The 151,400-tonne Queen Mary 2 cruised into Sydney Harbour yesterday. Its been a bumper year so far for ocean liners visiting Sydney – 19 cruise ships have arrived this year. And more are on the way. Sydney has become one of the most popular ports for cruise ships. They inject an estimated $30 Million a year into the local economy.

In spite of the world’s economic woes, the cruise industry seems to be resilient. It’s the fastest-growing segment of the tourism industry. A berth on the Queen Mary 2 for a world cruise costs between $25,029 and $385,369.

Queen Mary 2 is in Sydney on its maiden 101-day world voyage.

The ship is way too big to berth at the usual ports of Darling Harbour or Circular Quay and has to dock at the naval yard at Garden Island.

To give you an idea of the size of the vessel, the 80 foot Sydney Harbour charter boat “Commissioner II” is seen alongside QM2 here.