From the Archives

The other day I came across a draft of a blog that I had meant to finish and post. It was about a weekend trip to Albany that Steph and I had taken in early June. We felt it was still worth sharing and have done our best to recollect those early days of June in order to polish the draft version. So with no further ado, please sit back and relax as we take you on a journey into the past...

The route from Perth to Albany. Approximately a 4.5 hour drive.

The last long weekend before the winter months came at the beginning of June. There wouldn't be another extended weekend until the end of October, so there was no excuse for doing anything that was less than awesome. For this reason, when offered an invitation to accompany friends on their trip to Albany, we accepted without giving it a moments thought. A chance to explore another corner of Western Australia surely wouldn't disappoint.

We'd previously explored the regions north of Perth, namely the Pinnacles. On that occassion, our friends Dave and Angela had invited us to tag along. And on this occasion, they had extended the invitation once again as they were visiting Dave's family in Albany. As Dave spent his childhood in Albany it was an ideal opportunity to travel with someone very knowledgeable and proud of the region. He knew all the sites worth seeing, and would try to do his best to make sure we saw as many of them as time would permit. We were certainly appreciative that Dave and Angela were so willing to show us the sites, which they had no doubt seen many times before.

We departed Perth on Friday evening and upon arrival at Dave's parents home, it was immediately evident that Steph and I were not intruding on a family weekend. We were graciously welcomed and, within minutes, were offered a meal and drink. We ate, drank, and talked until our bellies were full and our eyes became heavy. We slept soundly that first night.

The Gap.

When we awoke Saturday morning, we got our first glimpse of the Albany landscape. It was completely different from Perth's and even more so than the regions a few hundred kilometers north of Perth. It was damp and chilly with rolling hills and lush vegetation. It was not long after breakfast before our tour of Albany officially began. We visited the Gap, Albany's Wind Farm, as well as stops at the many beautiful beaches and roadside lookout points. We even made some short visits to some of Dave's childhood friends before calling it a day and heading back for a family dinner.

Albany's wind farm nearing dusk.

We were not the only ones that had flocked to Albany for the long weekend. It was the 2011 Albany Classic Motor Event; an annual car race through the streets of Albany. It just so happened that one of Dave's uncles was competing in the race. Consequently, a large portion of his family was in town. The family dinner consisted of about 20 guests, with heaps of delicious homemade lasagna. Exhausted and exploding at the gut, we collapsed in our beds to end our first full day in Albany.

The Tree Top walk.

On Sunday, we ventured to sites that were a little removed from Albany's city limits - near the town of Denmark which is about a 90 minute drive west. We visited the Valley of Giants, the Tree Top Walk, William Bay, and numerous wineries. We made sure to pick up a bottle of wine as a token of our appreciation for our gracious weekend hosts. That night it was again a lively family dinner. Round two also featured live entertainment. A piano was conveniently situated beside the dinner table and as the night wore on its keys were pounded to the tune of countless songs for everyone to enjoy.

Taking a break at the top of Castle Rock.

There was one remaining site to see before we made the trek back to Perth. That was Castle Rock. It was a nature hike to the top of a hill. Not expecting the hill to be as high as it was, Steph and I were not prepared for the exhausting trek to the top. We persevered and eventually climbed our way up. It was definitely worth it. platforms and ladders had been constructed along the hill's cliff edges for people to gain an unobstructed view of the scenery below.

We had set the bar high for that weekend and it didn't disappoint. It was awesome. We loved the region around Albany and the company was second to none. It is without a doubt that Steph and I will one day return to the shores of Albany to continue exploring the great things it has to offer.