Charter Chatter

- Enjoy the sun, fun and river breeze of the Murray River this summer and save 25 percent on all three, four and seven night Murray River Captain Cook Cruises. The sale is valid until 28 February 2011 and valid for travel from 3 January 2011 to 28 February 2011. The Murray Princess steams down the river between the Blanchetown area and Murray Bridge for 280kms of incredible terrain, wildlife and Australian history and culture.

- Central Coast Tourism welcomes the announcement of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for the Ex-HMAS Adelaide to be scuttled off Avoca Beach near Terrigal in NSW. The creation of an artificial reef site is expected to attract approximately 5,000 divers every year and inject an additional $4 million in direct tourism expenditure into the region annually.

- The National Maritime Museum’s annual Jacaranda Cruise up Sydney’s Lane Cove River will be conducted on Saturday 24 October from 10am to 1.30pm on board the historic ferry Lithgow. Adam Woodhams, award winning gardener and photographer and assistant editor of Better Homes and Gardens, will provide expert botanical and historical commentary. Bookings (02) 9298 3644.

- Sunsail announce a new charter destination in the place where it all began. Over 35 years ago Sunsail put their sails up in Greece; 36 years on and 30 worldwide destinations later, their new Athens Lavrion base is ideally located for the start of a sailing holiday in Greece's Saronic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. This contrasting city brings a mythological land dotted with ancient ruins, colourful architecture and quaint waterside towns, together with a sophisticated and vibrant city. Book early for summer 2011 and receive up to 10 percent off.

- The new Le Boat 1500 Series, a fleet of luxury, ecofriendly self-drive cruisers, will cruise European waterways in 2011. Le Boat is part of TUI Marine, the marine division of the Specialist & Activity Sector of TUI Travel Plc. The Le Boat 1500 Series, built by Groupe Bénéteau, allows the customer to cruise via a conventional diesel engine or under electric power with zero noise, zero pollution and zero fuel consumption.

- Coral Princess Cruises offers an Early Bird Special of 15 per cent off selected departures of its just-released 2011 Kimberley cruise programme. The ten night exploratory cruise along the wild and beautiful Kimberley coast of Western Australia - much of it only accessible by sea - is Coral Princess Cruises' most popular voyage.

- A tiny island, a white sandy beach, or picturesque coral reef - find your own special place in Fiji with Captain Cook Cruises 'Find My Fiji' sale on all three, four and seven night cruises, offering up to 47 per cent off brochure prices. The sale is valid until 30 November 2010 and valid for travel until 31 March 2011 around the Yasawa Islands aboard the small ship, MV Reef Endeavour.

- Cunard Line announces that Her Majesty The Queen will name the company’s new Queen Elizabeth, the third Cunard ship to bear the name, at a ceremony to take place in Southampton, England, on Monday 11 October 2010. Her Majesty also launched Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1967 and named their current flagship, Queen Mary 2, in 2004. She was also present at the age of
12 at the launch of the first Queen Elizabeth in 1938.

- Orion Expedition Cruises has announced that they will waive the single supplement surcharge applied on all Orion sailings from 16 September to 21 December 2010 inclusive. Five cabins will be reserved for sole occupancy on each voyage in order that single travellers will be able to pay the per person fare with no added supplement. This offer applies to a range of destinations including the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Australian East Coast and Tasmania.

- Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships, written by Douglas Ward, is, according to The London Times, "the most feared critic in the business". The special 2010 25th anniversary edition reviews more than 270 cruise ships and includes a Then and Now section comparing today’s cruises and facilities with those of 25 years ago.

- Sydney Harbour Island Hopping cruises will run each Saturday and Sunday from 9 - 24 October giving people access to the harbour islands via a one looped tour, with tailored entertainment and experiences on each. This year the program will include food experiences on all of the islands and a visit to the newly reopened Goat Island. Check out Harbourislandhopping.com for more details.

Photograph: Murray Princess 2