19 February – around Albany



We had such a good meal last night, we had a very light breakfast at our accommodation. Large meals are not as manageable these days. After breakfast, we headed for the National ANZAC Centre up on Mt Clarence. This facility is relatively new, having been open for less than 10 years. It really focuses on the leaving, from Albany, of troops to join the British forces fighting WWI. Our greatest loss of life in any war which decimated the male population of Australia. This particular departure of troops has now become our most revered national holiday, ANZAC Day. On the 25th April 1915 our troops were massacred by Turkish troops, at what is now known as ANZAC Cove.

The centre is very well thought out with many features which are now common place in such facilities. The new electronic capacity of museums makes for a more personal experience. Rather than simply reading from story boards, you can listen to specific experiences as well as follow the service of an individual serviceman. Well worth a visit. We spent a good two hours here.

Having only had a light breakfast, we returned to Middleton Beach and had some lunch and booked a table for dinner, at the well known fish and chip restaurant next door. Then it was time for some more exercise. We headed off along the Ellen Cove Boardwalk. This stretches for quite some way right back into town. We weren’t going that far! After about half an hour we retraced our steps.

Still time in the day to visit Strawberry Hill Farm, a historic National Trust property. One of the first farms settled in Perth in the 1800s.

After some R ‘n’ R back at our accommodation, we headed for our dinner of fish and chips. Rounding off a very good day.


Views across Frenchman Bay from the National ANZAC Centre


Horses played a significant role in the WWI campaign

The rose garden at the Centre

Grown as much for the hips as the flowers

Remains of the original military settlement at Albany

The local skinks here are black


Looking out across Middleton Beach from the Centre


Middleton Beach


On the Ellen Cove Boardwalk

Strawberry Hill Farm

Workers cottage

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