GateWAy Blog

We went on long beach walk today from Ledge Beach to Gull Rock.Gull Rock Beach named of course, because of the large number of Gulls found on the rock just off shore, one of whom Captain Kalgan thinks might have been Jonathan Livingstone! Gull Rock is 26k East of Albany. The water was a turquoise colour and we were tempted to jump in. Albany has some of the most stunning and pristine beaches in Australia if not the world. There are beaches for fishing, snorkelling, swimming, surfing and body boarding. Stay at HideAway Haven while in Albany and enjoy some time at the beach. We have facilities for washing bathers and towels at the end of a day at the beach.

Ledge Beach

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One of the many whales relaxing at Middleton Beach

In the last week, there has been many reports of whales at Middleton Beach, just a short drive from the city centre of Albany WA.

Beautiful clear days attract both pods of whales and hundreds of onlookers who all seem to relish time out at Middleton.  We  have even had reports that whales have been so close to the shore that they can hear the whales calling each other.

Thanks to Ilona Diessner who sent us this photo which was taken from a whale watching cruise.

This third week of June, we have enjoyed wonderful displays by Humpbacks.  Sad to say for our land-based watchers, the whales are still staying way, way out beyond the islands marking the Sound ……   but….. we are seeing them every day.  As if to use their saved energy, the whales are often breaching and tail-slap caressing.

Every day too….hundreds of dolphins just as intent on playing with the whales, and the whales…they’re still curious about us and our boat, generally cruising by quite close ….. a mark of the human’s attractiveness, as the Humpbacks have to interrupt their honeymoon smooching to check us out!

‘Sail-A-Way’ is having to stay out on a long trip to locate these distant creatures, so we are taking extra complimentary hot food…   Halal for our Muslim guests; Pork free for the Jewish community; vegetarian for the vegetarians and pies, sausage rolls, scones and tea and coffee a plenty for all.

Thanks for this news from Albany Whale Tours;

http://www.albanygateway.com.au/details/albany-whale-tours-sail-a-way-catamaran-cruises.html

Let’s debunk some myths about Albany here, and be clear how these myths started in the first place.

The weather in Albany, according to people who don’t know who live in Perth and who perpetuate the myth by telling everyone else what they think they know, is that it is always cold and raining in Albany. The strange thing about that is, on average Perth gets more anual rainfall than Albany does.

It is Wednesday 16^th June. Outside is a clear blue sky and both Princess Royal Harbour are silky smooth, with no wind. It isn’t hot, but it isn’t cold enough to put a jacket on either. Looking around the town, half the people I see are walking about in T shirts or at most, light jumpers. I am ‘working’ at a cafe table, with a latte and a bun.

And for most of the winter this is what Albany will be like. We will get colder days sometimes, and very wet days as well because it IS the middle of winter, but we don’t get many, and when the front passes over we’re back to clear blue days and cold nights.

I have had three phone calls this week with people in Perth presuming that Albany must be perishingly cold and pouring with rain. The myth is so well entrenched they just laughed when I said the sun was shining. So where does this myth come from?

It stems from the summer holidays we have here, when Perth folk come down in bucket loads to escape the blistering heat in Perth and find themselves in a cooler climate. One of the problems with this time of year, too, is that that for some reason our seasons are slight askew, so it is common for people to get cold and wet here during what are traditionally regarded as summer months.

So, when they return to Perth to warm up and dry out, they go with the belief that if the weather is that cold and wet in summer, it must be appalling during winter.

This is NOT true.

Albany people know the best time of year here is February – end of June, with a break for some rain at Easter when visitors come from Perth again. I don’t know why, it just happens that way, and helps perpetuate the myth.

Let me describe Albany to you right now. The sky is cobalt blue, there is no wind, the harbour and King George Sound are flat and reflect the extraordinary colour of the sky.

Café’s are full of people sitting OUTSIDE and people are happy, chatty and chuffed with their lot. Whales are swimming about in the Sound and we can go and see them now, either via a charter boat or by whale watching off our stunning coastline, a short walk away. There are dolphins flipping about, seals in abundance and whole flocks of pelicans showing off.

I am sitting outside wearing a jumper and jeans. I am warm, comfortable and there is no wind. It might rain for a while tomorrow, but not for long, because it is common to have four seasons in one day in Albany, certainly in one week, and we like it that way. We rarely get so hot we cant breath and rarely get so cold it’s unpleasant.

I will be posting photo’s of Albany – RIGHT NOW on a regular basis to give you a taste of what it’s like to be here, to live here, to relax, live and visit this extraordinary environment.

Sun, whales, dolphins, cafés, views, hills, six National Parks and one Natural Reserve, a lifestyle second to none and close to our wildflower season. And the weather – it’s a beautiful day, thank you for asking!

According to media reports, there has been no communication between the owners of the land that housed the Esplanade Hotel and potential developers for over a year. In fact any plans they had in place have now expired.

Socks placed at the site have attracted media attention and have brought the subject back into sharp focus, initiated by a covert, underground movement of Sock insurgents. No comment from the land owners in Singapore though.

So now maybe we should work at getting some kind of reaction. The area is after all fenced off, so any incursion onto the site would be classified as … what? Trespass?

Chairs and tables next, at the Sunday Session, and although drinking alcohol would be illegal and attract the attention of people authorised to arrest and charge those doing so, there is nothing to stop us sitting around having a chat, a soft drink and and taking photo’s and videos – sending them to the land owners and setting up appropriate pages on Facebook to attract ‘customers.’

Perhaps we could quietly build something as well … I wonder if they’d notice.

In recent years we have seen increased community awareness
about the threats of climate change and its association with the
accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Businesses have also become more aware of the threat of
climate change and, both in response to regulatory measures
and under their own steam, have begun to take action to
measure and manage their carbon footprints. (more…)

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Seminar was held on the 7th October 2009 in Mount Barker. The seminar was designed to provide land managers, local councils, small business operators and residents with the latest information and background on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which may have a major impact on and opportunities for the local economy in the Great Southern. (more…)

There are many shops and businesses in Albany mopping up today.  Over 113mm of rain (more than 4 inches in the old language)  fell overnight and the result is dramatic. 

Shop shut due to flooding

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Denmark took the title of South Coast Regional winner for the 2008 Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Award at a ceremony in Williams last week. (more…)