Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady made its entrance into Sydney Harbour where it was welcomed by Sir Richard Branson.

According to a press release, the Virgin Group founder encountered the Resilient Lady while sailing onboard a classic wooden speedboat.

Sir Richard Branson then scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge in an exclusive, Virgin Voyages takeover of the iconic BridgeClimb experience. He welcomed the Resilient Lady to Circular Quay as it pulled into the Overseas Passenger Terminal for the first time.

Virgin Voyages is the first travel brand in the Virgin Group to enter the Australian market since Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue) launched Down Under in 2000.

“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,” said Branson.

“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 said: “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.”

The Resilient Lady will spend two nights in Sydney before sailing to Melbourne, its new homeport for the summer season. On Dec. 11, the ship will embark on its Aussie MerMaiden voyage to Tasmania, calling in Burnie and Hobart.