Still Down South.

Anzac Memorial Wreaths Albany.

 28/04/2024 - Emu Point (Albany)

This morning we got the first rain of the trip since we left home. Woke up to the sound of rain on the roof, a bit like being inside a drum.

The weather improved as the day progressed. We stopped at Wellstead for a break and walked around the little town where there were a few mud brick and rammed earth homes some of which were off-grid. They take the protection of their flora and fauna seriously here.

We are camped at Emu Point which is about 4km from Albany.

This afternoon we drove into Albany to get the lay of the land and visit the information centre. As it turns out there is heaps to look at in Albany.  

Albany Port silos.

Old district.

Big Fig

Local seasons.

We visited the Brig Amity, a replica of the sailing ship that brought the first settlers to Albany.

Amity

Officers quarters.

Crew quarters.

Last stop for the day was the Albany Hotel, allegedly the oldest pub in WA which opened in 1832.

29/04/2024 - Albany

After overnight rain, the day started quite pleasant.  We drove into town to pick up supplies (tried out the Kebab shop for lunch. Delicious).  After lunch, we drove up Mt Clarence and visited the Anzac Memorial and Padre White Lookout.  It was really well done with plenty of information about the troops heading off to war starting in Egypt for training and then on to Gallipoli.

11th Batallion on Cheops Pyramid. 70% didn't come home.

Middleton Beach from Mt Adelaide.

The next stop was the Princess Royal Fortress and the National Anzac Centre.  The fortress was the first federal defence project in Australia. It opened in 1893 and was used until 1956 for the defence of King George Sound. It never fired a shot in anger.

It was restored in 1987 as an Anzac Memorial.  As you walk up the hill to the lookout there are information boards on all the ships that took the WW1 troops and their horses to Egypt.

We were a little insulted when one of the volunteer guides offered to drive us up to the lookout in a Golf Cart. We politely declined but had a great chat with him anyway.

Ammo bunker. Blasted out of the granite.

Coastal defences

Mr Squiggle.

Married quarters.

Barracks.

Aussie Ikara anti-submarine missile

30/04/2024 - Albany 

Nature and uncomfortable history were on the agenda today. Our first stop was the Gap and Natural Bridge these are granite formations on the coast and they are spectacular. Next was the blowhole that unfortunately was not blowing but still making a racket when the waves hit them.

Natural Bridge.

Blowhole site.

The Gap.

The Gap.

The last stop on the agenda was the Cheynes Beach Whaling Station, the last operating Whaling Station in Australia and closed in November 1978.  The whaling station is now a museum, botanical garden and wildlife park. We spent most of the afternoon there. We walked around the whale chase boat "Cheynes IV"  The wind was so strong that it was hard to stand up outside, it must have been an exciting ride when they were at sea. With the wind whistling through the rigging, it almost felt that you were out sailing the high seas instead of being on dry land.

Whale chase boat.

Harpoons.

Whale oil extractors.

Cutting up deck.

Head removal saw.

On the way home we visited the local's pub the Earl of Spencer Hotel which was very English with English Beers on tap.  It's a popular place with the local's. We met a couple from Albany who shared some local knowledge, apparently, we are going to get wet over the next few days.

01/05/2024 - Vaccination Day

We had been reliably informed that it would be a wet day so we didn't make any plans.  After our flu shots, we decided it wasn't, going to rain and headed to the Porongurup National Park to do the Granite Skywalk, which is a suspended walkway around the huge granite outcrop of Castle Rock.

It took over an hour to get there. It was a long hard uphill slog but well worth it. The last short section was clambering up the boulders to get to the ladder which took you to the skywalk at the top of Castle Rock.  We must still be young folk, as quite a few Oldies decided to give the last bit a miss.

Harder than it looks.

Don't look down

Not an easy build.

The views are spectacular.

We drove back to Albany via Mt Barker and walked around the township to stretch our legs, then headed back to Albany to finish off the day at the Earl of Spencer Hotel. We ran into our old mates Steve and Gloria from last night.

Mount Barker.

Parked up at the Earl of Spencer. Best Pub in Albany.

