From Margaret River we turned eastward and the start of the trek home. Pemberton, first stop is south east of the Margaret River Area.In Pemberton you are surrounded by towering Karri trees and glorious forests. Unfortunately we didn't see the best of Pemberton due to the wet weather. I was surprised to find out that there are more wine grapes grown in the area than the Margaret River Region due to the ideal climate for cool region wines. Apart from wine grapes, the area grows the most avocados in Australia.
Called into a local craft museum and cafe for a bowl of soup on a cool misty day.
In a small break in the weather we found the local billabong that is the swimming pool for the locals. This would be magic in the hot weather surrounded by the forest.
Just had to show you the new look, slip on gumboots with socks, a look that won't be repeated when I get home. Timber mills were set up in 1913 to cut and supply half a million sleepers for the Trans-Australian Railway Line. These were made from the Karri Trees due to the superb strength of Karri. All the homes in the area made good use of the Karri Tree and they all look like this.
We drove through some picturesque countryside shame about the weather. Arrived in Albany to pouring rain, however, we decided to explore the area. There are some lovely drives around Albany and we ventured out along Frenchman Bay Road which skirts Princess Royal Harbour. We drove through Torndirruo National Park and explored many of the lovely beaches and Whaling Cove where the Albany Whaling Company set up the whaling industry in 1947, a part of Albany's history of which they may not be so proud.
The beautiful gleaming waters of Cable Beach in King George Sound.
Next morning we drove up to and around Albany Heritage Park which is a 260 hectare parkland reserve, right in the middle of the city. This park houses the new National Anzac Centre. In late 1914, over 40,000 Australians and New Zealanders left Albany, bound for the Great War. 'This is their story'. These simple yet evocative words inform the content of the National Anzac Centre, a state-of-the-art interpretive museum overlooking King George Sound. You can follow the Anzacs in the Great War through their personal stories.You can view interactive, multimedia displays, unique artefacts, rare images and film as well as an audio commentary. You could easily spend over two hours listening and viewing all the material that has been gathered, it was excellent. A very moving experience.
After the First World War, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand contributed one day's pay to commission a monument to the fallen on the banks of Port Said in Egypt. Although the monument was toppled in 1956 during the Suez Crisis, it's remnants were returned to Australia and the new Desert Mounted Corps Memorial now stands proudly on the summit of Mount Clarence as a memorial to servicemen and women from all theatres of war. This is also in the Heritage Park.
The statue features two mounted soldiers, an Australian and a New Zealander.
After visiting the monument these crazy birds wouldn't let us back into the van. They just kept staring at us very strange.
King George Sound with the wood chip industry in the foreground. Just for your information one of these mills is owned by the Japanese and one by the Chinese none by Australia.
Middleton Bay, very popular with locals and tourists.
Albany township itself is full of lovely old heritage buildings. There is a lot to do and see in Albany, a very interesting town.
Next stop Esperance.
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