Albany

Albany
2nd December

Driving into Albany, we spotted a sign saying strawberries $3/kg. Conscious of the need to keep up our supply of vitamin C, we drove out along a dirt road to the strawberry farm where scores of pickers were walking in for lunch. The strawberries were B grade but looked and tasted perfect to us although the odd one had a bit scooped out. So we continued in to Albany for supplies happily devouring a kg of strawberries.
Once stocked up with food and fuel, we drove around Frenchman's Bay and through Torndirrup National Park to Whale World at what was from 1952 to 1978 the Cheyne Beach Whaling Station. The loss of the whaling station still seemed very raw. As we walked from the flensing deck to the top deck and then down to the boilers, the tour guide spoke in the present tense about how the whale was processed.

From Albany

Unlike most historical museums, there was colour video footage of the whaling station in action. We all learnt a lot about whaling and how steam power and harpoon guns led to rapid depletion of the resource. Same story as we had heard about sheep on the Darling, pink snapper in Shark Bay, trees in the south west – rapid exploitation of a resource followed by economic collapse.
We drove to the dramatic Gap and Stone Arch

From Albany

on the way back through Torndirrup NP, and took a scenic route round the picturesque part of Albany town and a less scenic route through the suburbs to get us back on the coast road towards Esperence. We had hoped to get to Waychicup Inlet but after after taking one wrong track in the fading light (there is no signage to it), we piked and headed on to the Cheyne Beach Caravan Park. We were all very tired and the hot showers very welcome.