Flinders Peninsula WA, Australia

Bbbrrrrrr, it’s that cold here in the South West (15 degrees) that we had to pull our winter clothes out of mothballs! Thankfully the forecast for places North of here, like Kalgoorlie, are still in the 30s as we’re not yet ready to go back to the mid-teens after 2 months of shorts and singlets.

This morning there was a sprinkling of rain which made us all as happy as Larry I can assure you. There were some housekeeping jobs that we needed to catch up on so we went our separate ways, arranging to meet again at lunchtime. Lyn and I went first in search of a new foot for the caravan stabiliser (to no avail) and then popped into the Visitors Centre for another four or five kilograms of paperwork to cart home. It was then a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up some essentials but when you lose your car in the underground carpark your quick trip is extended. Stupid signs…..

After lunch, we drove out to the Flinders Peninsula to look at a couple of Albany’s premier attractions, the Gap and the Natural Bridge. On the way, we called into the new Anzac memorial at Mount Clarence which is being prepared for the 100 year anniversary next year. At dawn on November 1st 1914, thirty-six transports and three warships departed Albany with nearly 30,000 troops and a complement of horses from Australia and New Zealand for Egypt. The vast majority of the men who sailed in this convoy were destined to take part in the Dardanelles campaign. Albany is also the location of the first dawn service on Anzac Day, organised by Reverand Arthur Ernest White in 1930, a tradition that is still holding strong today. A moving visit to a place that was the last vision of home for thousands of ANZAC troops.

Moving onto the natural wonders of The Gap and Naural Bridge was an upbeat change and the coastline here is rugged and amazing. The Gap and Natural Bridge have pounding waves and huge surf making for spectacular photo opportunities. Yes, there are another several hundred for you all here…

After getting both the camera and the car covered in saltwater spray we continued around the peninsula to other tourist spots like Salmon Holes, the Blowholes, Stony Hill and Isthmus Bay. The views are spectacular and unlike the areas, we’ve already visited, surrounded by lush green which is certainly a change from the red that covers the rest of the state.

A spa at the caravan park pool complex was a great way to unwind before dinner but I can’t talk too long about that as we’re off now to the lounge for cards. Cheers…