When I left you last, we were ensconced in our mini-bus whilst Cooky jousted with the hundreds of other vehicles on the crowded Albany streets, all intent on making it to the Middleton Beach area in time to watch the Navy sail past.
From our previous experience here in Albany, Liz and I suspected that this would be the one time when traffic would snarl and timing could be tight. Parking is very limited in the Middleton Beach area, and although there was a park and ride station there, just getting to it was the problem.
Our crawl speed progress came to a complete stop some half a kilometre from the beach front. The approach roads were totally clogged. Every available parking spot, including many of a decidedly impromptu nature, was occupied. It was reminiscent of a scene from a disaster movie where fleeing crowds abandon their cars where ever they happen to stop. I was becoming more agitated by the minute. Eventually Liz suggested everyone would be better off if I baled out and hoofed it....she was right and that's exactly what I did. There's nothing like a bit of action to dispel frustration.
By now the time was 1350 hours. I had ten minutes to reach the foreshore and then make the climb up Marine Drive as far as I could to gain a good vantage point. I had planned to take up a position overlooking Ataturk Passage, but that proved fanciful in the circumstances.
Needless to say I did not stop to take photos of the milling masses of Middleton at this point. But to give you some idea, let me here reverse the order of things, because I did snap away on the descent from the mountain.
I have no real idea of how many spectators clambered to various vantage points on the slopes of Mount Adelaide, but this is part of the throng making its way back down the boardwalk towards Middleton Beach,
where things were decidedly hectic.
Apart from those who had watched the sail past from the heights, many had come here to see the Middleton Beach poppy display. With one red plastic poppy representing each of the AIF troops who departed from Albany,30,000 were planted on the white sands of Middleton Beach. I did not even attempt to photograph these today, but did so when the hubbub had diminished and I could gain a vantage point on Marine Parade. What a spectacular sight this was.
But back to the job in hand. Up the boardwalk I charged. By 1400 hours I had not come anywhere near my target location. It was a case of scouting around for as good a spot as I could find. I have no idea how many of the purported 40,000 visitors to Albany came to watch the sail past. What I can say is that they massed on Marine Drive to the extent that the buses scheduled to take folk up to the various lookout points could not make it through the crush. Thank goodness I'd not relied on that service to get me to the heights. The walkway below the road was equally jammed at the Middleton Beach end.
I headed off the pathway into the scrub on the steep slope below the path. This will have to do...I could see out over King George Sound. The fleet was on the move and I only had one annoying impediment to my view.
From my chosen vantage point I could also see to the entrance of Ataturk Passage. At least that was something.
I have always had a fascination for warships. In fact, had I not been accepted into the SA Police, I had decided that my second career option was to be to apply for officer training at the Australian Navy College, but as we all know, Fort Largs won out.
Could there possibly be anything more inherently menacing than the sight of these sleek, grey wolves of the sea as they prowl through the waves just waiting to strike?
The sail past had begun. Each ship (and boat!) took up a position of line astern as they steamed around the northern shore of King George Sound with the hump of Mount Martin the background. As they approached Vancouver Peninsula, the two lead ships, HMAS Arunta and HMNZ Te Kaha, were to break off formation and make their way through Ataturk Passage to come alongside at the Port of Albany. The remainder of the fleet would continue their circuit of the Sound before breaking formation and returning to their assigned mooring point.
Here we can see Arunta leading the way. Te Kaha is just out of the left of the picture. Behind Arunta is HMAS Anzac, followed by HMAS Stuart, both guided missile frigates, and bringing up the rear in this scene is the Japanese destroyer JDS Kirisame.
I was a little disappointed that this entire manoeuvre was carried out at very low speed. I would have loved to have seen a few decent bow waves and a churning wake or two, but that was just fanciful...notwithstanding the enormous expanses of King George Sound, common sense dictates that this would have been foolhardy and unnecessary.
