A short-break sailing from Sydney to Hobart proves the perfect circuit-breaker for busy lives.
There is surely no better harbour to set sail from than Sydney’s. From the deck of Celebrity Edge, I watch ferries zigzag past the Opera House, flags flutter atop the Harbour Bridge and the pilot boat guide our ship safely through the busy working harbour towards the open ocean. Every Sydney sail-away carries a sense of occasion, no matter the scope of the journey ahead.
This evening in particular, I am heading to Hobart and back on a five-night round cruise that will prove the perfect circuit-breaker in the midst of a busy few weeks. A couple of hours earlier I had closed my laptop, jumped on a train to Circular Quay and rolled my case onboard.
Celebrity Edge departing Sydney Harbour. (Credit: Tim Faircloth)
What I love about cruising is that decisive moment when you step aboard and holiday mode is activated with the flick of an invisible switch. Full inboxes and laundry baskets are left on land. From here, the biggest decisions are where to dine and whether to stay up for the ’80s disco.
I’m sailing on Celebrity Edge during its third outing Down Under, in a summer season of itineraries that range from short escapes like mine to 14-night journeys. The first ship of Celebrity Cruises’ pioneering Edge Series, it debuted in 2018 with innovative technology (including the Magic Carpet – the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform at sea) and staterooms crafted by celebrated British interior designer Kelly Hoppen.
Short cruises on the rise
Watch the sunset from onboard Celebrity Edge. (Credit: Tim Faircloth)
Short cruises are having a moment, with more Australians choosing to swap a traditional break for a few leisurely days at sea. Cruise lines have responded by increasing the number of shorter itineraries, including two-, three- and four-night sailings, both in Australian waters and overseas.
According to Joel Katz, executive director of Australasia at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the appeal is broadening cruising’s audience. “Short breaks have gained a huge amount of attention in recent years as cruise lines look to new demographics and first-time cruisers. Short breaks are more popular with younger travellers, but they also appeal to people who have never cruised before and want to try a taste of cruising without a big commitment."
Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.
AI Prompt
Life onboard Celebrity Edge
Eden is a three-level space onboard for dining, drinking and admiring ocean views. (Credit: Tim Faircloth)
Find plenty of places for a tipple onboard. (Credit: Imogen Eveson)
Dip into one of the ship's pools. (Credit: Ryan Wicks)
Reset at sea. (Credit: Imogen Eveson)
Tailored to appeal to contemporary cruisers, Celebrity Edge’s 29 bars, restaurants and lounges feel like well-curated hangout spots. From morning to night, there is no shortage of things to do, places to perch and drinks to sip. But it doesn’t take me and my partner long to settle into our own rhythm onboard.
Our evenings begin at Eden, a three-level space that epitomises Celebrity Edge’s innovative concept of outward-facing design with its striking glass frontage at the stern of the ship. Conceptualisted by renowned Patricia Urquiola as something of a fantasy garden, it evolves in mood throughout the day and after dark, and invites exploration. We order a drink at the bar – its ‘plant library’ a living wall that bartenders use to garnish cocktails – and discover the space’s many lookout points, gazing out to sea with glass in hand.
Soak up the sun at Rooftop Garden Grill. (Credit: Michel Verdure)
We enjoy a standout dinner here one night at Eden Restaurant, one of the ship’s specialty dining options, tucked between an open kitchen and a view of the ship’s trailing wake. Another evening takes us to the al fresco Rooftop Garden Grill. On different nights, we travel the world through dining at three of the main restaurants: Cosmopolitan, Cyprus and Tuscan.
The heated pool at the adults-only Solarium brings welcome warmth as we sail further south. And we make use of a day pass to the SEA Thermal Suite, slipping between the infrared sauna, steam room, crystalarium, salt room and hammam, before coming to rest like sun-baking seals on ocean-facing heated tile loungers.
Photography excursion in Eden
Eden’s historic Hotel Australasia was restored in 2022. (Credit: Imogen Eveson)
We disembark for a day in Eden on NSW’s far South Coast, joining a guided tour with a local photographer who shares image-making tips alongside insights into the history of this old whaling town. We have enough time at the end to nip into town for a drink at restored pub Hotel Australasia, before catching the shuttle back to the ship.
Weekly travel news, experiences insider tips, offers, and more.
A day exploring Hobart
The ship anchors long enough to have lunch at Hobart’s Mona. (Credit: Imogen Eveson)
We know Hobart well so opt out of excursions, enjoying the ease of stepping off the ship into the heart of the Tassie capital and heading off on our own adventure. We choose to revisit Mona – but this time shake things up with a Mona Like A Rockstar package from Cultural Attractions of Australia. We spend a day learning behind-the-scenes secrets of Australia’s wildest museum while eating and drinking so much that we are almost too full for one more night of epicurean exploration onboard. But not quite.
Sailing back from Hobart, I stand out on deck and spot the jagged forms of the Three Capes. Over the past few days, the view outside has been a passive backdrop to eating, drinking and lounging. Here I tune into the coastal landscape for the first time. The sky is bruised with drama and I remember the time I hiked the Tasman Peninsula. But a whiff of the wild is enough for me on this trip; the warmth of the ship and tonight’s diversions soon lure me back inside.
The details
As part of the upcoming season, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge sails a similar, four-night Tasmania round trip from Sydney from $1574 per person, with the chanced to experience life onboard and spend a day in Hobart. Departs 16 April 2027.
Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Imogen Eveson is Australian Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, Further East and We Are Africa.
Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.
Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.
You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)
I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.
A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy
Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)
With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.
A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.
I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.
Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.
Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate
Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.
As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate, I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.
Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.
On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.
I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.
Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels
Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)
Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.
COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.
It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.
A detour to the Dandenong Ranges
The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.
The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.
I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.
The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.
After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.
A traveller’s checklist
Staying there
Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.
Playing there
Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)
Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art. Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.
