THE 2009 cruise ship season got off to a flying start on Tuesday morning when the Athena docked at Albany port.
Among the 550 passengers on board the 160-metre ship were several people eager to revisit the town they had not seen for many years.
The last time Joan and George Ferguson from Bindoon visited Albany was on their honeymoon 55 years ago.
“We arrived on November 21, 1953, in a hired caravan which we parked at Middleton Beach,” Mrs Ferguson said.
“We fished around the jetty and at night time managed to catch enough tucker to eat so we didn’t have to buy anything in town,” Mr Ferguson said.
Although they never stopped in for a drink, the Ferguson’s clearly remembered the old Esplanade Hotel, which also brought back happy memories for Bob and Sue Crighton from Perth.
“We actually met there in 1968,” Mr Crighton said.
“I was the drummer in a band touring WA and Sue had a seasonal job working behind the bar,” he said.
“We got talking after the show and we’ve been together ever since.”
The Crightons, who took a taxi ride out to Middleton Beach in the hope of seeing the site of their old haunt, were saddened at the desolation which greeted them.
“I can’t believe there’s nothing here at all,” Mrs Crighton said.
“I knew the old hotel had gone, but to pull down a relatively new one and leave such a beautiful area looking so ugly is very sad.”
John Draberak from Swanview was pleasantly surprised to see how Albany had developed since his first visit 30 years ago.
“I think the whole town has really lifted itself up, it shows a lot of pride as far as tourism goes,” Mr Drabarek said.
“Albany is really putting itself in front of some of the other towns we’ve gone through on this trip.
“The landscaping and revitalisation of the main street since I last came is terrific.”
Tuesday’s influx of tourists provided plenty of business for David Bomber and Lenore Lyons of Denmark-based Out of Sight Tours, who reported brisk trade throughout the morning.
“It’s been a steady sort of day and a great start to the year,” Mr Bomber said.
“The cruise ships are a good thing for Albany, they bring in the money and the tourists,” he said.
“When you talk to the tourists on how they are enjoying Albany they are very positive about it,” Mrs Lyons said.
“Last year people were saying Albany really put it on for them as far as the market, the free shuttle buses and the tours were concerned, they were saying they weren’t getting that from other towns.
“The customers who I’ve taken out to the Torndirrup National Park today were really impressed that the market at Alison Hartman Gardens was put on especially for them,” Mr Bomber said.
Kathy Griffiths, who organises the cruise ship market, said a wide variety of people had taken a keen interest.
“It’s not just the people from the ship, we’ve got lots of people in town who are camping or staying with family and a lot of local people have been coming along too.”
The Athena, which left Albany for Bunbury at 8pm on Tuesday, will return on January 20 and 28.