Inverted Reality

 

Albany

Last weekend, Melissa and I packed the kids in to the car and took a trip down south. The great south-west of Australia. We drove directly to Margaret River along the new extended Kwinana Freeway (Perth -> Bunbury freeway). It was fast. In fact it probably knocked 45mins or so off the trip time. Impressive. We stopped at my favourite winery, Woody Nook. Had lunch, picked up a pile of wine, and continued on to Albany, via Manjimup. The trip to Margaret River seemed a quick one, no stops along the way, it was great. After lunch, we stopped at the famous Margaret River Chocolate Factory Pushing on to Albany, through the Karri Valley (insanely old and tall tree's) we stopped outside Manjimup so Melissa could feed Spencer who'd decided it was tucker time. We arrived in Albany around 5:30pm, after leaving home that morning at 8:20AM, lots of driving! We stayed in a cozy little chalet at Emu Beach Chalets. Close to the beach but just set back enough to be protected from the incredible wind! The weather was a lovely 25'ish C in Albany, a light drizzle on Saturday, otherwise very nice. A huge cruise ship was in town (Queen Victoria) with something like 2000 passengers walking around the Albany town centre.

Tonnage: 90,000 gross tons
Length: 964.5 ft (294 m)
Beam: 106 ft (32.3 m) waterline, 120 ft (36.6 m) extreme (bridge wings)
Height: 205 ft (62.5 m) keel to funnel
Draft: 26.2 ft (8.0 m)
Decks: 16 total, 12 passenger
Installed power: 63.4 MW Sulzer ZA40 diesel plant
Propulsion: Two 16.7 MW Azipods
Speed: 23.7 kn (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph) maximum, service at 18 kn (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph)[2]
Capacity: 2,014 passengers
Crew: 900 officers and crew
On Saturday, we all jumped in the car and headed to town to grab some coffee. I found a place on York Street called "York Street Cafe" and ordered a latte, it was enjoyable. We jumped back in the car and headed to Denmark for lunch, a 55 min trip back west. We drove around town, parked, and decided to try the Denmark bakery for lunch. WOW. Awesome pies! Whilst eating our pies we noticed the signage in the window, boasting 11 win's at last year's Perth Royal Show, not only for pies but for freshly baked breads. Awesome! Returning to Albany after lunch, we treked around town for a while with the kiddums in the pram, and eventually headed back to the Chalet for the evening, packed up, and headed home on Sunday morning. The goal was to put some kilometres on the car, but ultimately we had a nice trip out, and even have plans to travel more often. Perhaps a camper will be in our future? Maybe when the kids are a bit older! [gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Filed under  //   Albany   denmark   down south   karri valley   manjimup   mt barker   pemberton   perth   south west   Travel   Western Australia  
Posted March 3, 2010
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Trip to Albany

So we're heading down to Albany this weekend for yet another family get away. This could be the start of a fair bit of travelling! Last weekend's trip to Tammin was great. This time we're going three times further and staying for longer. I'll update this post with more photo's, maybe some video, we'll see! Here's a little info on Albany, Western Australia. As taken from wiki: Albany (pronounced /ˈælbəni/) is a port city located in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia, some 390 kilometres south-east of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population is estimated at approximate 33,600 making it the sixth-largest city in the state[2]. The city centre is located at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King George Sound. The Central Business District is bounded by Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west. The city is situated in the Local Government Area of the City of Albany. The city was founded in January 1827 as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambition in the region. The area was initially named Frederickstown in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. In 1831 the settlement was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony and renamed Albany by Governor James Stirling.[3] During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century's the town served as a gateway to the Eastern Goldfields and for many years was the colony's only deep water port, having a place of eminence on shipping services between Britain and its Australian colonies. The construction of Fremantle Harbour in 1893[4], however, saw its importance as a port decline after which the towns industries turned primarily to agriculture and timber and, later, whaling. Unlike Perth and Fremantle, Albany was a strong supporter of Federation in 1901. Today the town has a place of significance as a tourist destination and base from which to explore the south west of the state and is well regarded for its natural beauty and preservation of heritage. The town has an important though somewhat controversial role in the Anzac legend, being the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War. Albany is the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by some two years.

Filed under  //   Albany   Travel   Western Australia  
Posted February 22, 2010
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