Queen Mary 2 ocean liner docks in Melbourne ahead of Australian circumnavigation

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Queen Mary 2 ocean liner docks in Melbourne ahead of Australian circumnavigation

By Deborah Gough
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As a child on holidays in Glasgow in the 1930s, Alastair Eddie used to go down to the docks to watch the Queen Mary being built.

"I remember the noise because in those days they were all riveted," Mr Eddie said of the original ship.

On Monday, he watched as the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner delivered his jet-setting executive daughter, Sheena Wilson, home at Station Pier.

The ocean liner arrives in Port Melbourne.

The ocean liner arrives in Port Melbourne.Credit: Penny Stephens

Ms Wilson left her job as global head of talent strategy for Bank of New York Mellon and is returning home for good after a dozen years living the United States, United Kingdom and India for work, she said while waiting to disembark.

Arriving with her husband, Derrick Wilson, it was their first long voyage after smaller trips on the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.

"We just haven't had the time or the ability to do it in the past, but we always said that it would be nice – when we finally decide to come home – that this is the way we wanted to do it," Ms Wilson said.

The Queen Mary arrives at Port Melbourne.

The Queen Mary arrives at Port Melbourne.Credit: Penny Stephens

"My husband's parents always used to travel back and forth to the UK by ship and that's how we came to it," she said.

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The ship docked at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, just before 7am, carrying 2500 people on 13 decks of ship.

Ms Wilson joined the voyage at Southampton in England for her 38-day trip travelling to Madeira, Portugal, Walvis Bay, Namibia, Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, Mauritius and Fremantle.

"Just stunning," Ms Wilson said, of the journey and the ship itself.

"The thing that is most impressive is that even though there are 2500 passengers, and as many crew, you can still find nooks and crannies where you can just relax and not be surrounded by people," she said.

Mr Eddie and wife Jean, of Toorak, are planning a welcome home gathering for Mr and Ms Wilson next weekend.

The vessel will dock until 5.30pm, then circumnavigate Australia with a side trip to Bali, returning to Melbourne on March 12.

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