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Wednesday was undeniably one of the most memorable days so far! We arrived early at Albany’s delightful harbour and, after breakfast, made a short trip to Emu Point, where we met our host for the day, Jack, the captain of the Kalgan Queen. What followed was an absolutely captivating and entertaining voyage up the River Kalgan.

Jack’s father originally commissioned the Kalgan Queen and ran river cruises along the Kalgan for many years. Having grown up working alongside his father, Jack has now inherited the family business and cultivated an exceptional understanding of the river, its history, and its wildlife. He shares this knowledge with charm and humour, making every moment aboard the Kalgan Queen both informative and entertaining. What truly sets this experience apart, however, is the unique bond Jack has developed with some of the animals that call this location their home.

We cruised past Green Island in the estuary which is one of only four places in Western Australia where pelicans breed. Several chicks can be seen in the image below.

As we entered the river from it’s wide estuary, jack whistled short calls to attract the birds. Sea eagles and ospreys began to appear high in the trees along the river banks.

He threw a dead fish into the river close to the boat and immediately a sea eagle swooped down and grabbed the fish in it’s talons.

He repeated this over and over again and each time either a sea eagle or an osprey would take the fish.

For lunch Jack provided deliciously fresh oysters which he cracked open on demand. These were followed by strawberries served with various locally produced honeys. Finally we had hot ‘damper’ which his mother had baked. Damper is a type of bread with lots of ingredients including cheese and herbs. Instead of yeast soured milk is used to make it rise.

https://www.albanyaustralia.com/damper-recipe

I think the bird below is an anhinga or snakebird. They swim with just their heads out of the water.

As we made our way back to the harbour, a pelican gracefully approached, and Jack introduced him as ‘Perch.’ Jack explained that he had discovered the bird as a young fledgling, trapped in a tangle of fishing line and in poor health. With care and compassion, he freed Perch from the line, providing food and nursing him back to strength.

Perch has been Jack’s friend ever since, and if Jack goes away for a few days, Perch also leaves the vicinity but returns as soon as jack is back.

Perch showed us several tricks. When offered a fish of a species that he didn’t like, he would grab the fish in his beak and throw it to the ground. Also, when given a fish tail first, he could turn it around in his beak making it easier to swallow.

On the command ‘cuddle’, perch would lean forward and show his affection to any nearby volunteer.

We left Albany late that evening. It was just a short trip to our next port ‘Fremantle’ close to the city of Perth.