Condarup/Mt Clarence Heritage and Granite Trail

 Friday 25 September – 182126

I began the day with a brisk swim, and Drew with a run in the wind and rain. Forecast for today was minimum 12 degrees, maximum 14 degrees Celcius with wind and rain – delightful! This morning’s physio appointment went well, with a significant build up of walking, with my pack, planned for the next week.

This afternoon we walked the Corndarup/Mt Clarence Heritage and Granite Trail (Distance 3.94km, Time 1h 23m, Ascent/Descent 164m). This gave me some tougher walking on steeper terrain and lots of steps, done with my pack on.  There were great views, plenty of wildflowers and I particularly appreciated the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial.

Trails WA Mt Clarence Heritage and Granite Trail

Desert Mounted Corps Memorial

View from Padre White Lookout

View from Padre White Lookout

We then drove to Albany Port – the ship we saw entering yesterday was still in dock. We walked from here toward Ellen Cove to the point we reached yesterday. Along the way we explored a WW2 Gun Emplacement and the Point King Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage Ruins.

Point King Lighthouse Ruins

Gun Emplacement

View from Gun Emplacement

Point King Lighthouse Ruins

The current Point King Lighthouse

Last up we went to the Visitor Centre to purchase a National Parks Pass for Saturday to Wednesday with the plan to do some more walks.

WA Parks Pass

Emu Point to Ellen Cove Walk

 Thursday 24 September - 182116

Today we walked from Middelton Beach to Emu Point and back. I wore my hiking pack as part of my physio rehabilitation for my calf.  While this walk does not give continuous views of the beach, it is on a nice path with no traffic and through the coastal bush, with opportunities to look at the beach along the way. 

The most dangerous snake we saw today

Emu Point itself was quite picturesque.  

We stopped for a break at Middleton Beach and had morning tea.  I then put my pack back on and we walked up the Ellen Cove boardwalk towards Port Albany for a bit over a kilometre. We did not go the full distance to Port Albany, based on advice from the physio. This was the first time I have tried going uphill with my pack on and no heel lift in my shoes, and I was pleased with how my calf went.  Total ascent today was a bit over 100m, so still very mild.  Our timing was great as we had the opportunity to watch two tugboats guide a bulk carrier into Ataturk Channel.

Emu Point to Ellen Cove and Port Albany Walk

Middleton Beach

Ellen Cove Boardwalk

Ataturk Channel

We followed this with a swim at Middleton Beach. While this was still very cold, it was warmer than first thing in the morning with a noticeably warmer top inch or two of water.  A late lunch picnic in the park was the perfect way to conclude today’s adventures.

The afternoon was boring but necessary stuff – groceries, collecting stuff from the post office and general life administration.

Wildflowers and Walking

 Wednesday 23 September – 182096

The annual Albany Wildflower Show opened today – a fantastic opportunity to see samples of the different types of wildflowers from this area.  There were many wildflowers that were in fact closely related different types, but I had assumed were the same. My favourite types were predominantly banksias and proteas.  Albany Wildflower Show

This afternoon we walked the Irrerup Mount Adelaide Nature Trail (Distance 3.08km, Time 1h, Ascent/Descent 62m). This gave some lovely views in the fine weather this afternoon (contrasted with miserable drizzle this morning). As the sun had come out there were plenty of lizards basking on the trail, thankfully no snakes though. This walk wandered through the bush around the National ANZAC Centre and included a WW2 Command Post that overlooked Ataturk Channel.  We also stopped at a lookout over the water on the way back.  Trails WA Irrerup Mount Adelaide Nature Trail

Middleton Beach

Left: Lake Seppings, Right: Middleton Beach