Albany

Albany is a great town – excellent facilities and amenities, wonderful location, and truly magnificent beaches in and around the area. Easy access to Perth, or indeed the variety of spectacular landscapes to the east, west or north. As well we caught up with the lovely Mel and Rod, whom we had met on the Kimberley Cruise and got along like a house on fire. What a great combination Albany offered us. If only the weather could have been a tad kinder.

We stayed at Albany on 07, 08, 09, 10 October 2018

Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia

Getting There

Walpole > Albany (77) ~ 120kms

History

Before European settlement, the Great Southern area was the traditional home of the Minang Noongar people. Evidence of the First Nations presence in the area dates back about 25,000 years. Noongar family groups moved from place to place within their own territories according to the availability of food. Menang Noongar indigenous tribes called the Albany area Kinjarling which means “the place of rain“.

The first known European sighting of the Albany region was by the Dutch explorer Pieter Nuyts in the Gulden Zeepaard in 1627. In 1791, George Vancouver claimed New Holland (which later became known as Western Australia) as a British possession and named the King George III Sound.

After Vancouver’s visit, there were several French expeditions to the area led by D’Entrecasteaux, Baudin, Freycinet and Dumont D’Urville. These were paralleled by British expeditions and voyages, most notably those of Charles Darwin in the Beagle and Matthew Flinders in the Investigator. The British Government ordered a settlement to be founded at King George III Sound in part to prevent the French establishing a hold on the Australian continent, but mainly because of growing dissatisfaction with the convict settlement at Port Macquarie in NSW.

On 9 November 1826, the Brig Amity sailed from Sydney carrying a party under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer, who was ordered to form a settlement at King George Sound. From 1834 new settlers began to develop agricultural and pastoral holdings. Over the decades, European settlement expanded into the hinterland. Albany evolved into a busy port, servicing the immigration and produce needs of the goldfields, and exporting timber and agricultural products.

In 1914, Australian troops sailed from Albany to Gallipoli, where they landed on April 25, 1915. Many soldiers’ last glimpse of Australia was the hills of Albany faded into the distance. Their service to their country was recognised on April 25, 1923, in Albany at the nation’s first Anzac Day dawn service.

Whaling was a mainstay of the town for many years but in 1978 Albany’s whaling station ceased operations. It was eventually converted into the Whale World museum, now a major tourist drawcard.

Towards the end of the 20th century, tourism became an increasingly important part of the local economy. Visitors began to appreciate Albany’s clean environment, superb beaches and dramatic landscape. Whale watching, diving adventures, bushwalking and wine tours, along with wildflower tours and the family holidays, keeps Albany busy year round.

Day 1 – Sun 7 Oct – drive to Albany

It had been a wet night in Walpole and we had persistent rain in the morning. A wet pack up, although we did not get soaked. But then the rain eased and we delighted in the sunshine.

The drive east was on a bitumen road, but narrow, bumpy and hilly. We kept the speed down. The landscape got flatter and turned to more farmlands rather than the forests we had been used to.

We stopped at Greens Pool 15km west of Denmark. We were worried about getting Mobi turned around if we drove in, so Kerry rang Denmark Tourist Information Office. She was told that it would be ok as carpark at Green Pool is large. Luckily, there were few cars there – if it had been packed, which it could have been in warmer weather, we could not have turned Mobi around.

Greens Pool is an amazing place – just beautiful. You walk onto the beach and it is simply gorgeous – a large pool, protected by rocks and of the most lovely aqua green. To the left are massive rock platforms, we would later walk over these to get to Elephant Rock.

To the right of the pool, are large individual rocks and a long beach into the distance. There are large sand-hills behind this beach. It should be named Greens PoolS – as there seem to be a series of “pools” inside the natural rock breakwaters. Would be so delightful to swim here if only it was warmer.

We walked around the rocks to Elephant Rock. Stunning views on the way around.

At the Bay, there is a track down to the beach that takes you through a narrow gap between 2 massive rocks. When we were there, the waves were pushing up into the gap. So we took our shoes/socks off to get through the gap and get around to the beach. Timing was everything.

Elephant Rock is great – a beautiful beach with large elephant like rocks on the edges. One large rock looks like a baby elephant; another like its mother. Great spot. Particularly the baby elephant, looked so real – just ducking his head down sideways into the water. Very aptly named spot.

We drove on through Denmark to Albany. Our van park is at Middleton Beach, on the recommendation of our friend Mel who lives in Albany. We were really looking forward to getting to Albany to catch up with Mel and Rod, whom we had met on the wonderful Kimberley Cruise. We had had many a good laugh together.

This was an excellent van park – maybe the best we have come to in terms of facilities. Ablutions and laundry were modern and clean – the mens even had 2 vases of flowers on the bench top – but only the ubiquitous electric hand dryer. The pool was excellent and solar heated, with a spa. There was a free pool table in the games room and a parents retreat. Also an excellent camp kitchen, and access to the lovely Middleton Beach.

