King River

After a good night's sleep at Hay River we headed back into Denmark. Kate (granddaughter), had a 2 hour YR11 exam so we parked down on the river and went for a walk around town. To me Denmark had a bit of a alternate lifestyle feel, crystals, organics, lots of coffee shops and quite a few massage places. We met a couple of locals and had a good chat, mainly about the town, and they said a lot of retirees have moved into town, so maybe it is just modern. We set off and drove to King River Palms Caravan Park. This a great spot, about 15mins north of Albany and they gave us a really nice spot, tucked away in a corner, with the river on two sides of us. It really was a picture.
The next day we headed into Albany. We were told not to miss the National Anzac Centre so off we went. In the same precinct is a tribute to the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Forces. Called the Desert Mounted Corp Memorial. As well as horses I noticed there was also a Camel Corp. This is a replica statue of one that was destroyed in the Middle East during the Suez Canal Conflict. Most of the base is the original, brought over and erected on its present site. After checking out the memorial, and catching our breath, we headed up the last bit to the Padre White lookout. Padre White instigated a Dawn Service in 1930 and it has been a tradition ever since. From the top you can see most of Albany and certainly the waters where so many WW1 solders left these shores, with so many never to return. The weather forecast was for storms around lunch time and when we arrived at National Anzac Centre it was pouring. Rushed inside so no photos. Once inside we were given cards with a picture and names on them and as you walked around, you placed them on special spots and found out more about them. The soldier I had was Private Robert Hamilton from Queensland. He was 26yrs old when he signed up. After surviving the horrors of war he went back to the family farm where he married and had three children. Unfortunately the war had taken its toll on him and he only lived into his early 40's, 43 I think. War is hell.Read more