Fremantle on Wednesday 5 March, 2008, will forever be a part of the history books thanks to Queen Elizabeth 2. The boat not the monarch, that is. As she left Victoria Quay at 7pm, she bade farewell to Australia for the last time ever before the 70 327 tonne liner heads to Dubai to become a floating hotel.
The name of the QE2 has almost become synonymous with luxury travel in its 41 years of service and the thousands of people who turned up in Fremantle wanted to get a glimpse of it for a last time.
It's also a special occasion for the crew and Captain Ian McNaught. "It is a very special cruise," he confirms, "it's tinged with a little bit of sadness. It is our farewell cruise, and it's a big celebration as well, though. We've got a lot to celebrate: 40 years of history, [and] many, many happy visits to Australia."
