More than a century after Douglas Mawson’s heroic Antarctic expeditions, Australia is once again a pioneer in South Pole adventuring. The Australian-owned Scenic Discovery Yacht Eclipse II will chart a course for rarely visited East Antarctica this summer, retracing Mawson’s path – but this time in 21st-century luxury. The impeccably equipped Eclipse II has suites (with balconies and butlers) for 200 guests, a total of 18 bars, lounges and restaurants, plus a spa – with added Pilates studio. But it’s the expert polar discovery team and toys such as helicopters and submersibles that set the ship apart, as well as unrivalled access to Mawson’s Huts, a Possession Island flyover and deep-sea sightseeing in Commonwealth Bay.

Cruise newcomer Explora Journeys launched its second vessel, Explora II, in September last year. Guests in its 461 suites and residences enjoy 12 bars and lounges, plus six restaurants, but there’s also a strong case to be made for ordering room service – suites start at a generous 35 square metres and top out at the 280-square-metre Owner’s Residence with its own whirlpool, private bar and panoramic terrace that spans the width of the ship. The luxury vessel follows the sun and in the northern summer she’ll be mooching around the Med. Embark on a 14-night odyssey from Monte Carlo to Rome via some of Europe’s most glamorous marinas (Portofino, Sorrento, Sardinia) and head ashore to explore the Balearic Islands and Cannes, as well as cultural hotspots Marseille (above) and Genoa.

When the blue-chip British line Cunard launched its latest ship, Queen Anne, in 2024, bookings jumped by almost a quarter. Such is the allure of the brand’s polished style of old-school sailing. Where better to indulge in its rarefied world of ballroom dancing and high teas than on a 14-night round-trip voyage from Queen Anne’s home port of Southampton? The ship docks at Newhaven for sorties into nearby Edinburgh (above), Invergordon to investigate Loch Ness and Greenock for excursions to Glasgow. There’s also scenic cruising in the Outer Hebrides and two landings in Ireland; at Dún Laoghaire in Dublin Bay and the seaside town of Cobh, gateway to County Cork, where you’ll find several of the country’s major whiskey distilleries – sláinte.

Banish any end-of-year blues with an epic 84-night cruise from Barcelona to Sydney that spends Christmas in Sri Lanka (above) and rings in 2026 in Malaysia. During 12 weeks aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator, guests will discover Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast and Ghana, and do recces at remote archipelagos including São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles. While the list of exotic destinations would excite any intrepid traveller – Madagascar! India! Namibia! – arriving in Aussie waters rewards with a leisurely lap of Darwin, Airlie Beach and, finally, Sydney. Seven Seas Navigator, the luxury line’s most intimate ship, accommodates 496 passengers in mostly balcony cabins with excellent dining options and a host of shore excursions included in the fare. On a trip this diverse and fascinating (and long) that’s a huge plus.

If you missed Viking Venus’s inaugural Grand Australia Circumnavigation last month, the good news is that her sister ship, the 930-passenger Orion, will do it all again in December. Setting out from Sydney, the adults-only vessel – with 10 dining venues, a planetarium, spa and spacious cabins – will trace a leisurely circle around the continent over 32 days. Passengers will alight at buzzy coastal cities including Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin before detouring to Indonesia, with stops at Komodo National Park (above) and Bali. Then it’s back to home straits to follow the Western Australian coast from Geraldton to Albany, head over to Adelaide, Melbourne and northern Tasmania then onward for a triumphant return to Sydney.

For expedition-cruise bragging rights, it’s hard to beat the combined clout of South Bougainville and the little-known Nuguria Islands. Australian expedition outfit True North takes you there on its new Uncharted Melanesia trip, a 10-night adventure departing from Cairns and sailing through the islands of Papua New Guinea. The route offers rich cultural moments, such as welcoming sing-sing celebrations. Stops include Pok Pok, Tavolo and the Trobriand Islands, with snorkel safaris to the remote reefs of the Carteret and Nissan islands, plus World War II history on land and in the sea, including snorkelling among wartime shipwrecks in the Louisiade Archipelago. The activity-rich schedule also runs to helicopter flights over faraway island chains.