Starting up the western coast of Australia

We are in Albany, located on the southernmost tip of Western Australia.

Before European settlement, this area was home of the Minang Noongar aborigines dating back about 25,000 years.

The first European ship arrived in 1791, claiming the area for the British Crown.

This photo was taken from the bridge cam of the ship as we dock at the port. The blur is a raindrop on the camera.

After the morning rain stopped, we ventured out on our own to discover the city of Albany.

The Visitors Center is located by the old Town Hall. We picked up a brochure of a walking tour that took us around the historical district of Albany.  Proud of its heritage, Albany boasts more than 50 historic buildings, many of them have been renovated and repurposed as museums and restaurants.

And it's those sites that we set out to see on our walking tour.

The Old Town Hall opened in 1888.  This is where Western Australia's first regional meeting of State Parliament took place.

Albany was the port where the ANZAC...Australian New Zealand Army Corps...sailed from to go to war in WWI and WWII. There are many memorials around the town.

 The Courthouse, built in 1895.  The arched entrances are a lasting memorial to the gentleman responsible for their unique masonry design.

The old jail. Albany was settled in 1826 for the purpose of establishing a penal outpost on the western side of Australia.

A replica of the stocks used to punish prisoners.

 This is a replica of the ship that brought the first settlers to Albany in 1826. The Brig Amity.

 Some 60 people made the trip from Sydney in this tiny ship with sheep, pigs, cattle, plants, seeds and basic supplies, arriving on Christmas Day.

There's always someone who wants to steer the ship.

The stone marks the spot the flag pole stood proclaiming the town to be part of the British establishment in 1827.

It's a park now, but this was once the city center in 1827.

This house was built in the 1830s using the bricks that arrived from England as ship's ballast.

 This church was built in 1903 in the Victorian style and has elaborate brick window surrounds.

 Next to the church is the manse with elaborate ornamentation.

This Anglican church is the oldest church to be consecrated in Western Australia. Built in 1841, it could accommodate the total population of the town...170 people.

Albany is the oldest town on the west coast and overlooks the magnificent Princess Royal Harbor.

In the distance, following the coastline, is the Bibbulmun Track...the end of a 600-mile walking trail that stretches from Perth to Albany. We saw lots of trekkers with their packs as we walked through the town.

We always like to check out the sunset as we sail to our next port.

We have now rounded the southwestern point of the Australian continent.   The ship anchored about 3 miles off the shore of the port of Busselton in the Margaret River region.  Although the existence of the western side of the continent had been known for centuries, it wasn't explored until 1801 when two French ships sailed into the shallow waters of the bay.

About 30 years later the town of Busselton was founded by the Bussell family and a Bussell cousin went on to establish the nearby town of Margaret River .

The waters are shallow here so the ship is 3 miles off shore. We took a tender into shore, docking on this jetty.

The jetty is over a mile long and is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

We set off on a private tour, operated by Harvest Tours, with Gwen and Jerry and two other couples in a nice, comfortable van.  We will be driving quite a bit today.

Our first stop was at the Prevelly Beach famous for surfing. Huge waves along the coastline have turned Margaret River into a premier surfing destination, where world-class surfing competitions are held.

 There were a few windsurfers out there to watch.

And it was really windy!

We were hoping to see stingrays in Hamelin Bay.  But we only did a driveby as our guide could tell that the largest of the world's stingrays were not up in the shallows.  He said the wingspan of these massive stingrays is about 3 feet.  That would have been great to see.

These people are hopefully waiting to see the stingrays.

Next was a stop in the forest.

The trees are called marri trees and the wood is used in furniture making.

 And also by a kookaburru bird.  It must be sitting in the old gum tree!!  Is that song now going through your head?  Sorry.

Next was a visit to Jewel Cave. The Margaret River region has over 100 caves that have been formed over the last 1 million years by the constant movement of water through limestone.

Jewel Cave is the biggest show cave in Western Australia, comprising three massive chambers.

We descended 250 steps down into the cave to start our guided tour.

It was a beautiful site.

The cave is huge..about 90 feet from floor to ceiling

The towering crystal creations have taken thousands of years to form.

 These are crystal straws

 This straw stalactite has grown to over 15 feet in length--the longest found in any tourist cave in Australia.

 We walked through tunnels

And then it was 250 steps back up to exit the cave.

We certainly earned our lunch--kangaroo burger. It was pretty good.

 We headed toward Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.

It was opened in 1895.

 And of course we climb it...176 steps up

 The lamp at the top. It is still a working lighthouse as it has been automated.

Our guide inside the lighthouse for the hike to the top, pauses every once in a while so we can all catch our breath.

Taking in the view from the balcony...104 feet above the ground.

On the left is the Indian Ocean and on the right is the Southern Ocean.

And here is where the 2 oceans meet. Here there are dangerous currents...2nd to Cape Horn for violent seas.  There have been many shipwrecks out there.

Then it was time to head back to the jetty where we waited for the tender to return us to the ship.

Our next stop on the cruise is at the Freemantle port, which is right near Perth.

Having to choose what to do while visiting a port for a day can be hard.  So much to see; so little time.  For this port we chose to take the ferry to nearby Rottnest Island for a day of bicycling and magnificent coastal scenery.  I had booked our tickets for both the ferry and the bicycle rental through Viator, so we were all set to go.

The ferry was just a 10-minute walk from where the ship docked.  It was filled with lots of families heading for a day in the sun and water.

 Once we reached the island, we picked up our bikes as we left the ferry and headed out on the coastal road. No vehicles are allowed on the island except for a few Hop-On Hop-Off buses for those that don't care to ride bicycles.

The views were beautiful.

There were plenty of opportunities to walk down to the water's edge.

We stopped for an ice cream break at one of the island's two lighthouses.   Rottnest Island was a key part of Australia's coastal defense during WWII. It was a strategic location to protect the sea approaches to the Port of Freemantle.

 Indigenous only to Rottnest Island is this strange little animal called a quokka.  In 1696 a Dutch mariner, who thought the island's small marsupials resembled rats, named the island Rottnest meaning "rats nest".

 It looks much like a large rat and hops like a kangaroo.

And they are very accustomed to humans.

 These 2 just sat there looking like they wanted their photo taken, too.

We were in awe of the beautiful blue waters and white sandy beaches.

So it was declared time to cool off the toes and step into the Indian Ocean.

 Ahh!

 After our approximately 12-mile bike ride, we felt we earned this lunch.

Terry had a beer called 150 lashes

 A convict that turned brewer after his release became Australia's first brewer of beer in 1795.

 It was a great day!

For the next three days we cruise north up the western coast to our next port, Broome, where we start reaching the hottest temperatures.

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