Showing posts with label The Forts in Albany; Luxury Accommodation Albany; History in Albany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Forts in Albany; Luxury Accommodation Albany; History in Albany. Show all posts

Monday, October 4, 2010

Dad's Last Few Days

Experiencing the close quarters the voyagers experienced.

Today it was back to Dad’s favourite store in Albany.  The second hand bookstore to resell the book he had just finished (about # 6) and to buy a few for his trip back to the USA later this week. 
No visit to Albany is complete without exploring ‘The Brig Amity’ a replica of the original Amity which arrived in Princess Royal Harbour on Christmas Day in 1826 with Major Edmund Lockyer and 45 passengers.  The site of the replica is only a few hundred metres from the original landing place.  Dad climbed around downstairs and experienced the close quarters the voyagers experienced.

The Sign on the Amity:
"This is a full size replica of the Brig Amity, the ship which carried the party which established the first British settlement in Western Australia. This party, under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer, landed near this spot on December 26th 1826.
The original Amity was completed in New Brunswick, Canada in 1816. After some years as a trader she sailed to Hobart and in 1824 was bought by the colonial government in Sydney to assist in supply and exploration. She was important in the establishment of settlements at Moreton Bay, Queensland and King George Sound, Western Australia. The Amity was wrecked of Flinders Island on June 18th, 1845."


Art festivities play a large part of Albany's culture. Overlooking the Princess Royal Harbour is the Western Australian Museum, where several exhibitions of the Southern Art & Craft Trail are on show.


Tonight we went to the ‘new’ Rustlers Steakhouse for dinner where Dad enjoyed a 16oz Porterhouse Steak with creamy garlic prawns, baked potato and salad with blue cheese dressing.

Signing the guestbook downstairs
'Illuminate' is an exhibition of innovative 3 dimensional artworks 
Rustlers Steak House

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Australian Military History



Dad took a tour of the Princess Royal Fortress today. The Princess Royal Fortress (The Forts) in Albany is Australia’s first federal fortress and has a range of attractions that kept Dad entertained for hours. A highlight from this historically significant vantage point is the spectacular panoramic views of King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour.

Dad explored the impressive restored 1893 fortress. He discovered how the soldiers kept the enemy out of the port and the types of artillery used. He visited the commanding officers house and was amazed by the anti-submarine weapon system and the torpedoes used by Australian submarines. He even managed to squeeze into one of them.

Dad was in heaven with the impressive museums on offer at the fortress, including HMAS Perth Interpretive Centre, Australian Light Horses Museum and the Australian War Memorial and seeing the link between the Americans and the Aussies.


Becki bought him a badge depicting the Australian flag and the American flag....an addition to his veteran cap.