We arrived at Albany (pronounced Ahl-bany, the residents call themselves Albanians), Western Australia following two days of rather rough sailing through the Great Australian Bight. The Bight is an area of the Southern Ocean that extends along the southern coast of the Australian continent. There is nothing but cold ocean between Australia and the Antarctic continent. As we crossed the Great Australian Bight, there was a storm near Antarctica causing seven to ten foot swells all the way to the Australian coast. The Silver Whisper's stabilizers kept the ship from severe rolling but we pitched a bit up and down. Surprisingly, I have not been seasick since the first night of my first cruise nearly four years ago. Michael, however, was a bit uncomfortable and refrained from using his computer during the worst of the rocking and rolling. I can see why cruise ships rarely travel along the south coast of Australia. The captain even said that this is one of his least favorite places. Most of our cruises have seen little to no rough seas.
Albany is Western Australia's oldest city. It is a small city, 300 miles south of Perth that has become in recent years, a popular vacation and retirement spot for Western Australians. Albany got its start as a whaling center in the early 1800's. Whaling continued until 1978 and ended just before the international ban. Today the port sends bulk shipments of wood pulp to Japan, wheat to the rest of Australia and container ships resupply the Albanians everyday needs. Its 30,000 residents are isolated on the beautifully rugged southwest tip of the Australian coast. Fewer than ten cruise ships visit per year. This place is really remote.
Michael and I were surprised that Silver Whisper was able to obtain a replacement large pane of glass. A window on the pool deck broke when a wooden towel bin slammed into it during the rough seas. We're not sure whether there was a replacement glass window available in Albany or if it was shipped overnight from Perth. Either way we were impressed both with the availability of replacement parts so far from any manufacturer and with the ability of the ship's agent to source needed materials so quickly.
Michael and I took a Silversea tour that included a visit to the whaling museum (the former whale oil factory), the rocky coast in a scenic national park, and a drive through the town to the overlook and monument on Mt. Clarence, the highest hill.
The local non-profit group that runs, Whale World, the whaling museum offers an excellent tour. We learned more about the messy and dangerous business of turning whales into oil and fertilizer than I had ever thought about learning. Part of the museum's message is the need to conserve these magnificent creatures although the tour guide was very matter of fact about the business of whaling. I think many people would just as soon not know the details. We saw a very good three-D movie about whales and there were exhibits and films on every aspect of whaling. The Whale World portion of the tour was far better than advertised if a bit graphic.
Our tour bus driver, a retired local farmer, drove us to the Tondirrup National Park for some spectacular views of a natural rock bridge and "the gap," an opening in the rocks where the sea foams and swirls. The wind was blowing the wrong way to see the blowhole phenomenon. It was just as well as we probably would not have been able to walk to the shore had it been blowing the other way. Judging from the big wind farm outside of town, the wind always blows in and around Albany but apparently not necessarily consistently in the same direction.
Our half-day tour took up all the time we had. The ship departed at 2:00 PM for a twenty-four hour smooth sail to Fremantle, the port for Perth Australia. There are not a lot of tourist attractions in Albany, Australia beyond water sports. So I believe we saw the best that the little city and environs had to offer.
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