Albany

Albany is actually the oldest European settlement in WA, it was established shortly before Perth in 1826. There's an interesting bit of trivia for you. But the long standing history of Albany does give it a sense of depth and diversity that many of the other towns we've passed through do not have. It's a pretty big city and seems to have a lot to offer so we figured it would be a good a place as any to settle in for a bit and get some work.

We checked out the many caravan parks in and around Albany before deciding on one at Emu Point that was close enough to the town centre that we would be 'amongst it' when looking for work etc but was also very pretty and a great place to hang out (well this is supposed to be a holiday). Emu Point is the point between the river and the harbour and has white sandy beaches, a great cafe right on the water, the best fish and chips ever at the Squid Shack, all within walking distance along the bike track from where we were staying.

Photos: 1 - Bike track to Emu Point beach. 2 - Jarvis and Rob taking a stroll at Emu Point.

3 - Ocean pool at Emu Point. 4 - Jarvis ready for a swim.

Our first stop after settling in was the information centre and then the pub (for R&D purposes of course). The pub turned out to be a micro brewery, Tangle Head, which made fabulous beers, Albany's first tick of approval, maybe this would make a good home for a while. However, we had arrived on a saturday so we spent the weekend just wandering around town before the real hunt for work started.

We were actually pretty excited to get stuck into the job hunt, so we went into town bright and early on Monday morning, picked up the local paper. The paper didn't have much in the way of appropriate work or places to rent, so we visited the employment agencies, but they didn't seem to have much on either. Not a great start. Over the following days we went and talked to farmers at the produce markets, some of the guys on the fishing boats at the marina, local builders and also to some of Rob's family friends who live locally. They all had a similar story, that there wasn't much on at the moment with regards to farm work or building work. The real-estate agents painted an equally dismal story, no one wanted short term renters and those who did were just way too expensive. So after a few days we started to question whether it really was best to stay in Albany. We took a look at work options in other areas in the south of WA and in the end decided it would be better to try our luck up closer to Margaret River, where the seasonal work on the vineyards is huge and the tourist season means lots of summer hospitality work. That said, I am sure we could have found something in Albany, but as our funds weren't completely low yet, we could be a bit picky about the type of work we took on.

So with job hunting put aside for the moment, we decided to take in the sights and really enjoy what Albany had to offer. We wandered through town, explored the surrounding national parks, wineries, beaches and visited the local farmers markets, including the Boatshed Market where the locals go to get their fresh seafood and hang out on the foreshore sipping coffees, munching on freshly baked pastries (still warm) whilst listening to the local bands. We stocked up on all the fresh produce we could fit into our camper, it was all so cheep and looked amazing.

Photos: The natural bridge just south-east of Albany. The cliffs here can be matched to cliffs in Antarctica where they broke off from one another when the continents divided.

Photos: 1 - Jarvis and Rob checking out the view looking over Albany. 2 - Jarvis scored a box of strawberries direct from the farm for $1.50. 3 - Just one of the many pubs and wine bars in Albany.

We also hung out with some of Rob's old family friends, Pat, Ron and their daughter Amber and their grandsons Blake and Marlon. Jarvis thoroughly enjoyed having some other kids to play with and still talks about hunting for frogs with Blake in the backyard. We happily scoffed Pats cakes and scones on every visit and Ron was nice enough to take Rob sailing in the harbour (followed of course by some beers at the club). 

After a week in Albany we had somehow gone from possible temporary locals to being back on the road. We were a bit sad to leave Albany, it really is a great place to holiday or live. But as always, were happy to be back on the road. And with gorgeous Margaret River as our destination, we were very excited.