I have not bothered to count the number of photos I took in the next hour....let it suffice to say it has taken me over two hours to review, edit, cut and arrange them into something I hope gives some sequence and sense to the event without boring you to total distraction.
As Arunta neared the shoreline at the base of Mount Adelaide, HMAS Sirius, the large Australian supply ship, can be seen as she took up station at the rear of the fleet.
Throughout the exercise, the Fleet Air Arm was also represented in the form of one of the newly acquired replacements for the Sea King helicopter, the MRH-90. I suspect a navy photographer was on board and was very busy.
What a vantage point!
As they passed my lookout, Arunta and Te Kaha, accompanied by two of the fussy Albany Port
tugs, began to change course to make for the Passage.
Kirisame and Sirius were now much more clearly in view.
By now the time was 1350 hours. I had ten minutes to reach the foreshore and then make the climb up Marine Drive as far as I could to gain a good vantage point. I had planned to take up a position overlooking Ataturk Passage, but that proved fanciful in the circumstances.
Needless to say I did not stop to take photos of the milling masses of Middleton at this point. But to give you some idea, let me here reverse the order of things, because I did snap away on the descent from the mountain.
I have no real idea of how many spectators clambered to various vantage points on the slopes of Mount Adelaide, but this is part of the throng making its way back down the boardwalk towards Middleton Beach,
where things were decidedly hectic.
Apart from those who had watched the sail past from the heights, many had come here to see the Middleton Beach poppy display. With one red plastic poppy representing each of the AIF troops who departed from Albany,30,000 were planted on the white sands of Middleton Beach. I did not even attempt to photograph these today, but did so when the hubbub had diminished and I could gain a vantage point on Marine Parade. What a spectacular sight this was.
But back to the job in hand. Up the boardwalk I charged. By 1400 hours I had not come anywhere near my target location. It was a case of scouting around for as good a spot as I could find. I have no idea how many of the purported 40,000 visitors to Albany came to watch the sail past. What I can say is that they massed on Marine Drive to the extent that the buses scheduled to take folk up to the various lookout points could not make it through the crush. Thank goodness I'd not relied on that service to get me to the heights. The walkway below the road was equally jammed at the Middleton Beach end.
I headed off the pathway into the scrub on the steep slope below the path. This will have to do...I could see out over King George Sound. The fleet was on the move and I only had one annoying impediment to my view.
From my chosen vantage point I could also see to the entrance of Ataturk Passage. At least that was something.
I have always had a fascination for warships. In fact, had I not been accepted into the SA Police, I had decided that my second career option was to be to apply for officer training at the Australian Navy College, but as we all know, Fort Largs won out.
Could there possibly be anything more inherently menacing than the sight of these sleek, grey wolves of the sea as they prowl through the waves just waiting to strike?
The sail past had begun. Each ship (and boat!) took up a position of line astern as they steamed around the northern shore of King George Sound with the hump of Mount Martin the background. As they approached Vancouver Peninsula, the two lead ships, HMAS Arunta and HMNZ Te Kaha, were to break off formation and make their way through Ataturk Passage to come alongside at the Port of Albany. The remainder of the fleet would continue their circuit of the Sound before breaking formation and returning to their assigned mooring point.
Here we can see Arunta leading the way. Te Kaha is just out of the left of the picture. Behind Arunta is HMAS Anzac, followed by HMAS Stuart, both guided missile frigates, and bringing up the rear in this scene is the Japanese destroyer JDS Kirisame.
I was a little disappointed that this entire manoeuvre was carried out at very low speed. I would have loved to have seen a few decent bow waves and a churning wake or two, but that was just fanciful...notwithstanding the enormous expanses of King George Sound, common sense dictates that this would have been foolhardy and unnecessary.
I have not bothered to count the number of photos I took in the next hour....let it suffice to say it has taken me over two hours to review, edit, cut and arrange them into something I hope gives some sequence and sense to the event without boring you to total distraction.
As Arunta neared the shoreline at the base of Mount Adelaide, HMAS Sirius, the large Australian supply ship, can be seen as she took up station at the rear of the fleet.
