Friday arvo finally arrived and we were able to start our journey. I don’t know about you but those last few days before starting holidays always seem to drag out!! Having packed the car over the previous night and filling up on cheap Tuesday (if you know you know!) we were ready for our adventure. First stop, a weekend in Albany.
Weekend in Albany
The drive took about 4 and a half hours with a few gaps in between. We headed straight for our accommodation the Sure Stay Best and Western. The room had interesting green decor but it was comfy and a good base to crash. After resting for a few moments we headed to dinner as it was 7 pm when we arrived. We selected to check out Venice Pizza Bar and Restaurant. It was really lucky that we were able to grab a table as it was pretty full, as were most places in town. Worst case we would have got takeaway. My partner and I order a large pizza each thinking it would be a good amount of food. Turns out it was bigger than we thought it was! It was delicious but probably a small one each would have sufficed lol!
Saturday we had a big sleep in which was so nice. Our first for the morning was the visitors centre to get more info about Esperance ahead of our next destination. I find it valuable visiting the centres as sometimes you find out some local knowledge that isn’t online. The centre didn’t have a hard copy of the Esperance info book. However, they gave us a link to download the pdf, which I preferred because then I didn’t have to waste so much paper.
Exploring Albany on Foot
We explored Albany on foot for a while walking up towards the foreshore but took a detour via the awesome lolly shop The Sugar Boy. It didn’t have as good an atmosphere as other places and felt like being in one of those shhh libraries but it had an awesome range and was still fun. We couldn’t go past selecting a few chocolates some of which became breakfast.
After a few detours, we finally made it down towards the foreshore which was lovely. We spotted a giant boat in the distance which gained our interest so we headed over and discover you can climb on. For a small fee, you can go under but we were just happy being on top and the lower deck looked pretty small and we have both done similar activities before.
We then caught up with a friend who we hadn’t seen in years for some lunch at Fredricks. All of us got a chicken burger which was highly recommended. For my partners’ burger, I requested no tomato and avo. I was taken aback when they said I could substitute in something else in which rarely happens, so I put some bacon in. It was such a friendly cafe with great food and coffee! Definitely, one to visit.
The Gap Lookout
On Saturday afternoon we took a short drive to the Gap and Bridge Lookout. You will need to buy an entry ticket to visit via the ticketing machines in the car park. However, if you plan ahead and will be visiting a few parks and have a RAC membership you can buy a discounted park pass (it was 50% off when I purchased a month pass).
It was pretty warm in town so it ended being sooo windy and cold but it was beautiful and well worth the drive out.
Given that the wind farm was close by we made a detour on the way back to take a look around. A short walking trail led us towards a few lookouts where we were spoilt with the whales putting on a show out in the ocean. We headed back down another pathway where we eventually stood under one of the massive wind turbines. It’s so big, far bigger than you would imagine. It definitely made me feel small.
For the rest of the afternoon, we headed to Kate’s Place another local cafe which was a really cool place to chill. We grabbed some coffee and shared a ginger slice while we planned the next part of the trip. The coffee and cake were amazing. The rest of the menu looked awesome so we decided that we would stop here in the morning for breakfast.
Albany Nightlife
As the evening came around we went in search of somewhere to enjoy the sunset. We came across Due South a bar on the ocean where there is a fantastic view of the ocean. It was so nice to just sit and enjoy a drink.
Lastly, we headed to Noodlers Noodle Bar which wasn’t bad and filled the hungry spot! The steamed bbq pork buns were also delicious.
This was the best way to end a weekend in Albany.
To be continued…
More photos of my weekend in Albany will be up on IG: Food_Travel_Chronicle
While waiting for part 2 of my South West Western Australia adventure check out my other WA posts:
- Bridgetown WA | South West WA Roadtrip – Part 1
- Hakata Gensuke Ramen Review | Victoria Park, Perth, Western Australia
