Tasmania to Tokyo – At Sea – Day 25 can be found here.
Today’s Chronicles can be found here.
Up before 7 am this morning so that we’re ready for our 8:30 am excursion. We’re headed on the Wind Farm Trail Hike, assuming we arrive in Albany on time.
Our on-time arrival is not a foregone conclusion – yesterday’s emergency stop in Esperance meant that we’d had to increase speed beyond 17 knots to make up for lost time.
This also meant retracting stabalizers, right as our calm seas came to an end. The worst we saw was perhaps 3 metres and change, though the occasional ‘double wave’ led to a rollercoaster-type feel that woke me in the night. No seasickness amongst any of us, thankfully.
We’re pulling into Albany right as we reach La Terrazza, which bodes well for our schedule. Whereas last time was bedlam at the doorway but calm in the kitchen, it’s now the reverse – we’re seated quickly but the kitchen is slammed. We’re still in and out in less than 30 minutes, so it’s hard to find fault with that.
I even have time to get a cappucino from Arts Cafe, and that cappucino is even hot. Wins all around.
Back to the room to prep, but we’ve gotten into a groove in terms of excursions – our backpacks are set to go so there’s very little that needs doing prior to our departure.
At 8 am sharp, Cruise Director Zaid delivers the standard biosecurity announcement over the ship’s PA. We’re soon given the all-clear to depart.
We’re docked again today so no need to fight with tenders, though there are several excursions leaving at once so there’s a line to disembark. It proceeds smoothly enough, though I notice that they stop and start the line to limit how many are on the gangway stairs at any given time. There must be limits to its weight-rating.
No inspections this morning. Instead we’re told to look for Bus One, which is near the back of the line. It’s much smaller than the coach buses – our preferred form of tour.
We soon have our full complement of passengers, and we are on our way. It’s perhaps a 20 to 30 minute drive to the trailhead, during which we pass a replica of the Amity – a brig built in New Brunswick that was integral to the early colonization of Australia. The initial group of just under 50 soldiers and settlers disembarked at King George Sound in 1826, along with their livestock.
It would have been a squeeze in a ship this size! (Image Credit: Western Australian Museum)
We continue our drive into the 20-year-old wind farm which – despite the smaller size of its turbines – produces more than 80% of Albany’s power. We spot wild kangaroos along the way (not photographed).
We park at the base of one of the turbines, and the guides hand out snack packages consisting of a piece of fruit, a granola bar, raisins and a mini-chocolate bar. Should be plenty given that we’ll be back on the ship before 1 pm.
There are no bathrooms at the drop off point or along the track, but guests can use the “facilitrees” if needed. Our guides advise us to take all of our gear with us if we go off-path. Unlikely that we will see snakes today given the cool, cloudy weather.
For anyone wishing to leave gear behind, they can leave it on the bus.
We soon get underway – and it’s not long before the heavy bush gives way to some truly stunning views:
This route is a very short segment of the Bibbulmun Track, a long-distance walking track of more than 1,000 km that stretches from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany. There are limited accommodation options, though there are numerous designated campsites. Carrying a tent is essential! (No camping is permitted anywhere other than a designated camp site.)
Those preferring more luxurious accommdations can find guesthouses during certain sections of the track.
The trail is marked with a Waugul, a Dreamtime creator entity that created the Swan and Canning Rivers as it moved across the land.
The Waugal is a creator spirit in the Noongar Aboriginal mythology
We pause briefly to admire the Australian woolly bush:
Australians in the area will often use one of these in lieu of a Christmas tree
There are some very faint flowers visible, but nothing compared to what there would be in Springtime – in October – when the flowers here would be in full bloom.
We continue along the track:
Spotting some more flowers as we go:
Pimelea furruginea – commonly known as pink rice flower, or coastal bajine
Scaevola nitida or shining fanflower
Pelargonium capitatum, one of several species known as rose germanium
However, it’s challenging to speak to this many participants when everyone is lined up single file along the track. The guides themselves note that this is the largest group they’ve ever had.
I’m not too concerned, as I’m quite happy snapping away at the rear. But for those who are particularly interested in the flora of the area, I could see this getting frustrating.
Verticordia or feather flower
The second guide, Tim, has some fascinating stories of events that have taken place in the area – including surfers that have been attacked by sharks – but is still learning when it comes to the natural elements. Though he checks in with the main guide, Nadine, and points out the flowers as he sees them.
While some guests are struggling to hear the guides, others seem frustrated with the frequent stops along the way – with one guest backtracking for a while just to get in some additional exercise.
