Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady arrived in Sydney Harbour with a grand welcome orchestrated by Sir Richard Branson himself, according to a recent press release.

Sir Richard Branson joined the Resilient Lady’s arrival, cruising aboard a classic wooden speedboat, and later made an exhilarating ascent up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This exclusive Virgin Voyages takeover of the BridgeClimb experience set the stage for the Resilient Lady’s first appearance at Circular Quay’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.

This marks Virgin Voyages’ foray into the Australian market, the first travel brand in the Virgin Group to do so since Virgin Australia’s inception (then Virgin Blue) in 2000.

Expressing his excitement, Sir Richard Branson shared, “Sydney is one of my favorite cities in the world, and we wanted to ensure our arrival was as spectacular as the Sydney Harbour itself. To stand at the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and watch Resilient Lady come into Circular Quay was one of the most exciting moments since we founded the Virgin brand.”

With the Aussie MerMaiden voyage less than a week away, Branson added, “Australians’ loyalty to Virgin brands over the years has been a testament to the thousands of people who make Virgin what it is, and we know you’re going to love Virgin Voyages, the latest brand to come Down Under. We are now less than one week away from our Aussie MerMaiden voyage, and we can’t wait to welcome Sailors aboard our ship where they will have a blast and experience our unique approach to cruising with the very best food, wellness, entertainment and fun.”

Virgin Voyages’ CEO, Nirmal Saverimuttu, highlighted the company’s commitment to delivering a fresh and unique cruise experience, stating, “Australians love to go on holiday, and they’ve shown how much they love cruising. We’re excited to make our mark here in Australia with the newest ship in our fleet. We celebrate being different, and it’s why we decided to push the envelope and do things in a fresh and exciting way. Richard challenged us to create a cruise line he’d want to take his mates on, and we’ve succeeded.”

“We have some incredible destinations lined up for our first summer sailing season including Sydney, Hobart, Burnie along with other brilliant ports of call in New Zealand like Auckland, Wellington, Napier and Picton.”

After a two-night stay in Sydney, the Resilient Lady will set sail for Melbourne, its new homeport for the upcoming summer season. The ship’s inaugural Aussie MerMaiden voyage on Dec. 11 will journey to Tasmania, making stops in Burnie and Hobart along the way.