7 things to do in Amazing Albany!

Is Albany on your bucket list? It should be. Even Charles Darwin couldn't resist a brief visit, although by all accounts he wasn't impressed. I put that down to Albany being one of his last stops aboard the Beagle's almost five year journey. He also came by ship across the notoriously rough Great Australian Bight. Like Darwin I suffer from perpetual seasickness. Note to self: Never come to Western Australia by boat.

By the time he arrived in Albany in Australia's far south-western corner Darwin was home sick and fed up - not a great way to get the most out of any destination. If he were to arrive today -  on one of the new 787 Dreamliners, Business Class of course, and know he could be home again in 18 hours he wouldn't want to leave.

History

The Albany region is the traditional home of the Mineng Noongar aboriginal people. 'Noongar' is the name which identifies the indigenous people of the south-west of Western Australia and 'Mineng' is the language group to which those who lived around Albany belonged.

European settlement of Western Australia began at what is now Albany on Christmas Day in 1826 when the Brig Amity arrived. On board were 23 convicts, 21 soldiers, a surgeon, a storekeeper and six months worth of stores. Early relations between the first Europeans and the Mineng Noongar were reasonably cordial. Today Albany is a thriving port and tourist destination with a population of almost 34,000.

A replica of the Brig Amity - it is open from 9.30 a.m to 4 pm daily and is abolutely free.

Visiting Albany - what Darwin would see today! 

Whale Watching

The whale-watching season in Western Australia is one of the longest in the world, running from June to October. Humpbacks, southern rights and blue whales all pass Albany on their annual migrations and King George Sound is a favourite spot for them to take a few days' rest. On our first visit to Albany, in September 1998, David and I arrived to discover two of these magnificent creatures had taken up temporary residence in the bay. There was no need for a whale watching tour - we were able to see them easily just standing on the beach.

We returned to Albany in September this year (2016) with great hopes of repeating this magical encounter. This time we had booked a whale watching tour just to be sure. Sadly, the weather was awful, the tour was cancelled and the whales failed to appear. Oh well - there is always next visit!

We didn't see turtles either - but I thought the sign was cute!

My tip: -  

• If there are whales around, head down to the whale watching lookout on the Ellen Cove Boardwalk at Middleton Beach. You might get lucky and see them swim past only a few metres below you.

Kangaroos and emus

Western Australia has to be one of the best parts of the country to see kangaroos and emus, to say nothing of the little known quokka. We didn't have to leave Albany to see mobs of kangaroos. They were literally lying about in people's front yards and we saw more than one large mob of emus on our drive to Albany from Margaret River.

Emu's are hard to photograph - they tend to run away, but these guys were part of several large flocks we saw.

You don't often see kangaroos sitting in people's front gardens but we did in Albany. Notice how they are looking straight at us - I love the way they do that.

My tip: -

• Take Frenchman Bay Road south and then east toward Vancouver Peninsula and you are likely to see kangaroos laying around in the front yards of the larger blocks of land. Kangaroos are most active in the early mornings and around dusk but we saw them in the middle of the day.

The National ANZAC Centre

Albany has a special place in the story of the ANZACs. It was the site from which the first convoys of ANZACs set sail on their way to Gallipoli. Later it became the site where Australia's first dawn service was held. Today perched high above the Great Southern Ocean, the ANZACs are remembered and honoured at the National ANZAC Centre. For my review of our visit to the centre click - here.

The National ANZAC Centre

The Gap, The Blowholes and The Natural Bridge 

For a close up encounter with the power of the Great Southern Ocean, take a trip out to Torndirrup National Park. A viewing platform allows visitors to stand directly above the ocean as it surges through a natural gap in the granite foreshore. After you have seen The Gap follow the path and signs for about 800 metres to the Natural Bridge and The Blowholes.

The new viewing platform at the Gap. 

Looking down from the viewing platform. This photo doesn't do its 'wow' factor justice. You have to imagine the waves rushing in and exploding upwards like a geyser erupting immediately below you.

My tips: 

• If you can, go when it is windy and the sea is rough, to experience the full potency of the waves.

• There is a $12 fee per vehicle to visit Torndirrup National Park, however if you intend to visit other national parks in Western Australia it is worth paying $44 for a four week all parks holiday pass. Click here for information on entry passes.

Wildflowers

Western Australia has 12,000 species of wildflowers, over 60 percent of which are found nowhere else on the planet. Come to Albany in spring and you can't miss seeing them. For my review of the wildflower festival in Kings Park, Perth click - here.

We didn't have to go looking for wildflowers, we kept seeing them by the side of the road.

Walking and Cycling

For a leisurely cycle, start at Lawley Park, Brunswick Rd and follow the shared path to Emu Point. The path runs along the cliff tops with a few up and down climbs for about 5 km until it reaches Middleton Beach. From Middleton Beach, it is another 4 km to Emu Point. This section is almost completely flat. Keep an eye out for whales as you ride along!

If you are a serious cyclist, why not cycle all the way to Albany from Perth along the 1,000 km Munda Biddi Trail. David and I intended to cycle a few short sections of the trail but the weather defeated us and we never got past the planning stage.

I put this photo in my last post on Albany but it was such a great section of the cycle path I couldn't resist including it again.

Valley of the Giants

The south-west corner of Western Australia is home to some of the tallest trees in the world. This is karri tree country - giants of the plant world which can grow up to 90 metres high. At the Valley of the Giants, a little over an hour west of Albany, the Tree Top Walk lets you explore the forest canopy up close or marvel at their grandeur from below on one of the many forest trails.

In the forests around Pemberton, two and a half hours west of Albany, you will find Pemberton's Climbing Trees. It is a bit far for a day trip but an easy diversion if you are driving to Albany from Perth or Margaret River. The climbing trees were once fire lookouts with metal climbing spikes leading to lookout platforms. Several are open for visitors to climb. It is not for the faint hearted though. David, who has no head for heights, wouldn't even consider it and I got a few feet up the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree just for the fun of it before turning back.

The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree. 

Me pretending to climb the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree. 

Would you climb this tree?


My tip: - Don't - unless you are young, foolish and have a really good head for heights! If you have all three of those then go for. David and I saw two people climb the tree while we were there and it didn't look that hard - from the safety of the ground!

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Click on the titles below for other posts from our road trip in Western Australia: - 

• Springtime tulips at Araluen Botanic Park, Western Australia

• Wildflowers in Western Australia: Kings Park, Perth
• Rottnest Island
• Fraser Suites, Perth - a review
• The National ANZAC Centre, Albany
• Albany Harbourside Apartments: self-contained accommodation in Albany
• 2 Weeks in Western Australia: A road trip itinerary.

Other blog posts on Western Australia - 

The Kimberley

• Berkeley River Lodge: A wilderness resort in the Kimberley.

• Amalia Gorge: Would you go swimming with a crocodile?

• Zebedee Springs and Chamberlain Gorge: Disappointment in the Kimberley

• Wille Creek Pearl Farm & The Perfect Pearl

The Coral Coast

• The Abrolhos Islands Fly & Flipper Tour

• Mantra Geraldton: Where to stay in Geraldton

• Hutt Lagoon: A pink lake you can drive to

• Pinnacles and Stromatolites: Ancient formations and living fossils

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