Down to Albany

It's the start of Perth's long hot summer, but you wouldn't know it yesterday, as there were huge thunderstorms and heavy rain all day long! Perth seemed to have thunder and lightening all day, even the airports were closed.

It's the quiet time of year for my fauna work, so we decided that a few days in Albany on the south coast would be a nice break, wonderful scenery and cool weather, what more can you ask for! Another reason for heading to Albany was to see if it could be a good place for a future home, as Perth is only getting drier and hotter as the years go by, and the future doesn't look too bright with a rapidly increasing population and shortages of water and power.

One of the many beautiful old buildings in Albany, the Church of Saint John (1841), the oldest consecrated church in Western Australia.

The Rectory next to the church, built in 1850. Looks like a place that might have a few ghosts?

The old gun emplacements along King Geogre Sound, built to defend Albany during the war.

The scenic walk from the town to Emu Point.

The old Lighthouse Keeper's Home.

The coastal heathlands provide great habitat for many of the southwest honeyeaters.

Beautiful swimming areas near Emu Point.

The calm waters of Oyster Harbour at Emu Point.

Big eucalpyts line Emu Point.

The circular walk around Lake Seppings is an excellent place to see local birds and wildlife, including Western Glossy Swamp Skinks, a reptile species that I hadn't seen before and is becoming rare around the lakes near Perth. I'll have some info about them in the next blog post.

Many of the local birds at this time of year are moulting or are young birds, here a scruffy-looking Grey Fantail appeared to wish us goodbye.