Our campsite was wide but not so deep. Without any offending trees in the way, we got Mobi in alongside the slab without a hitch. There was even room for The Cruiser at the side. With our Big4 discount we paid $43 per night, and were booked for 4 nights.

We were quickly set up and went to have a look around town. There are some lovely old buildings in Albany, both large scale such as the Town Hall , and also many lovely homes. On the way through we saw that Woollies and Coles were both shut, which was quite a surprise even if it was a Sunday. We had found that these normally open for at least half a day on a Sunday.

The Tourist Office was open and a lovely lady pointed out all the “must do” things. When we mentioned that everything was shut – she laughed and told us that her husband had driven down from Perth that morning. Approaching Albany someone had doctored the road sign showing how far it was to Albany but putting the word “Closed” next to the name – she showed us a photo. We left with a good map and a long list of things to go and experience.

We did a short walk around the lower end of York St, the main drag. There was a wellness and nutrition event next to the old Town Hall, with many people there. We went into the Town Hall to see the art exhibition, which was not to our taste. But the building is really lovely.

The town hall was the first civic building constructed in the town and opened in 1888. It is a 2-storied building with a stone exterior and a four-faced clock tower, a real feature. It is constructed from locally quarried granite and finished with stucco ornamentation externally. The clock tower is centrally located on the front facade, which dominates the streetscape. The tower has a great copper roof.

Near this I saw a lovely looking church – St Johns Anglican church – looking absolutely as pretty as a picture. We went back to see that the next day.

In the afternoon we went for a walk to the Beach. It is a lovely long beach extending some kilometres to the north.

That evening we met Mel & Rod at the 3 Anchors, a restaurant/bar at the southern end of the beach – only a short walk for us. It was great to see them again and there was a lot of catching up to do, spurred on by generous amounts of wine.

After the dinner we went to see the field of lights. Actually, it is the The Field of Light: Avenue of Honour, paying homage to the 41,000 Anzac troops who departed from Albany for WWI. It contains 13,000 lights illuminating the Avenue of Honour at Mt Clarence (which leads up to the Anzac memorial. It really is quite spectacular, with many people there to appreciate it. It will remain in place until Anzac day 2019. Very poignant wandering around here – a lovely sight, but so sad that so many never saw Australia again.

Day 2 – Mon 8 Oct – around Albany

It was a lovely clear morning, spoilt by the strong winds – will they never let up?

We first went to Mt Clarence, driving around Wooding and King Points, stopping for a few photos over King George Sound. Very pretty.

We drove up Apex Drive through the Avenue of Honour, where the lights were, and came to the Heritage Park and ANZAC memorial. We read the story of the horses sent to WWI – of the thousands that were sent only 1 was returned – Sandy. Then we went up to the memorial – warning for the unfit, is it a bit of a climb up the steps. The centrepiece is the statue of the 2 soldiers with the 2 horses, which is a copy of one erected in Port Said in 1932, but which was damaged beyond repair during the Suez crisis in 1956. The masonry was salvaged and reused at Albany.

The lookout provides great views in all directions, from the Port and wind farm, to the bays and suburbs. We also found a lovely little orchid. It is so great to see Albany so enthusiastic about sustainable energy. They plan on being 100% sustainable in the not too distant future.

We drove back down Apex Drive then up Forts Rd to see the Forts – the Princess Royal Fortress. This is fascinating. During the 19th century, the loss of this strategic port to any enemy was seen as a potential threat to the security not only of Western Australia, but the whole of Australia. As a result all the Australian states agreed to to pay for the construction of a fort and the British Government would supply the guns.

The Fort was opened in 1893 and was the first federal defence of Australia. From 1893 to 1956 the guns maintained their role as a deterrent but never fired a shot in anger. In 1956 all coastal defences were closed. The buildings were used as school rooms, migrant hostels and a holiday camp. This site now houses a number of major museum display areas. The barracks, build in 1891, accommodated 30 men, plus a kitchen and offices.

The married quarters had 4 units, build in 1899. They look great.

The Guard House was where the unruly were kept.

We walked up to the viewing platform, passing panels setting out details of every ship that left Australia for WWI. At the platform, display panels show where the ships were anchored in the King George Sound before departure. Much is made of the fact that for most of these men, the hills of Albany were the last view of Australia they would have. The Old Store is now a shop.

We did not go into the National Anzac Centre as we find it all quite depressingly disturbing – all those young lives lost. It should never have happened.

We drove around the foreshore of the Port and the marina. Nice to see the grain silo with a nice picture on the side.

