Albany is a major fishing town and the
biggest one we had come through in some time. We were only staying the night as
we were moving steadily across to our next destination in Margaret River. We
decided to stay at the Big 4 park close to town to refill the water, charge batteries
and stock up on supplies. Next door to the park was an interesting menagerie of
animals including ducks, chickens kangaroos and an emu. The kids needed some
down time so playing table tennis in the rec room was the go while Maria and I
cleaned the camper. We’d decided to see the sights the next day as later in the
afternoon a storm came in which drowned out the day and evening.
Albany is very beautiful with some
wonderful history, and played a significant role in our nations history. Albany
was an important naval port during World Wars I and II. The first ships to
leave from Australia for Gallipoli went from King George Sound. It was also the
base for the entire Pacific Submarine fleet during the second World War.
Our first stop was the Princess Royal
Fortress, which is on Mt Adelaide overlooking the city with some spectacular
views of King George Sound and Princess Royal Bay. The exhibits were also
really interesting, from the old gun turrets and bunkers through to a fantastic
display of Australian Lighthorse memorabilia (they also left for Europe and
Africa from here) as well as some quite sobering exhibits on aboriginal
soldiers and the rights of their families and recognition (or lack thereof) of
their contributions through the various wars.
Next stop was Whale World, which is on a
peninsula about 18 km from town. They have turned the last commercial whaling station
in Australia, which closed in 1978, into a museum and attraction. One of the
whaling ships, the Cheyne IV is there for people to climb through. We decided
to take a free, guided tour of the area, which really helped put into
perspective how the station functioned as well as efforts now to conserve
whales around the globe. We saw interactive displays of the whale flensing
process (was a little confronting for the kids), the massive steam engines of
the ships and a huge hanger which had full skeletons of whales washed up on
beaches around Albany. They included a Sperm whale and a ‘Pygmy’ Blue Whale,
which was ‘only’ 22m long instead of the usual 28m! They’d also turned one of
the whale oil storage silos into a 3D movie theatrette.
Cheyne IV
Pygmy Blue Whale
Natural Bridge
Moving on from Whale World we viewed some
of the natural attractions of the peninsula including the Gap and Natural
Bridge, which were very impressive. We then headed off for Peaceful Bay, about
200km west of Albany, which was to be our base for the next couple of nights to
see the Valley of the Giants and surrounding area. The drive through the
forests around Denmark was really beautiful in the afternoon sun. Huge Karri
and Red Tingle trees towered above us creating dappled tunnels as we sped below
the canopy. Unfortunately only a few km’s from the turnoff to Peaceful Bay we
came to an accident, which blocked the highway both ways for nearly an hour.
There was nothing we could do but sit and wait as the light faded. Emergency
vehicles were everywhere and as the ambulances sped off we finally were allowed
through and made it to the campground just after 6pm. Fortunately the caretaker
was still on duty. A sobering reminder to drive carefully to us as we later
found out that both passengers in the car were in their 80’s and passed away.
Sunset at Peaceful Bay
The next day we drove a few km’s up the
road to the Valley of the Giants and the Treetop walk. This has been one of the
highlights of the trip. The walk takes you over 40m above the forest floor on a
suspension bridge, which bounces a lot with a few people on it. It makes the
walk at O’Reillys look a little tame. We then went on a free, guided tour
called the Ancient Empires walk. This was a terrific tour as our guide Tony was
so enthusiastic, albeit a little loose with his language, though kind of charming
in a way. We all learnt so much about the ancient Red Tingle trees and other
flora and fauna in the area. He also dispelled a few myths. Quokkas are not
only found on Rottnest Island it seems. Woylies are not only found on Moreton
Island and are also plentiful in the area. These are the cousins of the Moreton
Island Woylies.
Treetop Walk
The trees grow up to 100m tall and can
reach 30m in circumference, they are truly massive and are only found in a 6000
Ha area in the south west of WA. Just as the tour finished the heavens opened
so we took a detour back to camp via Conspicuous Cliffs and beach. The beach
had a fresh water creek flowing into a very rough and dangerous ocean. We all
had fun having boat races. The area gets over 1500mm a year in rain and doesn’t
go more than a couple of days without rain so it was true to form.
Conspicuous Beach
The next day dawned sunny but threatening
so an extra quick pack up and we were off for Margaret River. On the way we
stopped at Fernhook Falls, which were pretty, but still only a trickle. We
decided to stay in Yallingup, which is on the northern end of the MR area.
Again the drive in was really lush and green with some extremely fat and
healthy looking livestock on the way. You could almost see them smiling!
Our first official west coast sunset
Yallingup is yet another famous surf beach,
which often hosts the Australian Longboard Championships. The waves were massive
and there were surfers everywhere. We stayed at the local caravan park, which
was small and pleasant. Our site was overlooking the ocean so we were able to
soak in our very first west coast sunset over the Indian Ocean, which was a
treat.
The next day dawned showery so we took a
drive 80km south to Hamelin Bay just north of Augusta. We decided not to go all
the way down as Maria and I had seen where the 2 oceans meet, it was raining
and the kids have been to see the Cape of Good Hope so maybe next time. Hamelin
Bay is famous for it’s protection of stingrays. While we were on the beach 2
extremely inquisitive rays about a metre wide just cruised in the shallows right
at our feet, which was a treat.
Hamelin Bay
We then headed back up to MR through some
extremely pretty karri forest which the girls thought looked like a fairy
forest. There are several limestone caves including Mammoth, Lake and Jewel caves,
which the area is famous for, in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. We
chose Lake Cave as it had an underground lake and was quite different from
other caves we have seen. We weren’t disappointed. Climbing down 350 rather
steep stairs, Lake Cave is a fast growing cave in limestone cave terms, growing
1cm every 50 years! – Stop it! maybe you should all sit down…wow, I know. There
were some really interesting formations including a 5 tonne suspended table
eroded underneath by the lake. We all really enjoyed it.
Lake Cave
We also popped into the main Boranup
campground in the NP as we were considering staying here. It was pretty, about
500m from the water but given the off-season, most of it was closed. It
reminded me a lot of the campgrounds at Adder Rock and Cylinders on North Stradbroke
Island. Next stop Margaret River township for a late lunch and some groceries
at the local Woolies.
The next day we toured a local gallery in
Yallingup and visited the spectacular Canal Rocks. The ocean has created
natural canals cutting through the headland with incredible effect. The ocean
swell was big so it was quite a display. Not quite like the canals of Venice! We
also went up to the top of Cape Naturaliste and toured the lighthouse, which is
still working today. The tour gave us an understanding of the harsh existence
the lighthouse keepers’ families endured. Three families used to man it at any
given time. Three 8 hour shifts, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and most of
them died from Mercury poisoning that the lights revolved in. We then went back
down a few km to Bunker Bay for a delightful lunch at the local café and a fun
walk along the beach afterwards. Back at camp the sun had come out and we
enjoyed another sunset and cooked a bbq while watching the surfers ride the
massive 8ft lefthanders.
Canal Rocks
We are now off to Perth for a few days to
restock, get the car serviced and visit an old friend from Sydney.
No comments:
Post a Comment