Exploring near Albany

We initially planned to make ground west and camp somewhere near Bremer Bay, but the weather forecast looked ominous and our planned camp was a 4wd dry weather only option.  We ducked into the Fitzgerald River National Park to check it out as we drove past. The state of the roads with deep ruts in sections indicated that if it did rain, we would become semi permanent residents of the area, so we pushed on.

With Salmon season in full swing, there wasn't much left in any of the camp grounds on the coast, so we bit the bullet, and booked into a caravan park near Albany. We chose one on the southern shores of Princess Royal Harbour, and prepared for the wet - the first real wet in three months we were told.

Albany has so many things to see and do, however all our plans were thrown into disarray when the little helper tripped over on his way back to the camper. He was running at full tilt when he went over, and grazed elbows, hands and knees. A quick inspection revealed all was not well with one knee, so off we went to Albany Hospital.  After cleaning enough gravel out of the knee to pave a new path, and putting in three stitches, we were finally allowed back home.  The Little Fisherman would be out of action for a while - and our plans needed a bit of adjustment.

We decided to have an easy morning, and in the afternoon decided to visit the nearby Whale World.  The sight of Australia's last whaling station, shut down in the 1978, it presents a balanced and sombre reflection on whaling.  Thankfully the week we visited, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan must immediately stop its whaling program in the Antarctic.  Whilst whaling hasn't stopped worldwide, this is surely a win for these beautiful and magnificent mammals.

The boys stand near the skeleton of a pygmy blue whale that died near Albany

The last whaling ship at Albany - thankfully high and dry and never to put to sea again

The following morning we enjoyed exploring the Albany Markets, before wandering up Mount Clarence to the Desert Corps Memorial.  The memorial stands overlooking Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound, and is a particularly special war memorial, as it was in King George Sound that the first two ANZAC Convoys assembled before sailing to Egypt and the horrors of what was to become World War 1.  For many of those on-board, it was to be their last sighting of Australian soil.

Padre A.E. White, held a special dawn Eucharist in Albany, before leading his congregation to the top of Mount Clarence in 1928.  This was to develop into the Dawn Service as we know it today.  (The first official Dawn Service was reportedly held in Sydney in 1927 according to the ABC).  This year, being the 100th year since the troop ships sailed has seen a major event planned in Albany to commemorate this event.  As such, major renovations are underway around the Desert Corps Memorial and the Padre White lookout.  We snuck past the construction barriers to pay our respects - and I don't think anyone minded. 

Desert Corps Memorial - Mount Clarence

Looking over King George Sound from the Desert Corps Memorial

Nearby is an historic fort - one of only two funded by the Commonwealth before Federation.  It has been restored, and the kids loved the fact they could play on the historic gun mounts and actually move the guns.  It also has many weapons from more modern warships - and many an enemy aircraft was shot down by the lads as they worked in tandem on the old Bofors 40mm gun.

Enemy in sight...  disguised as Dad!

Albany also has an artificial reef in the form of the Destroyer HMAS Perth that was sunk upright in King George Sound in 2001.  As I have no intention of diving on the wreck - this was as close as I was going to get to a ship I spent a short period of time training in in 1999.

The anchor of HMAS Perth

With one fellow's leg improving, and the weather brightening, we left Albany via the Gap and Natural Bridge. The granite cliffs here are impressive, but to see it with the water churning made the Gap an awe inspiring place to stand.  We could have spent hours here as every few moments a huge swell would roll in, throwing water and spray high into the air.  This is a humbling place.

Looking over the Gap

The Natural Bridge

We drove out, and I paused to grab a photo of the Caves Point Lighthouse.  This little building is so much more than a lighthouse.  It houses a ground station for the international COSPAS-SARSAT system that detects 406MHz distress beacons.  Signals from beacons are detected by satellite and downloaded here before being sent to Canberra for processing.  The only other site where satellites download their lifesaving messages in Australia is at Bundaberg, making this a pretty special little place.

The Lighthouse at Caves Point - houses an important Search and Rescue facility.

And so we left Albany, a little emotionally drained.  The ANZAC story and the whaling story had torn at our heart strings.  Thankfully the Gap recharged and re-energised us, allowing us to look forward to our next destination.  It was time to go and hug a tree - and not just any tree, rather some some giant pre-historic trees. We were heading to Denmark and Walpole and the one-of-a-kind Valley of the Giants.