Albany Australia

Early this morning we arrived in our next to last port in Australia- Albany. It's a small little city along Western Australia's Rainbow Coast and, up until 1978, it's main activity was that of a whaling center. Whaling ships went out into the waters off the coast and hunted sperm whales and brought them back to the docks at Albany where the whales were processed for their oil, teeth and meat. In 1978 this whaling station closed its doors. It was the last one in the Southern Hemisphere to do so, as whaling had been outlawed by Australia. 

It took over ten years for the economy in the city to recover.  Albany is also famous for being the departure point for the ANZAC soldiers of WW1 being shipped out to Gallipoli and further. There is a wonderful ANZAC memorial center that's just been opened for a couple of years. For thousands of these soldiers it was their last look at their homeland before they were killed in battle overseas. 

Albany is also well known for its coastal beauty, especially in Torndirrup National Park where there are great rock formations and a natural rock bridge. 

I prearranged a private tour for 7 of us and today we visited all of these places I've mentioned here. We also enjoyed a yummy lunch of fish and chips (the waitress told us the fish we ate today was a type of shark) and salad, at pretty Middleton Beach. I also tried the local beer - Wilson pale ale. It, too, was yummy. It's funny, at home I rarely drink beer. I'm a wine girl. But traveling must bring out the "hey let's have a beer" in me!

Tomorrow will be our last Australian port - Fremantle/Perth. I'm looking forward to it because it is also another new city for me. 

One note about my pictures - the little toddler girl ringing the dinner bell xylophone is the dad three of the ship's second in command officer. She's a real delight to observe! Her name is Lily.