ALBANY
Albany was an essential port of call for ships
travelling to the Eastern States. Following the end of the Crimean War, there
were great hopes that the renewed shipping trade would further establish
Albany as the
preferred port of call for the lucrative mail boat services to the eastern
stastes in particular The first lights built were at Point King and Breaksea
Island.
Once CY O'Connor
blew up the sand bar blocking the Swan
River in 1901, Albany Port's dominance began to wane. It was however to have
one more spectacular role to play as the point of assembly and departure in
WW1 for the 1st & 2nd Detachments of Australian
& New Zealand Imperial Expeditionary Forces for the Middle East and European
theatres of war. Plans are in place for a re-enactment of this great sight for
1 November, 2014 to copmmemorate the fleet of thirty eight ships assembled in
King George’s Sound, before it set sail escorted by six warships.
ESPERANCE
The area was slowly opened up by farmers who
believed that the light soils would provide excellent pasture lands.
