Day 184 Porongurup (Albany Heritage Precinct), WA

I was talking to my friend Jane last night about different things we should see and do in this area.  Jane and her partner, Micheal, previously lived in Denmark so they know this area very well. The gave us a wealth of information so we are very grateful that we now have a full itinerary for the next couple of weeks 😂

In conversation I complained to Jane about the shitty weather we are having and she said that sadly it is like that through most of spring and it really doesn't warm up until about January!  Well, we just have to keep on keeping on and can't let the weather dictate to us.  

Almost like an omen we woke to a cold and rainy day so on the advice of our friends we decided to head to Albany (less than 40km) to take in a couple of the museums that are all in close proximity on the waterfront at Albany.  Our thoughts were to be inside as much as possible.  We arrived into Albany around 9.30 only to find that none of the museums open before 10am and close at 4.00pm.  I totally understand this as most are run by volunteers that are few in numbers.

So with thirty minutes to kill we drove to Tower Hill Lookout.  We had an opening of about five minutes to take in the views before the rain came in off the ocean.  The views are quite spectacular and we are both excited to be coming back to Albany in a couple of weeks time to explore the area fully.  Today is just a teaser.

Once we had driven to the Heritage Precinct our first stop was The Residency.  The building was built in 1850 and was used as a store and convict hiring depot.  The building was extended substantially in 1873 to become the Government Residency. In 1953 the then magistrate moved to other quarters complaining that the building was cold, damp and uncomfortable.  It now contains some very interesting displays showing the natural and social history of the region. 

Diagonally across from The Residency is the Museum of the Great Southern.  We had a rather quick look inside as it is school holidays and there was a workshop for Prehistoric Arts and Craft being held for the young children. Even though we didn't spend a lot of time here I did love the section devoted to working lighthouses and the replica lighthouse lantern and the old wooden rescue boat were great.

By far the replica of the Brig "Amity" was the best thing we visited today.  How incredible is it to be able to walk around inside this replica and wonder in awe at how many men (23 convicts, 21 soldiers) sailed from Sydney on this brig with enough domestic animals and building materials to start the small remote community in 1826 that was then known as Fredrickstown. In 1861 the name was changed to Albany.

There are three levels in the Amity and you have to climb up and down very narrow stairs (watch your head!) to get to each level.  You cannot stand up on the mid level and have to move with a bowed head! You are handed a recorder with your $5 entry fees and you press different numbers to hear stories about the area of the Brig that you are looking it.  It is a very well presented tour and one I would recommend. I score it a 9/10 (Banged my head several times so doesn't get a 10 😂😂)

Our last place to visit in the Heritage Precinct is the Old Goal that was built in the 1850's.  We have visited several of these old goals in the past six months and I am almost always moved by just how unjustly the prisoners were treated.  Cells are smaller than a domestic toilet and certainly less hygienic.  The prison at one time housed "Jack the Ripper" and there is room devoted to his horrific killings. I was saddened to see the women's prison but gladly read that is was rarely used.

The building has been leased to the Albany Historical Society and now also houses some very interesting displays of times past.

We were home by around 1.00pm so it wasn't a long day.  I had placed a pork roast in the crockpot before we left and sat it on a bed of onions, carrots and celery.  The aroma that greeted us as we stepped inside the door was very welcoming!  Although the weather today is less than great we have still managed to have an enjoyable day. We have much the same weather predicted again tomorrow so we will look for a different destination with more inside activities.  There is always something to do.....