Albany On A Good Day

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The decision to move on from Esperance was difficult but necessary if we were going to be able to meet our Perth commitment on 21st April. We still have a fair amount of time to play with but we know we will be faced with the pull of places we loved on our last trip. At a couple of those places, Albany being a good example, we weren’t blessed with the best of weather so, if the sun shines for us this time, we will be tempted to hang around longer than we should. With that in mind, and to try and save a day, Graham was determined to put in another long drive to try and miss out an overnight stop in a place that had little to offer. But Albany was a long way – 500 kms – so we agreed that we should see what developed.

We’d packed a fair bit away last night so we were able to make a prompt start and by 9:30am we were well on the way to Ravensthorpe, a potential overnight stop. Unlike the last long drive, flat and straight across the Nullabor, the road today was hilly and winding so speed was not consistent. Nevertheless, it was fairly quiet so progress wasn’t bad and we pulled into Ravensthorpe before midday after covering 180kms. It was far too early to consider staying the night so we stopped for a cuppa and some fruit toast in a very pleasant café, and hit the road again for the next potential overnighter – Jerramungup – another 110kms away. We got there by 2:00pm and the same dilemma arose. There was still at least two more hours of good travelling available and Jerramungup was little more than a roadhouse, although a reasonably pleasant one. We ate our sandwiches and mulled over the possibilities. Graham said he felt good and that a night in the middle of nowhere (sorry Jerramungup) was a waste of a night when it could be spent in Albany giving us more time to explore that area.

Albany was another 180kms away – a distance Graham was confident he could cope with and, as long as we could get on the road by 2:00pm, he was sure we could reach Albany by 4:30pm. The only problem was I hadn’t yet booked anywhere to stay!! I selected a caravan park from our park guide – a posh Big 4 park right on the beach at Middleton (a suburb of Albany). I didn’t expect to get in and identified another two parks which I knew were less popular and would almost definitely have room but to my surprise, we were accepted at Middleton Beach and made excellent time, arriving at about 4:20pm. On arrival, we were thrilled with what we saw. It is an excellent park with top class facilities and probably justified its price tag – the most expensive park we’ve been on so far. But its proximity to the beach was evident with a powerful sea breeze raising doubts about pop-top roofs, awnings etc. The park is quite sheltered and our allocated site was perfectly placed to provide even better shelter so our awning was soon erected and we were able to settle in. I was pleased to be off the wet, sandy gravel of the site at Esperance and it took us a while to get rid of all the dust and grit from inside Sweetie. The size of our site was excessive with a huge concrete block to settle on and both the water and power points were readily accessible. It was a perfect result following our “gamble” to make the journey all the way from Esperance to Albany. Graham was tired and had no trouble having an early night. I stayed up until quite late spending time finishing the latest blog, keeping an eye on the English football scores and listening to some noisy German neighbours – a family with at least four young children who were obviously allowed to stay up well after what should be their bedtime. In the morning Graham discovered that they were Chinese and very pleasant too!!! I’m sure they were speaking German!!!!

Graham, having had a very good night’s sleep, jumped out of bed at 7am and went for a 45 minute walk on the boardwalk near the beach front. Whereas I crawled out when he got back at 7.45 am! After a casual breakfast we drove into town and with the help of Sat Nav found the local Woollies garage and filled up with diesel at a slightly lower price than we have been paying lately. Then we found the Information Centre and picked up lots of useful leaflets and tips of where to find the most interesting tourist spots. From there we walked over to the newly completed ‘Anzac Peace Park’ and strolled round the outside of what looked to be a brand new building, shaped like a boat, which was an Entertainment Centre.

We had been thinking of going on a river trip on Monday so went back to the IC and enquired about availability. There was room so we booked and will keep our fingers crossed as showers are forecast. Albany boasts some Sunday morning markets at The Boat Sheds so we made our way there to find the place absolutely packed. Fruit, veggies, fish and other seafood were the main items on offer and I bought some splendid looking strawberries from a well known local grower. A short distance from the Peace Park is a fine replica of the ‘Amity’, a small wooden ship which on the 25th December 1826, captained by Major Edmund Lockyer, anchored in the harbour. Ashore came a military party and a group of convicts and together they established the first European settlement in Western Australia. We remembered the ship from last time but now, with the sun shining, it was altogether more attractive. Next, following the advice of the lady in the IC, we found our way to the war memorial and lookout which gave a 360 degree view of Albany and its impressive coastline. We had been to the memorial before but never made it as far as the lookout because it involved a further walk and it had been pouring with rain. This time we were afforded a perfect view although, following the hat disaster in Esperance, Graham chose to cling tightly to his cap.

The War Memorial is in a very significant position as it overlooks the assembly place and point of departure on 1st December 1914 of the first convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops (ANZACS) who went off to fight in World War I, most of whom did not return home. The Peace Park down near the shore also honours the troops who fought in Gallipoli, the Middle East, France, Belguim and also those who fought in the numerous later conflicts.

Our journey back to the caravan took us along the Coastal Scenic Drive, only 6kms or so long but pretty spectacular. Already Albany is beginning to come up trumps and make good the somewhat dismal view we took away last time, due mainly to the poor weather. The one positive recollection from 8 years ago was that, at a “Cash Converters” shop, Graham exchanged a solar panel, which we hadn’t used and which was a bit of a nuisance, for an excellent quality guitar which re-kindled his interest in folk music and which led to him re-launching his singing interests. Now, though, we are finding points of interest at every turn and look forward to exploring more of the city and surrounding area.

Today the sun was shining beautifully and gave no indication of what was to come later in the evening. Just along the road from the caravan park we spotted a rather quaint looking budget hotel/café that advertised a roast lunch for $12. We parked up ready to go in then realized that it didn’t open until 1.00pm and it was only 12.30. We were just about to go when a disembodied Essex voice asked us what we were after. When we eventually spotted where she was sitting we asked about lunch and said we would return at 1pm. We did just that and had a pretty reasonable lunch for the price. Later on we made our way to Emu Point where there was a nice beach, a marina nearby and a splendid café where I had a hot chocolate and Graham had a coffee and what he said was the best cake he had tasted while we have been in Aus – a ‘Melting Moment’. Afterwards we went to explore the marina with the knowledge that it will be from there that our Kalgan Queen river trip will depart tomorrow so we now know how much time to allow to get there. Later in the afternoon we called in at Seppings Lake, a local bird sanctuary. It looked delightful although now isn’t the busiest time of the year for birdlife. Back at the caravan park we contemplated having a swim but, with the weather suddenly showing signs of changing for the worse, we settled down for a relatively early night. Before we’d managed to get to sleep, the heavens opened and we began to wonder whether our planned boat trip for tomorrow was going to be such a good idea after all!!

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Photos

ANZAC Peace Park
Memorial to the ANZAC soldiers which was opened on the 24th April 2010

Not too subtle change to the name of the cafe!
We couldn't go there now could we!

Memorial to Sammy the Seal
Sammy was a regular visitor to Emu Point but tragically was bludgeoned to death in 2006