The sights of Albany

We enjoyed waking to wind and rain, knowing that we had nowhere to be and all day to get there.  We planned to see the sights of Albany, with our agenda depending on time and weather.  By the time we wandered out it was close to 10am and we slowly made our way through the town, popping in and out of any interesting shops before reaching Espresso One cafe that had been heaving when the cruise ship was in.  It was much quieter, but still quite a lot of people.  We enjoyed a leisurely coffee then picked up some lunch supplies from the excellent Bred Co bakery. 

We decided not to climb to the peak of Mt Clarence given that it was so windy. We passed a stick library as we headed towards the Avenue of Honour which was planted in 1955-56 to honour those killed during WW1, WW2 and the Korean War.  Next stop was the Princess Royal Fortress, which was one of only two pre-federation fortresses built to protect international trade routes.  There we explored some of the barracks where officers lived and worked, and took our time up the Convoy Walk which commemorated the vessels that made up the first two convoys that took the ANZAC troops to the battlefields of World War 1.

Some 40,000 troops and 17,000 horses were carried aboard the 54 Australian and NZ ships departed from Albany, which was chosen due to its large sheltered harbour and port facilities. The Walk led to the Convoy Lookout with impressive views across King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour. From there we explored some of the original gun batteries and coastal gun defences.

Finally we reached the National Anzac Centre where we were given a card with the identity of an actual service man. These were placed at certain information points to follow their experience of the Great War from departure, through the war and then their life after returning home. The museum was fascinating, bringing to life the history of WWI, from the troops departure from Albany through the different battles with the use of multi media and audio that told the real life experience of those involved in the war, using their own words from diaries and letters.

After our immersion in the horrors of so many fruitless battles, it was good to reemerge into a sunny afternoon and find a sheltered spot for lunch.  We then made our way back into town for our next stop, the Museum of the Great Southern which was free to enter, and had an exhibition on Australian Nurses at War, This tribute to the women who served in the different wars seemed fitting after we had learnt so much about the experience of the soldiers in WWI.  Told largely through photographs and stories of the nurses’ experience, it was a worthy tribute. 

We then spent time in the main building with its stories from the Minang Noongar Broodja (Country) and information on the local flora and fauna.  We learnt a lot about the history of Albany.

It was time to head home for a shower and an aperitif before heading out to dinner at Liberte, a Parisian inspired bar, with delicious shared Vietnamese dishes. 

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