Blogs from Albany, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania
April 11th 2012
One of these days I will visit a place that hasn't had its' place name replaced by a European word - but not yet! Today we headed off to Albany. We drove along the peninsula through Torndirrup National Park on Frenchman Bay road, there were many short hikes to stop and take. First we visited the wind farm, wandering amongst the turbines on immaculately groomed paths, admiring a vivid blue sky and ocean. It was, as the Lonely Planet said, a little surreal. Next, a couple of short jaunts to admire some cool geological formations, the Gap, a natural bridge, and some blow holes. Apparently there is an exact match between some of the rocks on this part of the Australian coast, and on Antarctic from the time before they split apart many eons ago. Last ... read more
March 20th 2012
We’re not much further along the coast, only having traveled 120km from Walpole to Albany. The road runs several km inland so there are no views of the sea, and there are only occasional tracks and even fewer roads to the coast. The forest here is mainly Tingle trees and Karri. Tingle have no tap root, so they send out buttress roots and the timber inside often dies and is burned in the periodic bush fires, The result is a huge cavity inside the trunk of the tree. The Karri have a different defence. It sheds its bark in the autumn, leaving a very flammable carpet around the tree. When the fire comes, the area around the tree is cleaned out completely – no competition. The bark has been shed high enough to ensure the Karri ... read more
March 12th 2012
Lundi matin on se lève tôt comme d’hab, on va en profiter pour visiter Albany avant de partir pour tracer la route. On commence par la visite du 1er bateau qui a accosté en 1826, le Brig Amity. C’est intéressant, on se plonge dans l’ambiance de l’époque, un tout petit 2 mâts chargé de 60 hommes et de bétail ! Puis visite d’un des 3 musées situé à côté sur l’histoire de la ville. A 11h on meurt déjà de faim, direction Hungry Jack, le Burger King australien. Ah depuis le temps qu’on rêvait d’hamburger frites ! Avant midi on est parti, le réservoir et les ventres pleins, direction Espérance, à 470km. On croise beaucoup de road train, ces immenses camions tirant 3 convois. Par moment c’est flippant car avec le vent, certains serpentent sur la ... read more
March 11th 2012
Ce matin, vers 5h00 on est réveillé en sursaut par une rafale de vent et de pluie. On croit qu’il s’agit d’un grain mais en fait c’est l’arrosage automatique qui s’est déclanché et on se trouve en plein milieu. Branle bas de combat, on démarre rapido pour s’installer un peu plus loin et finir la nuit. Nico croit voir un quokka sur le chemin et s’exclame ‘oh la cucaracha !’ mais se n’est qu’un lapin!! MDR !! Vu qu’on est bien réveillé, on entreprend un grand rangement du van, histoire d’optimiser l’espace et on se recouche vers 5h30. On est tellement bien qu’on se relève qu’à 8h30, entourés de pécheurs. Après un petit café maison, on se dirige vers Middelton beach pour faire un running sur un chemin panoramique de 6km A/R . En courant, Marion ... read more
Bye bye la ferme, hello Albany!
Published: March 10th 2012Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Albany
March 10th 2012
Vendredi c’est notre dernier jour de travail, on nourrit nos bêbêtes avec une petite pointe de nostalgie, c’est déjà la fin ! Le temps est passé très vite ici, faut dire que nos journées étaient bien remplies. Nous décidons de glander tranquillement sur place pour notre dernière après-midi, ça nous permet de mettre à jour notre profil sur le site d’Help X et notre blog. On échange des photos avec Deborah et Debbie, qui a un mur sur Facebook pour la ferme où nous sommes désormais visibles ! On remplit le livre d’or des helpers, Debbie quant à elle devrait nous mettre un commentaire positif sur notre profil. Après une petite sieste, on se regarde un film pour ado qui fait peur (bref du grand art !) qui se passe à la montagne, histoire de se ... read more
Dr LLOYD TINKLE CRUISED THROUGH LIFE
Published: March 7th 2009Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Albany
February 20th 2012
We have just learned of the passing of Dr Lloyd Tinkle. The cruising community has lost its brightest star and we have lost our good friend and role model. We had been in touch with Lloyd's caregiver and were able to talk briefly with Lloyd last Friday. He passed away on Saturday, two days prior to his 102 birthday. He always said that he didn't like celebrating his birthday, so maybe this was his way of getting out of another party. Actually two of the best parties on the Voyager were Tink's 99th and 100th birthday bashes. Those were nights that will live in cruise lore as a celebration of a life well lived by a remarkable man. We have known Lloyd since 2001 and shared ten world cruises with this intrepid traveler. We visited him ... read more
February 5th 2012
No improvement with the weather and even some light rain about this morning but at least the wind has subsided to a gentle breeze. We decided to ride along the scenic trail into Albany again and take a look at the Boat Shed Markets along the foreshore. About half way into town we came across a couple who were assisting an elderly male cyclist who was experiencing chest pain. By the time we arrived the lady was on the phone to emergency services organising an ambulance to come and assist. I was Johnny on the spot and rode back to the beginning of the scenic trail to meet the ambulance and try and direct them to the location of the gentleman. The path was too narrow for the ambulance to drive along so I had to ... read more
February 4th 2012
A wet and wild start to the day after the blowy night continued into the early morning with a few showers and the sun all but hidden behind some ominous looking black clouds. We thought we would press ahead with our plans despite the unseasonly weather and ride along a coastal bike trail into the heart of Albany. Pleasure and pain involved with this route as it was uphill and downdale; however, the beautiful coastline made it all worthwhile. There were many spots to stop along the way to take some more photos and as we headed up and around Middleton Beach there were some terrific views out towards sea. We encountered more native lizards along the trail and they seemed to be in numbers at every turn. Albany itself is a lovely spot blending the ... read more