Throughout the exercise, the Fleet Air Arm was also represented in the form of one of the newly acquired replacements for the Sea King helicopter, the MRH-90. I suspect a navy photographer was on board and was very busy.
What a vantage point!
As they passed my lookout, Arunta and Te Kaha, accompanied by two of the fussy Albany Port
tugs, began to change course to make for the Passage.
Kirisame and Sirius were now much more clearly in view.
Between them, and out of shot in the last, HMAS Rankin was sneaking along stealthily, low, black and sinister.
Kirisame, a destroyer, is considerably larger than the Australian and NZ frigates, and, with her crew formally dressing the decks and her helicopter squatting on the rear flight deck, she was a sight indeed.
By this stage Arunta had made the entrance to Ataturk Passage,
closely followed (in a nautical sense) by Te Kaha.
Whilst all this was happening, the remainder of the fleet had completed the southbound leg of their circuit and were turning onto an easterly heading.
As they continued, line astern, all that could now be seen of Rankin was a white smear on the surface of the water.
By now it was time to break formation and make to each individual mooring point in King George Sound, for the time being. Most came alongside in Princess Royal Harbour later that evening in preparation for the 'open day' tomorrow.
Sirius, which was bringing up the rear of the formation, now took centre stage. She was by far and a way the largest of the assembled vessels, and has only recently returned to active service after an extensive refit at Fleet Base West.
As she changed course, with Rankin scooting off to her left and Stuart making off to the right, I was fascinated to watch Sirius' wake. Could that be sand she was stirring up with her screw? Surely not, this is a very deep water port. This remains a mystery but I suspect it was the result of the turbulent water coming off her propeller swirling over her rudder plate.
It was over. What an hour it had been. Now all that remained was the tramp back down the hill to Middleton Beach, and a rendezvous with our scattered group. I had no idea where anyone was, but with the aid of that modern wonder, the mobile phone, I joined Liz near the Surf Club and we regrouped with the others at a nearby park.
I freely admit that by now, after having been on my pins for nearly seven hours, some of which had been pretty active, I was buggered. My seat in the mini-bus for the half hour commute back to Denmark was welcome relief and the three 'coldies' I managed en route remain amongst the best beers I have ever drunk. What's a mini-bus without a large, well stocked esky in the rear?
My day, however, was far from over. I had promised to cook Carnarvon shark for the assembled multitude that evening, all eleven of us. Idiot....the things we promise when the boys get together late into the evening! But a promise is a promise, and I was encouraged by the fact that a number of our group were particularly excited by the prospect....shark was their finned favourite.
So it was off with the good clobber, into standard park gear, out with the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs and, after crumbing something like thirty pieces of fish, off to HQ, where the remainder of the troops were in a very relaxed state on the front porch.
Chef Pierre ignored the frivolity and the many proffered drinks (with some difficulty)...there was work to be done. As a good mate should, Cooky was on hand to offer his support as official taster
as the fish frying frenzy began. Two pans were soon on the go, the fillets were sizzling and I was beginning to relax. But not entirely. A matter of seconds of distraction can make the difference between a fine golden crumbed fillet or an offering which bears a remarkable resemblance to burnt toast.
I am please to announce that all went well. Whomever it was who was dispatched to the local chippy, soon returned with mountains of hot chips.....we were away.
It was a great night, and a more than fitting end to three terrific days. Needless to say the
fish feed was well watered, and the evening progressed with increasing hilarity.
(I suspect the boys were playing up in the corner)
Despite the very good time she was having, Liz was clever enough to bail out before stumps, but by now your scribe had become a man on a mission....well, I did have some catching up to do.
And catch up I did, as we all sat about contemplating our varying areas and degrees of sunburn and reflecting on just what a great show Albany had presented. The Cook entourage was heading back to Perth the following morning.....this was indeed a fond farewell and a fitting finale to a most memorable few days.
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