses for $64 per person. Both served with tea or coffee to finish.

Before retiring for the night we had to decide whether to try our hand in the gaming room or go to the cinema. The gaming room won and luckily so did we!

After finally hitting the hay, we were able to enjoy a great night's sleep. A little word of warning for those not-so-happy-morning-risers - be prepared for the EARLY wake up call. Disembarking at 5.45am is a little hellish.

All in all, we really enjoyed our night on board the Spirit of Tassie, and I can't help thinking why I haven't chosen this method of travel before - it's sooo much more fun than flying!

We will be definitely be sailing again soon.

Day sailings end on 9 April for the 2012 summer season, but don't worry…there will be plenty more fun and entertainment on board next summer. Next year's day sailings commence on 23 December 2012 and you can currently catch a Day Ticket from $75 per person each way.  Get in early!

Read the full review of the Power family's day sailing adventure on board Spirit of Tasmania

Again, a big thank you to Mel Monk and her kids for sharing the photo and comments...

"My two children and I travelled on the Spirit back at the beginning of January. My 3 year old was so besotted with the ferry that he asked me to make a Spirit birthday cake for his 4th birthday party today. Here is the cake!"

Stay tuned everyone, this may have started something!

Hit the play button above to watch the highlights of the day and see how the footy stars enjoyed their journey on board Spirit of Tasmania.  We also welcome you to check out photos of the event on our Facebook page.

IN TASMANIA...

Nutgrove Beach - Sandy Bay

Hastings Caves State Reserve

Cataract Gorge Launceston

Richmond Village

Bluff Beach Devonport

Mt Field National Park

Ralphs Falls

Dip Falls

Franklin River

Spring Beach - Orford

IN VICTORIA...

Boneo Maze & Wetlands Centre Fingal

Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Albert Park Lake

Maroondah Reservoir Park

Werribee Park

Lysterfield Park

Dandenong Ranges National Park

Snowy River National Park

Grampians National Park

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Melbourne CBD and surrounds

Here's our fantastic, talented line-up of entertainers we have on board for you this summer.


Annie & Chris C

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Deep Blue - Carol Taweel & Kellie Mather / Carol Taweel & Alex Kyle

Carol Taweel (vocals/keyboards) began her career as a teenage pop diva in London, and has been entertaining Australian audiences for more than 20 years with one of the most startling voices you will ever hear, shifting effortlessly from Ella Fitzgerald to AC/DC and anything you can imagine in between.

From the Grand Hyatt to a garden wedding, Carol has 'been there, sung that', her wealth of experience and breadth of repertoire combined with consummate showmanship guarantees a great show for any audience.

Alex Kyle (vocals/guitar) has played in many bands and has performed in most of Melbourne's top venues, concert halls and function centres. He has toured throughout Europe and parts of the United States, and supported and played with many of Australia's finest musicians including Ian Moss and Jon English. He currently performs all over Melbourne as an acoustic soloist and also performs in "Two's Company", "Three's Company" and "The Barocca Brothers". Alex has a wide variety of styles and believes that music should be fun and entertaining.

Wildstyle - Lino Ettia & Francoise Hoshun

Wildstyle is an all-Australian professional outfit - with great energy and a variety of music to suit all tastes and any occasion! Wildestyle has been touring on an international scale for the past fifteen years and performed for various corporate functions, in many clubs, venues and 5-star hotels as well as cruise ships throughout Australia, South East Asia, Middle East and the United States of America. They have entertained a vast array of people with all kinds of tastes, from all over the world!

Rino & Jade - Rino & Jade Morea

Rino and Jade are a father/son musical duo performing all the great hits from the 50's, 60's & 70's, including Old Time, Country, Ballads, Dance and Rock 'n' Roll.

Rino has been a professional musician for over 25 years. Commencing his career in Sydney, he was rapidly 'snapped up' by legendary South Coast band "Nightshift" when he moved with his family to the small town of Moruya, NSW. He then spent 15 years in this hard working band as both lead guitarist and vocalist before launching his solo career 15 years ago touring with his family all over Australia in their converted tour coach.

For the past 8 years Rino, wife Kerrie and Jade have also resided in the Meander Valley, Tasmania where they live for 6 months of the year working at venues all over the island including TT-Line's Spirit Of Tasmania ships.

Over the last 10 years Rino has incorporated his son Jade to his act and together they have created an outstanding family duo with sensational matching harmonies. Jade now 25, started his career at age 14 as a vocalist, appearing at many of his father's shows across Australia and has developed his own 'crooner' style adding more versatility to their repertoire.

Rino and Jade are also multi recording artists, with a total of three CD albums for sale! For more information, visit www.rinoandjade.com or email enquiry@rinoandjade.com

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Broadside - Trev Weaver & Jason Patmore

Broadside is the combination of two of Tasmania's most talented and professional musicians  - Trev Weaver and Jason Patmore. With highly successful careers forged from both band and solo ventures, this exciting duo brings a wealth of experience and entertainment value to the fore. The have a huge repertoire of popular and classic songs from the sixties to today, ensuring listening pleasure to a wide audience, guaranteed to have the crowd dancing and singing along.

Trev is a full-time professional singer/guitarist who for the past 15 years has worked extensively both in Australia and overseas. Prior to commencing a solo career he was lead vocalist for some of Tassie's top bands, gigging and touring with the cream of Australian popular music acts. Then, turning solo, for 4 years he performed at the top venues on Queensland's Gold Coast. This was followed by a year based in Airlie Beach, entertaining throughout the network of island resorts, including 3 months as a member of the musical staff on Great Keppel Island.

