ALBANY - ROSE GARDENS C/P AT EMU POINT

Yes, right beside the harbour is where we parked our home for a week to explore all the interesting spots around this city.  Peter the manager and his wife took the time to mark out on a map, places we should go.

Before going into the National Anzac Centre we drove up Apex Memorial to the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial and Padre White Lookout.  Climbing the stairs to the replica from the original monument of Port Said in Egypt, the Desert Mounted Corps memorial features stories all along the stairway up of stories remembering what happened then.

The view from Padre White Lookout overlooking King Georges Sound
At dawn 25th April 1930, Padre White led parishioners to the summit of Mt Clarence, the very site where so many gathered to watch the convoys depart in 1914 and was the beginning of the Dawn Service tradition.

Also on the Avenue of Honour are large gum trees which line the Avenue of Honour on Apex Drive.  At each base of each tree plaques bear the names of soldiers lost at war.

This beautiful artwork titled Longing, Memory ......... marks the beginning of the Convoy Walk.
Inspired by a fragment of a letter a soldier sent to his loved one, the sculpture contains inscribed text obtained from original letters and postcards sent by Australian soldiers who departed in 1914.

21 markers giving information about the ships in the first and second convoys.
This Convoy Walk leads to the Convoy Lookout overlooking King George Sound.

One walks with the ANZACs and experiences the Great War through their personal stories.  Truly moving following them from Albany in 1914, to the Middle East, to Gallipoli and across the Western Front both men, women and horses.

Spent many hours in here and the seamless melding of sophisticated yet unobtrusive technology with real-world artefacts, coupled with a strong dedication to telling the personal stories of the first ANZACs has resulted in one of Australia's most important, and genuinely moving, heritage experiences.


Friday 2nd December we booked on the Kalgan Queen to cruise Oyster Harbour and the Kalgan River system with Jack a very knowledgeable guy that kept us entertained for four hours.  Wow, I have not had such an informative journey on the water before.  Before we left the Emu Point Boat Pens, we viewed the largest stingray through the glass bottomed boat below us as well as up close feeding of the pelicans.  Jack gave us a running commentary of the history of the early settlers, W.A.'s first vegetable gardens & Aboriginal Prison on Green Island that is now one of the only bird sanctuary islands on W.A.'s coastline.

This is in remembrance of "Simon" the NZ fur seal who was friend to all but one.  He was unnecessarily killed?

Green Island with thousands of nesting birds

Spot the baby pelicans in the middle of this photo.  These babies are about three months old and growing quickly

We constantly stopped and fed swooping white bellied sea eagles, osprey's and today Jack also got a whistling kite to fly down and pluck the fish from the water.  At times the Captain had to steer the boat in figure 8's to get rid of the cheeky pelicans that follow the boat for more fish.  They are wild pelicans and must not be fed too much.  One called Percy also dances for Jack and gets fed while flying beside the boat.

Percy dancing for a fish.

Captain Jack was slowly meandering up the Kalgan river giving his commentary when he was telling us of honeymoon island when he told us to get our cameras ready as just around the corner we will encounter a very rare giant species of kingfisher.  So already with my trusty camera - this is what we saw.

Ha ha. He got us.

After stopping off to stretch our legs we stopped and had a cup of tea/coffee and damper made with Captain Kalgan's famous HOT Damper recipe.  Tasted very nice and not too hot.  On our way back down the river we called at elbow bend to be picked up by a horse-drawn kart!!  No horse today but a 4WD so that we could view over 40 odd kangaroos feeding and lying around the golf course.

This is Jack's Dad who foundered this cruise and is now retired to bee keeping among other things.  A very colourful man.

This riverboat cruise is a must if travelling here in Albany.  Upon getting back to the jetty, Percy met us and farewelled all with Captain Jack.

Love, love loved this experience.

Monday 5th Dec. we travelled out of town around to Torndirrup National Park with its beautiful beaches and many bays.  Did not go through the whaling museum but continued looking at each beach and inlet.  So beautiful and rugged along this southern coastline.  The Gap and Natural Bridge are two natural features carved from ancient granite by the forces of nature.  The Gap features a new suspended viewing platform 37 metres above the sheer drop to the ocean.

This viewing platform has just been completed this year.

Looking straight down into the chasm of seething foam, spray and crashing surf 37m below.

Gigantic stainless steel arms hold this in place bolted to the rock back from the chasm

The Natural Bridge

On our way back to camp we had one more place to stop and look at.  Beyond Collingwood Heights is a gentleman that has a unique talent.  Chainsaw art with trees and old timber.  WOW.  Just look at some of his creations.  I could have posted over two dozen but had to stop at six - eight?!

Does he have a talent or not?  Among other days I stopped and did some shopping for materials and lovingly made some Christmas presents for our families and got them posted off before leaving Albany.  Not much but saw this item for sale at Cowranup Christmas markets last month.