There is nothing quite like seeing the beauty of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Opera House from the ocean. I boarded our vessel for our 2 hour Sydney Harbour’s True Crime Cruise at Campbell’s Cove, not knowing what stories awaited us.
What secrets did our beautiful city ‘harbour’? (My attempt at contributing to the quips that our hosts were so good at doing throughout the cruise!)
After a few housekeeping and safety announcements by Captain Sterling, our friendly hosts, Emily and Caitlin, welcomed us. The catamaran was clean and comfortable for our group of people. There were refreshments for the guests and a toilet on board.
Under a sunny Spring sky, we sailed past the Sydney Opera House. We listened to the first true story involving a criminal event that set into motion changes to withhold future lottery winners’ identities and create anti-kidnapping laws. You could guess what that crime was about!
Dark Stories hosts Emily and Caitlin shared the microphone to regale us with true crime stories along the neighbouring suburbs that line the lush Sydney ocean shores. Stories that involved luxurious waterfront houses, greed, corruption, gangland operations and unsolved murders.
Kudos to Caitlin and Emily, who captured the audience’s interest with their animated storytelling style. They provided dates, and we were handed a booklet with photos to see who and what they were talking about.
Told with humour at just the right points when relating the stories, they turned some quite gruesome tales into ones we could stomach without using the seasickness bag!
Fortunately for us, on the Dark Stories’ maiden voyage for their first True Crime Cruise for the season, there was no need to use the seasickness bag for any other reason. This was due to the steady work of Captain Sterling. Thank you to Sarah, who looked after the guests with tea, coffee, and cookies.
We were able to head to the front of the catamaran to sit and soak up the sunshine and enjoy the views. I appreciated the moments when we stopped at a certain point, and our hosts gave us time to take photos and simply be one with the sea.
What made this cruise different from any other I’d been on was the cleverly paced and interesting stories Emily and Caitlin told, ones which I’d never heard before. I am a Sydneysider and recommend Sydney Habour’s True Crime Cruise to both locals and tourists to our beautiful city. It was a relaxing and unique experience.
Sydney Harbour’s True Crime Cruise – every Saturday from 14 October 2023 to 27 January 2024
Departs: Campbell Cove, The Rocks, Sydney
Time: 9am
Tickets: Adults $79 Child $59
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