Albany, Australia: Southern Ocean Cliffs, Whale History, and ANZAC Heritage

Discovery Bay and Cheynes Beach Whaling Station, six kilometers east of town, is now the museum Whale World — one of the most historically complete industrial heritage sites in Australia. The last whale catcher, the Cheynes IV, is drydocked in the processing yard exactly as it was left in 1978; the boiler rooms, flensing deck, and oil rendering plant are accessible on walking tours. The scale of the operation (the station processed up to 850 sperm whales per year at its peak) and the proximity of the machinery are confronting in the way that good industrial history should be. The site also has the skeleton of a blue whale for scale reference.

The Natural Bridge and the Gap, both within Torndirrup National Park fifteen kilometers south of town, are the two most-visited natural features in the region. The Gap is a narrow inlet that the Southern Ocean drives into with enough force to send spray 20 meters into the air on a significant swell; the Natural Bridge is a granite arch over the water adjacent to it. Both are accessible by short boardwalk trails from the park car parks. The coastal heath between the car park and the features is covered in native wildflowers from August through November (Albany's wildflower season coincides with the austral spring, and the species richness of the surrounding wheatbelt and sandplain is extraordinary).

The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial at Mount Clarence overlooks the harbor from the hill directly east of the town center. The memorial to the soldiers who embarked from King George Sound in 1914 is the oldest ANZAC memorial in Australia (the Gallipoli landing date was observed here annually before the Gallipoli campaign even ended); the site was reconsecrated in 2014 for the centenary. The sound of reveille played from the mock-up of a troop ship in the bay below is a ritual at the dawn service; the view from the summit at any time of day is the best available over King George Sound.

Albany Farmers Market on Saturday mornings at the town hall forecourt is a reliable venue for the local food products that make Western Australian regional food worth eating: marron (freshwater crayfish native to WA's southwest rivers, sold live and cooked), locally smoked salmon, farm-direct honey from the karri forest, and Plantagenet wine from the appellation that covers the Great Southern region around Albany. The Great Southern is one of Australia's coolest wine regions — riesling, chardonnay, and shiraz from here are among the most age-worthy in the country.