We rather sadly left Hopetoun to continue our journey towards Albany. We got back onto Highway 1 at Ravensthorpe again and drove west to Jerramungup. At this point we had to decide whether to take the coastal road or the way through the Stirling Ranges. We felt that the latter might be more scenic and so we turned off Highway 1 and started heading towards Ongerup before we stopped for the night in a rest area marked in our ‘Camps 5’ book, (the grey nomads travelling Bible of rest areas). It was a strange place with a disused hall and very decrepit and unusable toilet block. We were the only ones parked there and it felt a little eerie but we made sure the van doors were locked and slept OK. The next morning was very cold with drizzle and low clouds and we realised that we wouldn’t see anything of the Sterling Ranges. The road out there had also been very rough as it was a ‘minor’ one, so we decided to backtrack to Jerramungup and get back on the main Highway.
We reached Albany after a rather nerve-racking drive as there were a lot of huge road trains travelling very fast on our tail on a road that was full of unexpected potholes and bumps. A number of times I pulled off the road to let them by in case they were getting fed up with us “holiday-makers”!
We went straight out to Emu Point to our chosen campsite about 8Kms from the town centre – “Rose Gardens Beachside Holiday Park”. One of the campsite owners was a Boxer lover and the facilities were excellent with masses of space and a good hot shower! Emu Point was a long promontory and even though the weather was still stormy, we were right on the beach and so we went for a bracing walk along the white sands with the dogs before dinner. All ran like crazy off lead and had a wonderful time chasing sea sponges rolling on the beach and tennis balls – it’s a dog’s life indeed.
We explored Albany the next day and realised that the pronunciation of the name was very important. It’s AL-bany not ALL-bany, as us Poms want to say. The town was first settled in 1826, two years before Perth and was the first white settlement in Western Australia. It is straddled between Mount Clarence and Mount Melville, both of which have lookouts. It was the embarkation point for Australian troops in the First World War and for many, their last view of Australia. Its coast looks out to Antarctica, several thousand kilometres away. Because of the 37 inches of rain that fall annually the area has a lush green feel with rich farmland, spectacular coastal scenery and a temperate climate.
Albany is obviously a thriving town of about 30,000 people with a wonderful natural harbour and all the attractions a discerning tourist would expect! There was lots of new development happening and a huge new entertainment centre under construction on the edge of the harbour. We took the opportunity to shop a little and I got my hair ‘done’ (what a boost) as well as getting some antibiotics from the local GP for a persistent sinus infection (what a relief).
We also visited ‘Sam the Seal Monument’ at Emu Point. Sam was a fur seal who over the years had become tame and befriended thousands of locals and tourists. In 2006 he was senselessly slaughtered by an unknown assailant in an act of ultimate betrayal that was covered by both National and International media. A life sized bronze memorial of Sam was erected, such was the impact that he had made on all who knew him. How sad – we felt quite upset standing in front of the memorial and reading the story of poor Sam.
Albany also boasts Australia’s last operating whaling station. The last day of commercial whaling was on 21 November 1978 and the site of Cheynes Beach Whaling Company’s whaling station is now a major tourist attraction called Whale World. Having seen real live Whale mothers and their calves frolicking at The Head of Bite only a couple of weeks ago, we didn’t feel the need to see film footage and photos of Whales being harpooned and “processed” – so we gave Whale World a miss!
We did enjoy a lovely Japanese dinner in a restaurant at Emu Point which made a change from our usual meals which Paul cooks so imaginatively and enthusiastically in the van with minimal ingredients and implements. We ordered Teriyaki Snapper and Tempura vegetables and Japanese-style King Prawns followed by Green Tea ice cream - yum!
The next night we drove out of Albany just about 30Kms along Denmark Road to a tiny little hamlet called Cosy Corner Beach – sounds nice eh? We arrived as it was getting dark and found a cosy corner (ha ha) to spend the night in a rest area, literally a few steps from the beach. Our morning walk the next day was wild and windy and we strode up and down a beach that went on for miles in both directions with a backdrop of dunes and vegetation and the odd “watch out for snakes” sign. It was then a short drive along a very scenic country road to Denmark, WA. We did stop off at the South Coast Woodworks Gallery just outside Denmark to admire the wood sculptures and fell in love with a Sheoak head, beautifully carved and polished. It is now wrapped up and on its way back to Sydney and into storage for a few more months.
We parked next to the Denmark River for lunch and booked into the Denmark Rivermouth Caravan Park, about 1Km along the river to where it flows into Wilson Inlet and eventually out to the sea. We found a spot on the banks of the Inlet and got settled. Then we went off exploring the Wilson Inlet Heritage Trail with the doggies. This walk retraced a section of the Albany-Nornalup railway line which was built in 1929 but discontinued in 1957 due to competition by improved road transport. The trail crossed river flats and along the shore of the Inlet through eucalypt and Banksia bushland. It was delightful with many wildflowers to photograph along the way – Paul and I competing for the title of Best Photographer!
The next morning we decided to continue the walk along another section of the railway trail, so we drove into town and out the other side to join a glorious trek on the Denmark-Nornalup Heritage Rail Trail. The countryside was a mixture of rolling green hills with cattle, sheep and vines. It all looked so rich and lush and reminded us of the English countryside!
We then decided to leave the tired dogs in the van and treat ourselves to lunch at ‘The Lake House’ off Mt Shadforth Tourist Drive about 5Kms from Denmark. This was a cellar door/restaurant surrounded by lovely vineyards and majestic karri trees set in a valley and overlooking a spring fed lake. We chose a platter of anti-pasto with damper and wonderful cheeses, home-made chutneys, frittata, dolmades, and many other dips, salad and nibbles. With a glass of The Lake House Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, it was an ideal lunch for weary travellers!
We spent some time in the afternoon exploring the pretty town of Denmark before it started to drizzle and we called it a day and headed back to the campsite for an evening of soup, computers and TV.
Oh forgot to mention that we visited the “Bert Bolle Barometer”, officially the world’s largest Barometer that was brought from the Netherlands by its creator when he and his wife immigrated to Denmark, WA. It is now housed in a tower in the information centre and stands 12 metres high. At six minute intervals a vacuum pump evacuates the air from the glass pipe, causing the 12 metre tall instrument to fill with 55 litres of water within one minute. We climbed the stairs to follow the water as it rose and amazingly it also boils spontaneously at 20 degrees. There is a reading period of 2 minutes and then air is admitted at the top and the water falls back into the cistern below. Then it starts all over again...
To see some photos, click here (open in new window)