Then a move to Europe, with 12 months playing in London, Germany and the ski resorts and clubs of Austria. The following 6 years were spent travelling between commitments in Australia and Europe. Utilising sequenced backing to produce a full band sound, or playing acoustically, he has a repertoire of over 200 songs; classics from the 60's to the 90's and new releases regularly updated. With a great vocal range, solid guitar and true sense of entertainment, his dynamic live performances ensure that his music is in constant demand.

Joe Pirere Duo - Joe Pirere & Thomas Reid

Thomas and Joe are originally from America and New Zealand respectively and for the past 22 years have called Hobart home, playing throughout the state of Tasmania as a duo and in various bands. With a strong influence of the Blues and Jazz, they have a unique style, fusing the two together with other modes to create a new sound to well known tunes.

Both musicians play guitar and sing, each complimenting the other with many years of experience. Thomas also plays percussion and with Joe's unique playing style, can give the impression of a four piece band Thomas Reid is an acoustic guitar/singer/percussionist who has built a solid reputation for being a premium performer with his vibrant, soulful and energetic style.

Thomas has entertained audiences throughout Australia and U.S.A., for over twenty years and evokes true emotion when performing from a diverse repertoire of musical standards including jazz, soul, funk, rock, reggae many styles in-between. When not performing music to an audience; Thomas writes musical jingles for TV and radio, from his (THR Productions) recording studio. Over the years, Thomas has worked with some of Australia's top talents, including "Australian's Godfather of Soul" Doug Williams, New Zealand R&B artist Leo de Castro, cabaret artist Chelsea Brown and Jane Scali along with many other notable artists.

Two's Company - Alex Kyle & Caroline Hawke / Carol Taweel

"Two's Company" is actually a spin-off from the very funky eight piece band, "Rhythm Company". By taking a wide selection of classic hits and adding them to their already impressive repertoire, this stylish duo are capable of adapting to any entertainment need. With soulful vocals and perfectly blended harmonies, Alex and Caroline will lend atmosphere to any venue and can also capture the essence of a full, fun, live band.

Alex Kyle (vocals/guitar) has played in many bands and has performed in most of Melbourne's top venues, concert halls and function centres. He has toured throughout Europe and parts of the United States, and supported and played with many of Australia's finest musicians including Ian Moss and Jon English. He currently performs all over Melbourne as an acoustic soloist and also performs in "Two's Company", "Three's Company" and "The Barocca Brothers". Alex has a wide variety of styles and believes that music should be fun and entertaining. Caroline Hawke (vocalist) has an extensive singing, acting and dancing background, having trained in all three disciplines. She is a teacher of the performing arts and English.

Caroline is a cabaret performer, session vocalist and originals artist; as well as "Two's Company", Caroline performs in various acts around Australia. Carol Taweel (vocals/keyboards) began her career as a teenage pop diva in London, and has been entertaining Australian audiences for more than 20 years with one of the most startling voices you will ever hear, shifting effortlessly from Ella Fitzgerald to AC/DC and anything you can imagine in between. From the Grand Hyatt to a garden wedding, Carol has 'been there, sung that', her wealth of experience and breadth of repertoire combined with consummate showmanship guarantees a great show for any audience.

Duo de Force - Lyn & Kim Challands

Lyn and Kim Challands are Duo De Force, a successful musical duo from Melbourne, Australia. Kim plays acoustic Guitar, Lyn plays Piano and Keyboard, and they both sing lead and harmony vocals. Both have also worked as solo artists.

Duo De Force are very versatile, adaptable and fun. They have a large repertoire of more than 1500 titles and they add new songs each week. They enjoy performing all styles and eras of music from background dinner music through to lively and entertaining dance music. They cover styles from Rock and Roll, Ballads, Pop, Country, Disco and Funk. They also cover the popular songs of many generations from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, to Buddy Holly, Elvis, U2, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

They particularly love to perform the great songs of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and have specialized in Strict Tempo Ballroom tunes often requested on cruise ship contracts. Duo de Force have completed a number of long term resident contracts worldwide including cruise ships and 5 star Hotels. Their performances have taken them to Antarctica, Alaska, the South Pacific, America, Canada and throughout Australia.

Mark & Darren - Mark Stinson & Darren Lloyd

Mark and Darren are a Launceston based duo consisting of Mark Stinson (vocals/guitar) and Darren Lloyd (vocals/guitar). Mark and Darren initially formed exclusively for performances on board Spirit of Tasmania.

There was an instant musical chemistry and with performances being well received by audiences, further work soon followed. With an impressive and ever-growing repertoire ranging from the 60's - Current hits, Mark and Darren are immensely experienced and versatile musicians catering for any type of function, live venue, wedding or themed event. Covers ranging from Crowded House, Matchbox 20, the Beatles, Bryan Adams, Dire Straits, Black Eyed Peas....and in the styles of Rock, pop, easy listening and country! Top quality backing tracks perfectly compliment the quality of the live sound.

Check out Mark & Darren on YouTube



HITS AND MISSUS - Ron & Judy Coombes

After 14 years entertaining people of the Newcastle-Sydney region, HITS AND MISSUS relocated to the Tasmanian north coast in 2004.

Husband and wife team Ron and Judy Coombes have had a very successful career spanning 30 years working in clubs, pubs and at various functions including weddings parties and high end corporate functions in the vineyard region of the Hunter Valley.

Since arriving in Tasmania 8 years ago, HITS and MISSUS has proved to be very popular, securing work at many clubs and hotels, and are one of the regular entertainers on board Spirit of Tasmania.

With a wide and varied repertoire featuring top 40 hits from the 60s including Elvis, Beach Boys, Del Shannon, The Eagles, Status Quo, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, to the current hits of today - HITS and MISSUS are your guarantee for a fun and successful night no matter what the occasion! For more information, call Ron and Judy on (03) 64251018 or 0403511847.