This is one of a series of giant Kauri Trees in the national park used during the last century as a 'eagles nest' lookout for potential bushfires. This tree is a towering 63 metres high to the observation platform. The fire fighting volunteer would climb every day and stay perched there for a long tediously boring shift -UNLESS! you spotted a swirl of smoke in the distance and then in the excitement you would drop your cigarette and radio in the location of the distant fire, not the one that is now swirling around the base of your tree.
I won't confess how far up we are in this photo but owing to an ingrown toenail I had to retreat and let Michele scamper up a few more steel spikes.
The area is called Pemberton.
One of the last whaling ships to use the seas around Albany to hunt several species of whale. Fortunately the government of the day banned this trade in the 1970's after a few of the whale species were killed close to extinction.
There were four of these ships, Cheynes 1 - 1V
These harpoons were equipped with powerheads that allegedly killed the whale almost instantly which was considered humane as opposed to spearing the beast.
I got one shot off and hit a kombi van full of dope smokin', guitar pluckin', motherf%##in junkie greenies. A humane shot.
Looking like a set of giant elephant tusks these curved structures are nearly five metres long and are the lower jaw bone of the massive blue whale.
This is the entrance to one of the best tours we've enjoyed - the whaling museum.
Try sneaking those puppies through customs.
A complete skeleton of the behemoth that is the blue whale. This one is measured at 36.7 metres and in its natural environment is the length of a Jumbo 747 or one of the massive road trains that roar around the highways here.
The Gap at Albany. These waterways are ferocious and according to the tourist platforms nearby, the coastline is a massive graveyard of sailing ships from centuries past.
Natural Bridge near Albany.
Naturally beautiful and every time you turned around there was another breathtaking scene.
The coastline around Esperance now ranks as the most dramatic and staggeringly beautiful I have seen. I don't do it justice with these few shots and simple words. The water is impossibly blue/green, the sands are beyond white and the rocky coastline is indescribable.
This is Sammy the Seal, truly, that's the thought provoking name the locals have given him.
He swims along the jetty at Esperance at the same time of day hoping to get a belly full of fish guts or bait.
Like a tooth cavity, a massive section of mountain appears to have sunk within itself.
Near Esperance
This is Mt Franklin in the Cape Le Grande National Park. If you're up to it, there is a four hour climb to the top.
Another shot of Natural Bridge on the Albany coastline.
A cracker of a day on the harbour for some Esperance locals.
An impressive sight. This is the windmill 'farm' near Albany. At the top of the structures sits a 50 tonne generator. When the blades are at their maximum allowable speed the tip of the blade is travelling at 290kph.
The windmill is shut down in excessive wind for safety reasons. On this barren escarpment near Albany there are only 7 non windy days per year. When we took these photos these babies were pumping it out.
The combined power generated by the towers provides 80% of power for Albany.
No comments:
Post a Comment