Down south, the coast is remarkably different to other parts of WA. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue with the whitest sand and around this neck of the woods, there are huge domes of granite boulders added to the mix.
Shelley Beach
Shelley Beach (above) is on West Cape Howe. You can camp here – when the weather is better.
Shelley Beach. Again.
You get two photos of this, just because it’s so picturesque.
Before you know it, you’ve arrived in Albany. This is a major centre in the south, and was the first European settlement in Western Australia in 1826. The harbour is magnificent and welcomes huge ships though its narrow channel. There’s an inlet off the harbour for even more protected waters. The historic waterfront has a seafaring history and the town then degenerates into a sprawling metropolis of about 25,000.
Skirting the town is the Torndirrup National Park with a windblown, surf lashed, rocky coastline where you find some cool natural features. There’s the obligatory Blow Holes, but more spectacular is The Gap and Natural Bridge.
Natural Bridge
Note the exciting lack of rain today.
Fergus and Harry named this one Bum Rock.
Apart from a rugged coastline, Albany is also famous for its whaling history. The population of both southern sperm and humpback whales was decimated after 26 years of hunting at the Albany whaling station. It seems sweet justice that the whales swim past the slaughter deck within harpoon shot as the tourists ogle at these majestic animals. Since closing in 1978, the old whaling station has turned around and become a major attraction and museum of the history of the town. The place has been left virtually as it was when it closed, and they have one of the old whale chasers on display too.
Whale Chaser Cheynes IV
There were some Japanese people on our tour, and I wonder what they thought of what we saw. It certainly was a barbaric style of killing they employed.
This is the skeleton of a pygmy blue whale they have on display. It’s much bigger than the ones they used to hunt.