Then we went to see the buildings at the end of York St. Mostly I wanted to see St Johns again. The Church was built between 1841–1848, and is a stone building with shingled roofs in the “Old Colonial Gothic Picturesque” style. Set among trees, and with beautiful gardens, it was designed to be in the manner of an English garden landscape. To which it succeeds very well. What a delightful building.

Inside are some lovely stained glass windows.

The is a plaque set in the floor of the church, honouring the first ever Anzac dawn service.

We saw a few other heritage buildings as well – the first 2 in the photos below are the 1878 Albany House, originally a bank, and the Courthouse (1896-1898), where the granite convolute arch over the door was build without cement.

The Residency is a simple but impressive building. It was built in the 1850s as a Commissariat for the convict hiring depot then extended in 1873 to become the Government Residency.

Near the Residency is the replica Brig Amity. Western Australia’s colonial history began with the arrival of the Amity in Princess Royal Harbour in 1826. Under instructions from the British Government, the Amity brought the first European settlers to the Albany Region to establish a military post. After more than a 6 week arduous journey from Sydney, the Amity anchored – not far from the place where the replica now stands – on Christmas Day in 1826. On board were Major Edmund Lockyer, 19 soldiers, 23 convicts (mostly tradesmen) together with stores for six months including sheep and pigs. The Amity Replica was built in the mid 1970’s to mark the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Albany.

We had some shopping to do – to Cameron Caravans to get an end wall that fits. Then Harvey Norman to get a toasted s/w maker. Then shopping in Woollies. I was so such over our old sandwich toaster – everything stuck to it all the time, so we purchased a flat-bed one that also does focaccia. The new end wall works really well too – giving privacy, but still some light and air through without flapping all over the place.

In the afternoon we drove to to Emu Point which forms one headland of Oyster Harbour – there are so many lakes and inlets in and around Albany. Some more lovely beaches. Albany would be heavenly in summer – so many choices for a swim in pretty calm waters, and I think the rock platforms further out would deter sharks somewhat.

Very aware of my recent lack of exercise and weight gain, I scooted back the 3km to the van park

At around 5 we played pool – we are very impressed with this Park having a good pool table and a parents retreat. Kerry won the round of 3 games, which in this case meant she won 2 and I gave up as my cataracts are pretty bad. That is a clear untruth. Des has won games before with his bad eyesight so unfair to say I only really won 2.

To see the photos for travel to and around Albany, click here

Day 3 – Tue 9 Oct – Frenchman Bay

The weather started off pretty good but as the morning progressed, so the wind did strengthen. The afternoon wind was severe.

Frenchman Bay is at the end of a long peninsula to the south of Albany, in the Torndirrup NP. There are many side tracks along the peninsula leading out to fabulous beaches and cliffs, but first we went directly to Frenchman Bay so we could then work our way back. The beach here is stunning. We are on a rocky point and to our right is a beach stretching along towards the Flinders Peninsula, with the old whaling station just a bit along. To our left is another beach stretching around the Vancouver Peninsula, with a carpark and beach access point just below the point we are on.

Immediately in front of us is a large rock promontory where a few men are fishing. All along the edge of the rocks we are on are the most brilliant green pools.

We drove down to the beach and walked over rock shelfs to get views of the rugged coast with its turquoise pools. Just look at the colours.

We drove around to Discovery Bay, where the old whaling station is a popular tourist attraction. The location is stunning, sitting on the beautiful beach with lovely views back along Frenchman Bay beach. There is a small breakwater to keep it protected. As we had a fairly intensive look at whaling at Eden on the south coast of NSW last year, we did not really want to see more of what was an awful business. But we did have morning tea at the cafe there. The scones, jam and cream were delicious.

From there, we went back out and up to Salmon Holes Rd, firstly to Vancouver Lookout, with views up and down the coast, and across the bay. This is dominated by rock platforms, and a small patch of sand.

Next it was Misery beach, and we were not sure why it was so named. There is a good sandy beach, white of course, and on the right hand side a massive rock extending down to the ocean. Quite impressive.

We then drove around to the delightful Salmon Holes. These are named because salmon come into areas such as these to rest in the limestone reef safe from sharks. In February, schools of salmon scurry westward along the vast south coast to breed in the Indian Ocean. The beach is beautiful.

Getting up to Stoney Hill we saw a good sized black snake on the track. Thankfully, it was gone in a flash. This is a very different landscape – massive rocks and a rugged coastline. There was a navy signal station up there from 1939 to 1943. Great all-round views from up there.

We missed the track to Jimmy Newhills Harbour – but could see it from the top of the blowholes. It looks stunning. We did not go down to the blowholes as we could see they were not working that day.

On the road to the lighthouse – for which the road was gated, we stopped at Cable Beach lookout. This continues the run of stunning beaches. We did not go down to the beach, but isn’t it lovely.

