Day five, November 17, was all about mystery… well, Mystery Island, anyway. I love the laidback lifestyle of the Ni-Vanuatu people and I think it’s something we could all learn a lot from. Many of us on the island also got to experience the ‘security’ of Mystery Island Airport this morning when a small Air Vanuatu aircraft came in to land with little warning and then took off straight over the top of us. Got our hearts racing, that’s for sure. I tried to capture the full take-off, but chickened out when the plane was nearly on top of me… better luck next time. 
The music has also had our hearts racing on board the Legend of the Seas. Cruisin’ Country has lived up to every expectation I’ve had and my only complaint is that I haven’t had time to finish my book because there’s been too much great music to catch.
Last night Shane Nicholson headlined the main theatre with an amazing show during which he was joined by Felicity Urquhart for Rattlin’ Bones. If you haven’t caught a Shane Nicholson show, you need to put it on your ‘to-do’ list. He takes you from all shades of light to dark and everywhere in between. He’s one of our top singer-songwriters and producers, so there’s not much he can’t do, really. His show was a highlight for me last night. Today has been all about Mystery Island so far where everyone who went ashore enjoyed hours of snorkeling, shopping and/or swimming. This afternoon Simply Bushed and Aleyce Simmonds have both entertained and tonight Melinda Schneider headlines the That’s Entertainment Theatre and Paul Costa, Innocent Eve, Kristy Cox and Jasmine Rae perform through to the early hours… we’ll be keeping it country until we meet again on this blog tomorrow.

Day four brought a few hours at Mare, New Caledonia. This is a small island that features a beach you can get a paid transfer to and a lot of beautiful residents. We stayed close to the pier and explored the market stalls.
Back on board the music never stops and that’s the reason we’re here, although I am very much looking forward to getting to Mystery Island tomorrow morning and seeing Vanuatu which, as anyone who knows me well knows, is a country I love and could easily make my home – they just need to improve their country music scene. Their country population will significantly increase for a few hours tomorrow.
Anyway, back to the music on board. Last night, November 15, we had a double bill of Drew McAlister and Luke O’Shea. It was HUGE! Seriously, no words could describe how these two singer-songwriters moved the audience. I saw people wiping tears from their eyes and people laughing – they covered the whole gamut of emotions through their stories and songs. That is truly what music is about; moving people. If you’re not feeling anything when listening to someone perform, they’re not doing it right. Again, we are so lucky in Australian country music to have the calibre of performers that we do. Luke and Drew are just two of them. The amazing Lyn Bowtell joined Drew for a song and Amber Lawrence joined Luke O’Shea for their duet, Catch You.
The cruise reminds me of Tamworth so much in that way as people stage hop around the ship and you’re never sure who’s going to appear at someone else’s show.
Before heading to bed, I caught the sounds of Travis Collins coming from Anchors Aweigh, so dropped in for a few songs and he had the room rocking with his brand of country.
Today I caught up with Paul Costa for a ‘quick’ interview that wrapped up two hours later as we caught up on what he’d been up to. It’s been a bit of a quiet music day for me as I’m struggling with an ear ache, certainly not brought on by the music. I’m using music and some medicinal alcohol to treat it, so should be back stronger than ever tomorrow 🙂
Tonight I wrapped up the oceanic festival with the immensely talented Shane Nicholson. Photos and concert report to come tomorrow after we explore Mystery Island.
If there’s anything I’m missing out or you’d like to know more about in these short blog entries, be sure to let me know.

DAY three on Cruisin’ Country and the music continues. We’ve been in Noumea for the day, but that hasn’t stopped the entertainment on board.
Last night Amber Lawrence lit up the main theatre with her show where she was joined by Amber Joy Poulton and Aleyce Simmonds for Cheers To The Girls. That was a special moment among so many special moments on this cruise so far. Amber is the ambassador for Cruisin’ Country and her love for the role shines through as she introduces the main acts each night. Monday night demonstrated why she’s a Golden Guitar winner and at the top of the country music game in Australia. As well as Cheers To The Girls, The Man Across the Street was an absolute highlight of the night for me and left few dry eyes in the theatre as she told the story of the war veteran who suffered PTSD and was forgotten by society, but saved her life.
Prior to Amber’s performance, I caught singer-songwriter and musician, Matt Cornell, in the Schooner Bar. It was packed to the rafters by an appreciative audience who hung on hi every word and soaked up Matt’s stories and songs.
I finished off the night with something a little different in the form of The Hillbilly Goats. If you have not seen this group perform, you must. Their shows are a little trip to the mountains of Tennessee through bluegrass and Appalachian music.
Today, most people got a taste of dry land again for a few hours, but back on the Legend of the Seas, it was all about the country music. We had Aleyce Simmonds on the pool deck until her show was rained out and I caught up with Jasmine Rae who is also on her first Cruisin’ Country and loving it as much as the rest of us. Aleyce wowed the outdoor audience with her powerhouse vocals and showed what talent Tamworth and Australian country music produces.
Inside, out of the elements, Bob Corbett and band were whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their music and a certain other country music artist was spotted ripping up the dance floor… she looked a lot like Felicity Urquhart, sources claimed.

Tonight’s main show was Drew McAlister and Luke O’Shea, which I followed with Travis Collins, but more on them tomorrow. We are headed to Mare tomorrow and I’m just getting this blog published before the ship’s clocks strike midnight.

IT’S only day two on Cruisin’ Country and the music is heating up, along with the weather as we sail towards Noumea. The itinerary has been changed and we are hitting up Noumea for our first island visit followed by the smaller islands of New Caledonia and Mystery Island, Vanuatu.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was encouraged to book on Cruisin’ Country 6, except I knew it would be good. Well, for me, this cruise has been like a small taste of the Tamworth Country Music Festival without the dry heat (it’s so humid outside, although not too hot today) and the frantic busy-ness.
It was a damp sail away party as a massive storm ripped through Brisbane on our departure, bringing the Hillbilly Goats’ performance to an early close. And, yes, the goat is on board with us much to my children’s delight.
Last night I caught the ever lovely and amazingly talented Felicity Urquhart whose voice continues to amaze. I have been watching her perform since she was… well, in school (which was only a few years ago, of course) and she just keeps getting better. Felicity headlined the first ‘Showtime’ performance in the That’s Entertainment Theatre with the Cruisin’ Country Orchestra comprised of Brendan Radford, Glen Hannah, Clare O’Meara, Jeff McCormack, Steve Fearnley, and Vaughan Jones. She even performed a few new songs that we might just see on her next album… I’ve been pushing her for years for a new offering, but her BBU album is still hitting all the right notes.
Felicity wrapped up a wonderful first day on the Legend of the Sea.
Today, Monday, November 14, has brought with it bush ballads from Dean Perrett and Jeff Brown, and a songwriting workshop with Lyn Bowtell, her BBU colleague, Felicity Urquhart, Drew McAlister and Shane Nicholson (who was a little late due to the time change between Brisbane and now, as we are back on Sydney time, which is Noumea time).
Those enjoying the pool in the windy weather had Libby O’Donovan to entertain them, along with Aleyce Simmonds and we’ve still got Amber Joy Poulton and the Holy Men, Matt Cornell and Amber Lawrence in the main theatre to come.
Exhausted yet? Yeah, me too, but no time to stop as there is much to enjoy. And a tip for those families thinking of coming in the form of two words – Kids Club. Best thing ever and my children are getting to know the children of my musical mates which is just a wonderful thing to witness.
Until tomorrow, enjoy and I hope you can live through these photos and feel like you’re on board with us.