We were back on the road again this morning by 9.30 am, through Walpole, Nornalup, Bow Bridge and then the untraveled road east toward Albany, through more farmland than forest, but beautiful nonetheless. Cattle dominated the scene, although we also saw a great mob of young deer, recently weaned and looking so strange without their mothers. Peppered through the landscape, but discreetly tucked up side roads and up tree lined driveways, were small holdings and diversified larger ones offering breweries, wineries, meaderies, cellar doors, chocolates and honey, toffee and B&Bs. When I drew Chris’s attention to all of this, he wondered aloud if Denmark was “yuppyville”. It is not, and was far bigger than we had expected.
Denmark is yet another coastal town, today with a population of over 2,500, which began it life in a similar fashion to Walpole, although Walpole only has a population of one fifth that. Denmark’s many shops and service industries sit high above the banks of the Denmark River; the town was busy today with the tourists passing through and the locals going about their normal business. Like Walpole and Pemberton, it sits on the Bibbulmun Trail, offering accommodation and services for the brave who set out on that very long journey.
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| Albany port activities |
I had investigated caravan parks in the area, thinking that we might well stay there to further enjoy the wonderful southern forests, but with the weather as it has been and my poor husband missing out on the sports events he particularly looks forward to every year, it was more prudent to give Denmark no more than a cursory look and move on to Albany. We did stop long enough to buy calorie laden delights from one of the bakeries, enough to feed a family of four or more, which we consumed at lunchtime. We will have to double up on the walking!
We were through to Albany and set up by lunchtime in this excellent park. The welcome we received was warm and informative, a ten on the hospitality scale, and all the more welcome when we learned that there was a winter special of four nights for the price of three, and on top of that, we could still claim our loyalty discount. Now how could they better that! And school holidays are not over yet.
The afternoon was spent successfully collecting forwarded mail, gathering even more information from the Information Centre, calling into the bank and picking up a few other sundries; a very successful afternoon which we finished off with a drive up Mt Melville and a wander about the granite face at the top to seek views over the city of 30,000 folk.
We have booked to stay four days however I think we will extend a further four. There is a lot to do, several good drives about and the car needs a service. We need to do some planning tonight.
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