APPETISING ALBANY

Hi there folks, well it's been some time since my last entry - as nobody is reading my blog, I suppose that is really irrelevant!!!

Rather than make up time with a really long and boring summary, I will simply go back and do a short piece on each place we have stayed at, along with some photos.

I know I have already touched on Albany, but I really didn't tell you anything about the place. We have been to Albany many times so we didn't do much in the way of photos. For those of you who are not familiar with Albany that is a bit of a shame as it is particularly picturesque.

I have no intentions of giving hard fact about the places we visit, as there are manifold publications full of all the facts and figures. Instead, I will simply give you personal impressions of each area. Of course, it will be a little more meaningful when I catch to where we actually are and the impressions are more immediate. With regard to photos, I will try not to inundate you with meaningless shots, but will just include enough to give an impression of each place.

We will deal with Albany first, and I will try to do it justice considering it is quite some time ago now. Incidentally, I am having major problems tying this as my 'puter is not recognising more than around 60% of my keystrokes - that makes this a very slow and frustrating process - so it you see some strange omissions, please be understanding!!!! I am typing h setace without crectio just so youcsn see hw bad i cualyis!!!!!!!

Anyway, ALBANY - a beautiful seaside town in the south east of Western Australia, some 450 ks from Perth (don't rely on my distances). The climate there is very changeable and they are popularly known as having all 4 seasons in one day down there. It is a very historic town, and a natural port. Whaling was originally one of the main activities there, fortunately that ceased long ago now, but there is a very good Whale-World centre there where you can learn all about the old days. The port there is quite active, and handles quite a bit of the local grain from the surrounding wheat farming districts.

Albany was one of the first places in WA to adopt 'Wind Farming' and has quite a substantial wind farm along the western beaches.

The coast on the western side approaching Albany is spectacular with big seas and amazing rocky cliffs. Subsequently there is a wild-beauty there, combining wild seas with rocky outcrops and windswept low wilderness which in some places seems to be endless.

The eastern beaches tend to be more docile, with estuary style beaches and quiet bays, ideal for swimming. Of course, the water there has a tendency to be a little chilly and that coast as a reputation for large sharks!! Needless to say, I didn't try my luck.

Albany is a growing city and is developing a name for delicious food. There is a 'cafe strip' in the main drag, and 'grower's markets' on the weekends. I was fortunate enough to buy a small and very expensive packet of gourmet chockies when we visited the Sunday market.

There are any number of touristy things to do, The Whale World, local wineries, the sandalwood factory, river cruises, scenic drives, and much, much more.

While Albany is a little bigger and more populated than we like, it is certainly a beautiful and interesting town and I highly recommend it to the general traveller. It is very much geared to tourism and has an absolute abundance of places (of all types) to stay.

Following is just a few of our photos of the area - as I said we didn't take many, and we certainly have not done it justice.

Until next time - smiling as always - Steph.