The guides also repeatedly mention one of Albany Tours’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander guides who is exceptional in finding life and rare botannicals in the bush. This may well be the case – and I’m glad that he’s getting the credit he’s due – but it’s frustrating to hear about an excellent guide who we will not be meeting during our all-too-brief time in Albany.
Anyway – enough griping. Back to the views:
I spend some time chatting with Coen, an expert in Asian culture and history and one of the guest lecturers on board.
Coen strongly recommends visiting Perth – one of his favourite cities – and specifically suggests visiting the Swan River area. It seems unlikely we’ll have time given that we’re visiting Rottsnest Island on our first day in Fremantle and then will only have til 12:30 pm before we depart on the second day, but we’ll have to keep that in mind for future trips.
I’m looking forward to taking in one of Coen’s lectures later this voyage. I’d wanted to take in his talk on how foreign investment is changing Bali, but unfortunately it conflicted with one of our other activities.
The hike lasts roughly two hours. It’s supposed to cover 5.2 km, but guests’ GPS put the distance in at closer to 3.6 km. So not a lengthy workout for those looking for exercise, though again the scenic vistas and the guides’ insights are excellent.
There are some spartan-but-functional facilities at the end of the track. We then reboard the bus that carries on to the Gap and the Natural Bridge:
The Gap has a specially-built walkway that lets visitors gaze 40 metres down into the surging sea that buffet the rocks:
And this is a calm day!
The scenery here is stark but striking:
While I’m on the bridge, a woman asks if I’ve seen a sailboat. Her son is sailing to Busselton, and she had sight of him – but then he vanished. I manage to catch the faintest sight of him through at the very end of the useable range of my 200 mm ‘Swiss Army knife’ lens:
With my photo as a reference, she can just spot him in the distance with the naked eye.
I carry on down the path to the Natural Bridge, which has been shaped over millions of years:
The banded gneiss that forms the bridge contains both horizontal and vertical joints formed by tectonic forces and pressure release as it was cooled and exposed at the surface. Waves, spray, rain and groundwater then pentrates the joints and turns the rock into clay, which is washed away – allowing in even more water. The bottom blocks eventually detach and fall into the sea, giving the bridge its current appearance.
The destructive power of the water is all too evident:
Just about time to head back – but first, a skink (I think):
Back on the bus. We then swing through Albany to drop off the guests who want to head into town, then return to the ship – back before 1 pm, as promised.
And the verdict? Great tour, but they tried to include too many guests. It seems like Silversea pushed Albany Tours to expand the offering beyond their usual numbers, and it was evident from the way the tour unfolded. We’re still glad that we went, but the USD$199 per person cost seems steep given the number of passengers involved.
Off to La Terrazza for lunch. The buffet spread is much the same as on the Cloud – the usual mix of hot and cold meats, cheeses, seafoods, salad and so on. The only point of disappointment is the bread, which seems stale. The fresh mini-baguettes on the Cloud were better, in my opinion. We’ll see if we can figure out some kind of work-around.
Next up – the paper airplane competition.
This is fun, if disorganized. Neither Zaid or Caroline are around to run it, and it seems to have been designated to whatever random staff member is around. One paper airplane, one toss, and that’s it. There are only 5 participants so you’d think they could have allowed people to enter multiple planes, or had multiple tosses. (Not that I’m taking this too seriously – never.)
Anyway – our daughter wins and our son takes second, so they’re both quite pleased about that. And they offer double prize points too.
Next up is bingo, where they have new cards:
But no new winners amongst our group this time around.
Then trivia. We correctly identify what USB stands for (Universal Serial Bus) and the height of the Academy Award statue (13.5″) but learn that the age of a lion can correctly be determined by its nose and that the periodic table symbol for Fluorine is F. We tie for second place, continuing our streak of podium finishes.
Off to dinner at Atlantide. Tonight’s menu:
My daughter has a shrimp cocktail, which she combines with her plain pasta:
While I have the Thai drunken noodles with a side of grilled shrimp:
My wife and son both get a steak (not pictured).
The seafood has been particularly excellent this trip.
Then, on to dessert:
My wife and I each get the macaron:
While my son has the chocolate choux:
My wife thinks the macaron is one of the best desserts she’s ever had with Silversea. High praise!
My wife and I then make a stop in SALT Bar, which is rapidly becoming our favourite evening venue. She tries some of their select wines, while I have both a pisco sour:
And the Technicolour cocktail:
Swells are expected to crest 3.5 metres tonight, but due to our slow pace – and use of stabilizers – it feels like just a gentle rocking, which is rapidly putting us all to sleep.