Jo Seaman surveys the flora and fauna of Western Australia
Jo Seaman discovers history, wildlife and impressive trees in the Wildflower State.
WE were bound for Albany and this was a road trip with a purpose. While researching local history from my home in Dorset, I discovered an intriguing woman.
Lady Ann Spencer, who was born in our village of Charmouth in the late 18th century, emigrated with her family to Albany in Western Australia in 1833.
I was pleased to learn that Strawberry Hill, the farmstead which she and her husband founded, still exists.
My husband and I were visiting our own family, who themselves began a new life Down Under some years ago. They live near Perth, around 250 miles from Albany.
Mike and I decided to follow in Lady Ann’s footsteps to find out more about her.
Driving in much of Australia is a joy, thanks to perfectly maintained roads and relatively few vehicles.
We drove along wide highways fringed with eucalyptus trees, and through thick forests dense with jarrah trees.
These hardwood trees are much valued for use in furniture, as the wood is termite resistant.
We saw emus serenely snacking at the roadside and, to my surprise, camels roaming free in broad, horizon-filling pastures.
We stayed at quiet little settler towns.
In Pemberton, we wandered around a deserted old railway station, with retired trains rusting away.
The town had developed as a log-milling centre as the local karri trees were used as railway sleepers for the huge network of railway lines needed to connect Australia’s far-flung cities.
Near the town of
Walpole, I overcame my usual fear of heights to do the Valley of the Giants
Tree Top Walk, which was a gentle stroll up an engineering marvel of a metal path, which rose to 130 ft in the treetop canopy.
We pressed on, enjoying breathtaking views of a coastline of sparkling white sandy beaches and impressive rocky outcrops.
I wondered what the circumstance were when Peaceful Bay, Lost Beach and Misery Beach got their names, and if Lady Ann had seen these when she sailed past them on her voyage in 1833.
With some excitement we arrived at Strawberry Hill.
This was the house which Lady Ann and her husband, Sir Richard Spencer, had built, adjoining the Old Farm already on the property.
Sir Richard had been a heroic captain in the Royal Navy and had seen action in Napoleonic sea battles.
His adventures did not end after he married Lady Ann in Charmouth in 1812, as she evidently travelled with him on his sea voyages.
Her first child was born in 1814 in Charmouth, but sadly died in 1816 in Malta.
Shortly after this, Sir Richard retired, taking up farming. The couple went on to have another nine children.
In 1833, Sir Richard took the plunge and emigrated to Albany, taking up the appointment of Government Resident.
I discovered that Lady Ann was pregnant again during the arduous fourmonth sea voyage.
The Spencer family, and their farm and house workers, were amongst the first European settlers in the region.
While they had sailed on a large ship which had also transported 180 female convicts bound for Sydney, their household effects came on a smaller brig.
This ship transported a kit of house-building materials (including frames for windows and French doors, and Welsh roof slates), plus farming implements, hardy sheep and many seeds.
Strawberry Hill was beautifully furnished and exactly like a wellappointed Georgian farmhouse in Britain.
We were pleased to see a painting of Lady Ann as a young woman, standing in front of her childhood home – which is only a few hundred yards from where we live!
We chose to go inland for our return journey.
Forest fires had swept through not long beforehand. We learned that, while these are terrifying and can lead to the tragic loss of precious wildlife, they can also be beneficial, as some plants need the heat of the flames to germinate.
We drove through the Stirling Range National Park, the only mountain range in that part of Australia, which rises impressively out of a wide plain.
While we had appreciated our visit to historic Albany, another highlight for us was only about an hour from Perth.
We stopped for a welcome cup of tea at the sleepy town of Dwellingup.
Stretching our legs, we strolled quietly in the surrounding bush and almost stumbled over a family of kangaroos, loafing beneath the trees – a truly memorable sight.