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Western Australia - Albany

It was drizzling in the early morning when we set off for our river boat trip with the 'Wilderness Eco-cruises" @ Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park. We boarded the river boat at the town jetty near Walpole Visitor Office. The captain (whom I've forgotten his name) was very humorous and knew the geographical area including its history well. We got to know more about the place and the different islands (one of which is the black snake island) through his introduction. He even said that the river that we were cruising on used to be a forest with gigantic trees. Due to changes in the climate million of years ago, the entire place was flooded as a result of rising sea level.
 
The weather was not good as rain poured and dark clouds blocked off the sunlight. The river view was amazing and would be fantastic if not for the rain. Luckily, the rain stopped and we were allowed to step onto the boat deck to view the river and its crystal clear water.
 
@Town Jetty for river cruise






The river boat that we are boarding




The captain sailed us to an island and announced that we will have a short stroll on the island to the secluded beach. It was said that the beach was once featured on The Discovery Channel. Packed with excitement, the captain led the way and brought us on our short walk to the beach. The island was a un-spoilt one and we had to pass through the shrubs and bushes to get to the hidden beach. It was a nice walk and the entire landscape was amazing. Somehow, the landscape seems similar to  that of Ireland.
 
Getting off to the island



Walking to the hidden beach


Ahead is the hidden beach and the ocean




Amazing landscape of greenery





Super windy day
The day was windy and the sea looked mighty with its ferocious crashing waves against the rocks and the howling wind. The Captain advised us to take shelter behind the huge ancient rocks and boulders against the rain that sashayed its way towards us. We waited for the rain to stop before walking back  to the boat for some tea and freshly baked lemon cake.
 


Mighty ocean
 

Taking shelter behind these gigantic rocks against the rain and strong wind


The entire boat trip took us 2 hours. I would say the cruise was a nice one and would be even better if not for the rain. We headed towards Albany, which was 1.5 hours drive from Walpole. The first thing we did was to check in our harbor front apartment @ 8 Feasting Street.
 
Our apartment for 2 nights
Albany is a small coastal town with many nice beaches such as the Middleton Beach and Two People's Bay (also known as The Little Beach). Louisa and Mark were very friendly hosts and they were there to give us direction on the places of interest around the town. Our apartment is near the Princess Harbors Front, consist of 2 storey, with 2 spacious bedrooms and equipped with all the modern facilities such as washer, kitchenette, coffee-maker, TV and Dvd player. We can even lend some of the Dvds from the hosts. I'm super happy with the apartment. It was cosy, clean and we felt homely.
 
Lawn outside the apartment

 











 
 
While on our way to York Street for dinner, we saw policemen rounding up a public toilet at the Amity Cottage. A man had died in the public toilet and hence the area was blocked off for investigation. Later that night, we saw on the news that the man could be murdered and police were seeking for witnesses. Well, certainly not something good for us to bump into during our arrival at Albany.
 
York Street is the largest street with all the chic restaurants and cafes. It was just 5 mins drive from our apartment. We decided to have our dinner at "The Venice" and it turned out to be quite a good choice. I had the best carbonara there while my hubby's seafood Mariana was not bad either.  In fact, we had their famous fire-wood pizza for dinner the following day.
 










 
 
So much for the day. All we need is a good rest before we had our full day ahead for tomorrow. Night!
 
 
   
 
 

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