Australian travelloque: Mt Clarence's war memorial

I had always been told that Mt Clarence in Albany was one of the places where I could get a breath-taking panoramic view of this city and harbour. I thought that was all there was to this hilltop. So, my wife and I were a little surprised when we arrived at the car park atop this little hill to see steps leading to the ANZAC Mounted Desert Corp Memorial which stands in honour of the men who fought at Galipolli during World War One. According to the tourist brochures, the memorial is a nine-metre tall bronze statue of an Australian mounted soldier assisting a New Zealand soldier whose horse had been wounded. The Aussies remember their war dead with great reverence and many towns have memorials built to cherish them. This is the one on top of Mt Clarence in Albany.


By the way, after our experience at Brisbane's Mt Coottha two years ago, nothing surprised us to learn that Mt Clarence is also a misnomer. Mt Clarence is just a forested suburb of Albany. It's highest point is not more than 200 metres above sea level and that's quite a generous estimate. I would believe that it's height is closer to 180 metres. Australia is a relatively flat piece of land and the misnamed mountains are usually just small hills. Even the highest point of the Porongurup range near Mt Barker is lower than the Penang Hill upper rail station. But yes, we did get to view the 360-degree panoramic view of Western Australia's Great Southern from this wonderful perch. I know it looks miserably small in this picture below but it's the best I can do. Clicking on it will bring up a slightly bigger picture.


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