Day 22

Saturday 28th March 2015

Albany

This morning we visit the farmers market and it is a good one. There are redder than red cherry tomatoes in little brown paper baskets, bright green coral lettuce as large as a bridal bouquet and radishes peppery and crisp. What a feast.

We ramble on and have coffee in a French wood fired bakery and providore on Stirling Terrace. There is only one table, a long hand hewn and polished slab of timber that almost fills the room and it begs to be touched and caressed. The chairs are small carved stools, more comfortable than they look. Woody buys the last loaf of sourdough. We can see the flames in the oven and pastries are browning in there. The French baker is asking customers to be patient “Non, non later”. The shop is quaint and old at least a hundred years or more. The shelves are stocked with jams and sauces and mustards and through the window the blue waters of Princess Royal Harbour sparkle in the sun.

Further along we find a most delightful shop called The Classical Music Shop. There are expensive violins in glass cases and harps. Artworks made from violin parts adorn the walls. There’s nothing as low brow as a ukulele in here but I do buy a pair of musical socks. Yes, they’re adorned with crotchets and quavers!

We trek back up the hill to visit the Desert Mounted Corps memorial. The magnificent statue is a replica of the one commissioned in Port Said by the Anzac troops in honour of their fallen.

Later on, we drive out to the Flinders Peninsula and the old whaling station. Whaling ceased here in 1978 three years after we last visited. It is an interesting and gory insight into what was a horrible but once necessary industry. The last whale chasing ship, Cheynes IV is on display and much to Woody’s delight we are able to walk all over it, the bridge, cabins and engine room. Their budget was 1000 whales per year. They would secure the bodies in the harbour until they could process them, in the meantime the sharks would be tearing chunks off them.

We were intrigued by a place called Salmon Holes and discover the steep smooth granite rocks crawling with fishermen hauling in large salmon. The salmon seek the relatively calm waters for protection. Each wave threatens to wash the fishermen off.

It is a mild evening and Double or Nuthin’ cooks pizza for us all on the Weber.

Accom: $36.90

Travelling Kms: 0

Note: I’m still wearing those musical socks five years later and they’re still in tune!