Albany

Monday, 6 June - Western Australia Day

The weather was not looking too promising this morning but as we were going to the National ANZAC Centre it didn’t matter. The building has huge picture windows looking out over Albany and the harbours. I took a photo when we arrived and then a few minutes later I looked out to see … practically nothing. The rain and mist had really closed in.

The ANZAC Centre was brilliantly done. We watched a fascinating video, “Bayonets and butterflies” about an Australian soldier who rescued a scientifically significant butterfly collection. When we arrived we were each given a card with the name and photo of a WW1 soldier. As you went through the displays there were stations where you could lay your card and up on a screen would come part of the story of his war experiences. By the time you reached the end of the display you also knew the end of your special person’s story. Not a happy one for my young Kiwi.

The weather had cleared a bit by the time we went outside so we walked up to the lookout at the top of Mount Clarence. No, we didn’t climb a mountain, that’s where the ANZAC centre is. Stunning views across the three harbours and a lovely volunteer called Stan, who told us about a message in a bottle he found in a sand dune when he was 3 years old. It had been there since WW1 when two soldiers put messages to their loved ones inside and threw them overboard as their ships left for the war.

By this time we were pretty desperate for a cuppa and were glad to find a nice cosy place on Stirling Terrace. Revived by the coffee we walked up a big hill to find Dog Rock, which I vaguely remember from my childhood. Then it was down the big hill to Patrick Taylor Historical Cottage, where another enthusiastic volunteer guided us through the oldest surviving house in WA.

The sky was looking pretty ok so we set off for Little Beach at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve which had been highly recommended. What a perfect spot, with clear aqua water, interesting rocks and the whitest of white sand. The late afternoon sun cooperated long enough for us to take a ridiculous number of photos.

Not much is open on a public holiday Monday night and we were feeling rather tired (exhausted actually), so we ordered some Italian to be delivered to our caravan park. We’ll have to toast Western Australia Day tomorrow night.