Zana is a retired museum educator. With an Honours degree in Australian history and Graduate Diplomas in Museum Studies and Education, Zana worked in Australian museums including the Museum of Sydney and Hyde Park Barracks. She has presented at many museum and education conferences. As Coordinator of Fairfield City Museum and Gallery Zana managed the temporary and permanent exhibition program, education and visitor services. In 2010, she co-founded Creative Kick Start, an arts consultancy providing tailored, art-based workshops. In 2016 Zana co-authored a book, ‘The Creative Pulse – 5 steps to stretch your imagination’ available on Amazon. Since retiring in 2018, Zana has been an enrichment lecturer on cruise ships and ArtsNational Australia, sharing her passion for history, art and culture with lectures and presentations for audiences of all ages.

1. Lights Camera Action – Early Australian Films
Bursting onto the screen, the world’s first feature film ‘The Story of Ned Kelly’ was produced in Melbourne. In the early days of filmmaking, Australia had a thriving film industry. The biggest productions brought Hollywood stars to Australia. See clips from early Australian films that captured the hearts of audiences and became classics.

2. Picture This! Australian New Wave Films
Filled with creative energy, Aussie film production blossomed in the 1970s, a period that came to be known as the Australian New Wave. Meet Australia’s greatest living playwright and discover some of the stars from award-winning movies in film clips from this exciting period of cinematic renaissance.

3. Undercover - Australia’s Camouflage Artists of World War Two
Discover the secret camouflage artists who helped protect Darwin and Northern Australia under the threat of invasion during World War Two. Artistic innovation provided low technology solutions. A fascinating story of crisscrossing boundaries between art and design, military science, biology, and nature.

4. Fate or Fortune? Early Traders and Trade Routes
Risking the capital of their financial backers, European explorers searched for new trade routes. In 1597, Dutch explorer and colonizer Cornelis de Houtman arrived in Bali, a precursor to centuries of competition between European powers for valuable spices in the East. In 1819, Stamford Raffles the British Governor of the Dutch East Indies, chose an island marked on old maps as Sincapour to be a new trading port, signing the Treaty of Singapore with Sultan Hussein and founding modern Singapore.

5. Terrific Tales - Writers in the South
Discover terrific tales and stories set in Australasia. Joseph Conrad, Multatuli and Christopher Koch, are just some of the authors who wrote about SE Asia. Pramoedya Ananta Toer was an award-winning writer from Indonesia. DH Lawrence wrote vivid descriptions of the Australian landscape in his 1923 novel ‘Kangaroo’ and Miles Franklin bequeathed the Australian awards that bear her name. In New Zealand, Keri Hulme won the Booker Prize for ‘The Bone People. Janet Frame’s autobiography was immortalized in the film 'An Angel at My Table’, her home in Dunedin now a museum.

6. Tales of the South Seas
See through the eyes of writers. Absconding from his whaler in the Marquesas Islands, Herman Melville lived in rainforests writing short stories, before completing his masterpiece Moby Dick. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of ‘Treasure Island’ left San Francisco to set up home in Samoa. Tahiti was home to Charles Nordhoff and James Hall while writing their classic ‘Mutiny on the Bounty”. James Michener recounted his wartime experiences while stationed in the Coral Sea, to win the Pulitzer Prize for his classic ‘Tales of the South Pacific’.

7. Art of New Zealand – from the Cultural to the Contemporary
Drawing on Maori and Pakeha culture and rich history, Kiwi visual art projects a distinctive national identity. Discover some of the emblematic depictions, key artists, and images that signify the development of New Zealand art. We will look at some of the significant national galleries and explore some of the achievements of prominent New Zealand artists.

8. Iconic New Zealand
Join us as we explore the national symbols of New Zealand. These include the kiwi, the unique flightless bird which became the nickname of New Zealanders. In Maori culture, the ‘tiki’ was the first man, and is a recognisable symbol of New Zealand. Iconic natural features include the spectacular topographies of Fiordland with its remarkable sounds overlooked by Mount Cook/ Aoraki. The ‘haka’ traditional war cry, once performed by warriors before battle, is now dramatically demonstrated at Rugby Union matches by the All Blacks.

9. The ANZACs – from Gallipoli to the Western Front
Resonating each year, ANZAC Day is honored on 25 April, not only in Australia and New Zealand, but wherever Aussies and Kiwis gather. A commemoration first associated with the Gallipoli campaign of World War One, the Australian and New Zealand alliance continued on the Western Front. Through the eyes of an everyday soldier, we revisit key World War One battles which helped to forge the ANZAC legend which still exists today.

10. Deception on the High Seas – the voyage of French explorer Bougainville
Uncover the botanical subterfuge! Louis Antoine de Bougainville successfully made the first French circumnavigation of the world in 1769, navigating the Pacific and the reefs of Northern Australia. However, appearances can be deceptive and all was not what it seemed with the botanists on board. Surprising events surrounded the discovery of the unique plant that bears Bougainville’s name today.

11. Painting Paradise - Artists in the South Seas
Describing lagoons as “as green as absinthe” Henri Matisse loved his Tahitian sojourn which provided inspiration for his Oceania series. Paul Gauguin is best known for his depictions of Tahitian life, and developed his unique approach to painting while living in Polynesia. Explorer ships included talented artists who gave the world unique scenes of their contact with indigenous peoples in the South Pacific.

12. The Perils of Laperouse – A Mystery at Sea
Aiming to extend French discoveries, King Louis XVI sent a national expedition to the Pacific under Commodore Laperouse. Aboard his two ships were renowned scientists, botanists and illustrators. Even though the ships carried the latest navigational instruments recommended by Captain Cook, not everything went to plan for these explorers. Upon leaving Botany Bay in New South Wales, La Perouse’s ships headed north and disappeared, their loss a tragedy and their fate a mystery for nearly 30 years.

13. The Lure of Adventure – Early Sea Explorers
Risking life and limb, European expeditions wanted to discover new worlds and new products to trade. The Pacific Ocean was named ‘the peaceful sea’ by Ferdinand Magellan while searching for a sea route to India. Vasco da Gama was the first to reach India by sea. Others sailed in search of the mythical Great South Land. The first European to discover Tahiti was Englishman Samuel Wallis in 1767, soon followed by the French keen to explore their new Cythera.

14. Secrets of Sydney Harbour
Providing a dramatic entrance, massive sandstone headlands herald a ship’s arrival to Sydney. What are some of the secrets of this magnificent waterway? We will hear stories from the Rocks, convict escapes from Cockatoo Island as well as Captain De Groot and the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We’ll explore Manly Cove, Fort Dennison, sunken World War Two Japanese submarines and Sydney’s nude bathing beaches.

Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas 2018
Honolulu to Sydney
Sydney to Sydney December 2019

Viking Orion 2 Feb - 2 March 2023
Sydney – Auckland – Sydney

Regent Seven Seas Explorer December 2023
Sydney to Sydney

Cunard Queen Elizabeth Feb 1 – 13, 2024
Sydney to Sydney

Celebrity Solstice 19 Oct – 3 November 2024
Sydney to Singapore

Silversea Silva Nova 18 Nov - 4 Dec 2024
Cairns to Sydney

The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.