24^th September: Albany

Today dawned fine and the sun shone brightly until about 11.00 am. Then the weather reverted to cold and damp! Nevertheless, we had decided to go to the Pornogorups, a granite outcrop, to climb up to the Sky Walk which is advertised in the brochures. (We had taken the children to the Porogoups but at a different point where we had climbed up high to a ledge and had vegemite sandwiches!) This was a hard 2.2 km climb up to it but both Glen and I were driven by the desire to conquer Castle Rock. In the cold and the dampo, my lungs protested frquently and Glen had to let his heart slow down a number of times. But we made it and really wanted to achieve the reward at the end- the Sky Walk.

However, the 65 m scramble up to the viewing platform was built by a 6 ft climber who didn't consider short people. The sign down the bottom said it was for people who were “agile” (well, I had spent 4 days climbing in and out of the gorges of Karijini) and “capable of pulling oneself up with arm and legs” (which presupposes that one could reach the embedded rungs to pull oneself up. I couldn't!!) It was impossibly difficult for those with short legs. Glen had difficulty! There were 3 short people there who couldn't do it. I was so angry and disappointed. I had really extended myself to climb up there only to be denied success at the end because of my short legs! And well-meant but patronising comments by others who were able to do it did not lessen my sense of failure. The thing that makes me angry is that it is so unneccesary – a ladder could have been installed instead of hand holds too far up and apart for the likes of me! Karijini has ladders! I was almost crying with disappointment as I came the 2.2 kms down. It was just so unfair! I shall write a letter!!!

The view accross to the Stirling Ranges

The Balancing Rock

Glen going up the Scramble

Glen's photos: Kris on first landing

The Sky Walk - suspended out from Castle Rock

We came home via “The Tree in a Rock” which demonstrates the resilience of nature – a karri is growing in a crevice in a granite boulder, and Mt Barker, a little town on the intersection of major roads, to The Great Southern Whisky Distillery on the road out of Albany on the Torndirrup Peninsular. I wanted to do something different to ease my unhappiness! I thought that if Glen liked it, I would buy him a bottle for his birthday. When it cost $5 for each standard taste of 15 mls, I should have known it would be out of the question! $135 for the cheapest bottle of standard whisky and $435 a bottle for the Directer's Cut. That one cost $10 a taste! We didn't taste that one and we each paid for one taste and shared. Well, we bought a cup of coffee instead. At 2 ½ times the cost of Glenfiddich, it was a bit like barbed wire for me! Because they are very small, it is a costly process and for my money, not worth it!! But a local comes in every afternoon to buy a dram of whisky “to taste”! (It's called Limeburners because convicts used to burn lime for mortar here.)

So, that was not successful either! We left there and went out to Natural Bridge and the Gap. I wanted to see the massive 4,000 million year old granites of Gondwana Land that is Albany as far as I am concerned. It was fantastic! Quite awesome!! The sea was pounding in and the rock stood impassive and solid! I loved it! Nature had not let me down and was seemingly untouched by time and man – except for a couple of necessary fences!! (I know of course the Bridge will eventually fall down but not in my lifetime! It is so much more solid than the sandstones on the Victorian Great Ocean Road! (London Bridge has fallen down!!)) 
 The Natural Bridge:

 The Gap

 

I now feel as if I have been to Albany!! Tomorrow, we will make ourlast stop at Esperance!