The Gap and Natural Bridge are brilliant. The way the viewing platforms are set up are first class, but we are putting a lot of faith in an engineer! It really is a dramatic landscape with the cliffs, the pounding surf and nearby islands. Lovely place.

On the return to Albany, we took the loop road at Rushey Point. It’s an interesting area, very shallow water and we can readily see how it got its name.

We headed back to Middleton beach. Later a man came through the park swinging something and heading down the back to find a woman he knew. The security and police arrived and he went off.

Suddenly we saw a parachute shooting across the landscape. Given the very strong winds we concluded it must be kite-surfing on the beach – the beach is just next to the van park. I grabbed the camera and got to the beach to see 2 surfers screaming up and down. Boy, they were moving.

Just as we were thinking about bed, the strange man came back again. Security guards were called and arrived quickly. Then a lady drove in and asked me about a friend she was meeting. I asked her if that would relate to the man but she said no, and remained in her car. Then the woman came along and got in the rear of the car. A short time later the man came back and got in the front of the car. Finally the police came and took the man away. Too much excitement. The lady said he was still drunk as it was his birthday yesterday.

To see the photos for Frenchman Bay, click here

Day 4 – Wed 10 Oct – Two Peoples Bay

The weather was fine to start with but, guess what – the wind picked up through the day, getting very strong later.

We drove out to Two Peoples Bay to the north of Albany. The First Nations people called this area “Yilbering”, but the English name originated over 200 years ago during the chance meeting of two ships. It was lovely drive – farmland, lakes, sandhills, trees. We turned off Nanarup Rd onto Two Peoples Bay Rd, taking us due east.

At the Information station there are many panels describing the area and its history. In particular there is information on the assumed extinction of two animals and their much later sightings and rescue programmes. The last known specimen of the Noisy Scrub-bird was seen in 1889, and by 1920 it was thought to be lost forever. But it 1961 a school teacher saw a bird he had not seen before and reported that. Within a month ornithologists had located around 100 birds. This provided the basis for a recovery program.

Similarly, the Gilberts Potoroo had not been seen alive for nearly 120 years before it was rediscovered at Two Peoples Bay in 1994. Only about 20 animals were found. It is nice to know these can now slowly recover, although their survival is very fragile.

Because the area is a nature reserve and not a national park, we have to pay the entry fees of $13.

At the end of the drive we got to Little Beach, an absolutely lovely beach – perhaps the prettiest we have seen in a while, which is saying something. We walked out onto a rocky platform on the north side, then went down steps onto the beach. Glorious white sand, turquoise water and vigorous waves on the beach between the rocky headlands at either end.

We walked the beach, and Kerry found a dead puffer fish. At the far end I walked over the cliff to the next beach, which was like a miniature version Little Beach.

Back on Little Beach, Kerry had been picking up plastic and she had a good handful. We had been made very aware of the effects of plastic in the ocean during the WOW eco-tour. So we walked back picking up plastics as we went. Look how much we got from abut a 15 min scan.

We walked around South Point on the massive rock shelves, and came to a little enclosed beach behind large rocks. Great colours. And some more wild flowers.

After that we headed back out, turning left onto the 4WD track that took us to the other side of this massive headland. The track was fine, just a bit sandy in parts. On the other side we had stunning views up and down the coast and across to islands.

Really lovely place and I can’t stop taking photos of the waves breaking on fringing rock shelves.

We drove back out to and then south to Nanarup Beach. As we approached this, we drove around Taylors Inlet, quite a large water body. At Nanarup, the Inlet is closed with a very wide sand bar holding back the water.

We walked out to a massive beach. A man was there flying a model plane which I thought was a brave thing to do given the strong wind.

While there, we picked up some more more plastic. It is really starting to sink in how serious a problem this is. And the extent of it – plastic lids, bits of rope, fishing line etc. Heavens knows how much wildlife has eaten this stuff by mistake.

It was a short drive around to Gull Rock, and up to Ledge Point. Another stunning but smaller beach, with protected pools. But a long way down.

Then to Gull Rock Beach – where we went down steep sandy path to a rock shelf. There we saw 3 men fishing. They said they were not catching anything. This is a really lovely and calm beach – a brilliant spot. Kerry can see people riding horses on the beach in the distance.

After that we went around the southern end of Gull Rock Beach.

On the way back to the van park, we called in to have a look at Oyster Harbour, a pretty place with increasing housing development.

That evening. Mel and Rod picked us up and took us to see their yacht. Wow, a great 45ft yacht with more than full headroom, a massive rear master cabin, and a great cockpit enclosure. The yacht can be completely controlled from there. We had a lovely evening in that cockpit chatting, eating and drinking in good company. A very fitting way to end our time in Albany. We will miss you Mel and Rod.

To see the photos for Two Peoples Bay, click here

To see the overall layout of our photos, click here