Saturday, December 17, 2016 | Language: English (Yeah!) | Currency: Australian Dollar | Population 33,145

A port city sitting on the southern coast of Western Australia, Albany is touted as a city where you can actually escape the rat race. With a population of 33,000, I would probably describe it more as a sleepy, little seaside town.

Albany has much to offer in the way of natural wonders with white sandy beaches, tall forests, national parks and rugged coastline. Mark decided to explore the white sand traps of the Albany golf course while I ventured on a tour to explore the rest.

We began at the Valley of the Giants, on a walkway positioned 40 meters above the ground amid the tops of towering tingle and eucalyptus trees. (They speak English here but do not measure like the Americans.)   

Known to live for over 400 years, tingle trees are unique to this small area and are characterized by their huge, buttressed bases. The buttress provides stability to these shallow-rooted trees and also provide good photo ops, taken by our good-natured tour guide.  

We continued driving and paused to see the Greens Pool in William Bay National Park where we found children and adults frolicking in its turquoise green waters and on its white sandy beach. Large granite boulders surround the pool, protecting it from the might of the Southern Ocean.   

We stopped for lunch at Karri Mia Resort, in the midst of vineyards overlooking the valley.  

Next stop is Torndirrup National Park. The ceaseless waves of the Southern Ocean have carved a natural bridge in the granite coastline, creating a blowhole known as the Gap. A recently installed walkway juts out over the shoreline, giving visitors safe views of the action. Our native tour guide was none too happy to see the $6 million spent on a place he grew up visiting without a walkway just fine.   

As we returned back to the ship we were treated by a roadside sighting of our first kangaroos. Not particularly close (you have to squint) or a great shot but I couldn’t let my first glimpse to go by undocumented. Promise better shots to come when we go to Kangaroo Island.