Anna Turns 13

We celebrated Anna’s 13^th birthday while we were in Albany (it's true, we have officially entered the teenage years), and her treats were a birthday dinner of shepherd’s pie and chocolate cake at home (her choice! We offered to take her out) and a viewing of Beauty and the Beast at the Albany cinema. Thankfully, she didn't quite turn into Kevin the Teenager on the stroke of midnight (check out Harry Enfield's sketch for a laugh if you haven't seen it before).

We tried to tell her that her birthday present was a trip around Australia (surprise!) but she had her own list of ideas. Her main gift was a lovely aquamarine pendant that we'd found in a little jewellery store in the Barossa Valley when we doing our bike ride, and we kept it hidden until the big day. She also wants a candle making kit (inspired by our candle making at Sovereign Hill...), but that will have to wait until our return. 

Beauty and the Beast was fun - especially because it had been a while since we'd been to a cinema - and Jeananne told us we had to have a ‘choc bomb’ at the cinema – it’s a tradition – and wow, and it’s quite the creation: a chocolate covered ice cream with a chocolate coated cone that weighed about as much as a large baby. Crazy. It almost – but not quite – defeated even the girls.

The birthday girl

Sisters...

...who love each other.

Our favourite cafe in Albany - Bay Merchants

Birthday girl (in her new birthday top)

Birthday hot chocolate

Birthday cake

The choc bombs - I'm amazed the girls couldn't even hold them up.

Birthday swing

A happy birthday kiss for a 13-year-old

Hmm... this took a little cooperation - the test of a marriage?

Indie did some arty shots through an interesting sculpture

Indie's shot

Albany

Albany. What a great town and what a lovely stay! So much to enjoy, even though the weather was cool and rainy. We were very kindly hosted Jeananne, the mother of Marina, an old friend from Oxford. Jeananne lives in a gorgeous house not far from the beach in Albany and she graciously welcomed us into her beautiful home.  We enjoyed being in a house again for a few days and out of the camper van - and the chance to catch our breath a bit. 

There was a lot to explore in Albany - including some amazing natural sites.  The Gap and the Natural Bridge (below) were breathtaking, and 'Whale World' - a museum dedicated to Albany's whaling past - was hard to see at times but very interesting all the same (Albany only stopped whaling in 1974 and it was a huge blow to the town). We had some fun seafood down by the harbour and some surfing in the big waves. 

We loved Albany - we think it's one of Australia's best-kept secrets. We would go back anytime.  

On our way to The Gap

My face doesn't show it, but this viewpoint was suspended right over the Gap - crazy vertigo

The Natural Bridge

The Whaling Museum had an unexpected bonus - one private collector's shell collection. Astounding!

A once-working whaler

The surf was BIG

Lunch at the Squid Shack by the harbour - the pelicans were always looking for scraps

With Jeananne

In front of Jeananne's lovely home

Family portrait (we all got our hair cut in Albany) 

Porongurup

We stopped in Porongurup on our way to Albany and we were so glad we did - the Porongurup National Park is a gem and we loved the Castle Rock hike up to the Granite Skywalk and the Balancing Rock. The Granite Skywalk is reached by a lovely walk through the karri forest to some good scrambling over rocks and a steep climb on a ladder to reach the series of glass projections built out over the rocks. What a view! Porongurup is also known as a wine region (albeit a small one) so what with  'roos next to our campsite, great hiking, gorgeous views and a visit to a vineyard for a tasting after our hike, what's not to love?

The tree in the rock - literally

Bouldering on the way up to the Granite Skywalk

Now that's a stump

Zoe aka Atlas

The view on the way to the top

Bit of a climb - including up a ladder

Toby - off the official path, as per usual

What a view