We're now back at camp and the rain has started. 

02/05/2024 - Denmark

It was a bloody big day today, we pulled up stumps and headed for Denmark, it took us a good 45 minutes to get there, a hell of a journey 😋.

There is not a lot of free camping in these parts so we are in a caravan park once again.  It's a nice peaceful setting on the Denmark River.  We spent the afternoon wandering around the town. It's woo central.

Walking back to camp.

The green bird you see all over these parts.

A tiny little fella.

03/05/2024 - Denmark-Nornalup Rail Trail

This morning we rode the eastern section of the rail trail from Denmark to Hay River. The route follows the old timber railway along the shore of the Wilson Inlet through paperbark and sheoak forests. 

Mingans beach.

Hut #1

A good-looking Rooster.

Paper Bark tree.

Ballerinas of the forest.

It was a pleasant ride we only had a couple of light showers and were lucky to get home just as it started to rain. It has been heavy showers on and off since.

04/05/2024 May the fourth be with you. - Denmark

We had big plans for today made lunch frocked up and headed west down the heritage rail trail we got a couple of k's along the trail and were drenched and not having any fun. So we turned around and went back to camp to dry out. We sat around relaxing until we got bored, drove to The Dam Distillery, had a beer and cannabis Ginger Beer, and then headed to the Monkey Rock Cidery. The young person behind the bar was very welcoming and convinced us to taste most of their wares. 

Are we having fun yet?

During the evening we cooked tea in the camp kitchen and talked to a couple of young Belgian girls travelling in WA. We also chatted to couple of young Queensland fellas with mullets who are working in the mines.

05/05/2024 - Denmark Deluge

It rained all night so we got going a bit later than normal, We abandoned the cycling idea and drove to Ocean Beach looking for a beached whale.

We continued along the coast to Lights Beach (clothing optional) where the heavens opened, we were going to get our gear off but it was a bit wet and chilly.  Another couple weren't phased and went for a skinny dip.

Greens Pools.

Greens Pools.

Greens Pools.

Lights Beach.

Lights Beach.

Lights road.

Next was Greens Pools and Elephants Cove in the Mt William National Park. The rain had stopped and we had a pleasant stroll along the beach. On the way out we stopped off at Waterfall Beach which another traveller had oversold, we expected a larger waterfall.

The rare Silver crested Gallah.

We finished the day with a Sunday roast in the pub with a Yorkshire pudding and a pint.

06/05/2024 - Denmark

Today we invoked holiday rule #1 (don't race off to the next place). The rain stopped sometime after midnight and we woke to a foggy morning that turned into sunny clear skies. We decided to stay another day to have another crack at the rail trail we abandoned a couple of days ago.

Denmark River rail bridge.

Drying out.

Bridge remains.

We got lost and had to detour to get back on track, as the trail was poorly marked. After doing 35 km we stopped in at the Denmark Hotel for a well-earned pint and watched the local kids challenging each other on how far they could ride a bike downhill into the Denmark River. The run-ups got longer and longer, but the result was the same, they needed a ramp.

07/05/2024 - Nornalup

With a heavy heart, we departed Demark for the long trek to Nornalup. 😀 We stopped at the Valley of the Giants Tree Walk. Fortunately Helen our guide was very knowledgeable, and we are now much better informed about the Tingle Trees, Karris and She Oaks and some of the understory plants.

Tingle Tree

Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk

Young Tingle Tree

Views from the Treetop Walk

08/05/2024 - Peaceful Bay & Mundi Bundi Cycle Track

We woke up to a beautiful morning and headed to Peaceful Bay for a walk along the beach.  It was quiet and peaceful as the name suggests.

Peaceful Bay.

 After lunch, we went into the forest and cycled a section of the Mundi Bundi Cycle trail, a mountain bike trail that was a little trickier than we expected. Well worth the effort though as it is in the Valley of the Giant and the Tingle trees were plentiful. 

Mundi Bundi track.

Linda for scale.

Influencer insta shot.

The dead timber at the top of the large Tingle trees was caused by a bushfire that went through the area in 1937.