There are still many of us around who remember the long awaited yearly trip to Albany. Dad had a 1948 Vauxhall 25 and the 450 kilometres took near 6 hours. Driving for that long on a narrow winding road meant that breaks at Crossman Road House or Williams were awaited with great patience…and let’s not forget Kojonup!
My vivid memories are the number of animals on the road, (particularly at night), and the care with which my father approached blind bends and sections of the highway that were under repair with dangerous gravel shoulders which seemed to entice the old car to the edge causing many a rattling recovery while Dad fought with the steering wheel.
Rabbits seems to be numbered in the thousands and those white pom-pom tails were the most noticeable vision at night as the bunnies tried to avoid a fatal end.
How things have changed. An airline that flies three times a day to and from Perth and Albany with a flying time of less than an hour and even twice weekly flights via Busselton to Perth from Albany.
Almost as soon as the 3 flights a day began, aviation companies began talking about international flights to Albany and Busselton with billion dollar budgets to effect the upgrades.
What a change from the family road journeys of 70 years ago; very few bunnies or kangaroos at 30,000 feet. Even birds don’t fly that high!
There is no less desire today to visit the great town of Albany. It will always remain the first settlement in Western Australia and one of the most popular.
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