Albany

View Emu Beach Holiday Park

Camped at Emu beach Holiday Park
What a great place, right on the beach, cool ocean breeze.


Albany is one of WA s chief southern export ports for the export of Wheat and Wood chips.
Again incredible road transport set up, you can drive your road train right into the port, with no congestion, there large roundabouts that accommodate big trucks work extremely well.
Looks incredibly efficient, much be a huge advantage to road transport companies compared with our eastern seaboard ports.



Albany main claim to fame in early years was its Whaling station at Discovery Bay.

Picture Courtesy Discovery Bay Whaling Org

So went and had a look, very well put together, a great story of the industry that finished up in the late the 70s.

There are plenty of stories about near misses and sea rescues.
Dangerous work, but the pay was good, if you wanted to make some money,  this is where you came to work!

In the radio room of the ship, I came across the story of John Bell the Aviator, spotter for the whalers.

The following is the transcript of the story.

As a spotter John was involved in a number of daring rescues during his career, but is best remembered for heroism in 1965, when he risked his life to save Ches Stubbs, the skipper of the Cheynes III.
As Ches fired the harpoon gun his foot was caught up in the harpoon rope and he lost his leg 8 inches above his ankle.

Bell landed the seaplane next to the ship in dangerous seas and managed to fly the gravely injured man to safety, despite nearly loosing a wing on takeoff.  (looks like a Cessna 206 on floats)

Bell won a bravery award from the Royal Humane Society and Ches survived to tell the tale after two months in hospital.
He later returned to the ship  with a "peg Leg" and worked for another decade.

Great story, and you would have liked to have had a beer with these fellows, I bet they would have had many stories.

Imagine the pain of having your leg pulled off, and then trying to survive in the sea!
The rope is 60mm in diameter, so would have been brutal.
And you can imagine breaking a few bones, probably most,  as you hit the side of the boat going over, some serious non forgiving metal there!!

I should hardenup and manup, and not worry about a bit of morning sickness on a few chemo pills.

John Bell later died in a plane crash during a surveillance operation for the federal police and customs.

You can bet both these fellows lived their life to the full!




Had fish and chips in the restaurant, overlooking the bay, great view.
The restaurant wasn't licenced, a good thing, kept the girls off the Chardonnay!