We are going to Denmark, we are going to Denmark!! I have never been to Scandinavia before.

This is still true, as the Denmark in question is the name of a small town in Western Australia that is situated near the city of Albany on the south coast.

We got parking in the ‘centre’ of town just before it rained and went to the Award Winning Denmark Bakery for lunch. Apparently it is actually quite famous! This was followed by a quick walk around the shops.

When we first saw Denmark on the map I had visions of dogged hard working Danish farmers who had ventured to Australia to begin a new life and build a settlement named in honour of their home country. I also imagined a big statue of a viking or a replica wooden longboat. But no, Denmark was named after Alexander Denmark, Physician of the British Naval Fleet. Such a let down.

The area was previously inhabited by the Noongar Tribe. A timber milling town at first, it has went through a few cycles of boom and bust to it’s present standing as a mixed dairy agriculture / viticulture economy with over 20 vineyards in operation in the area. It’s also home to WA’s University of Agriculture.

At 2pm we checked into our guesthouse. This was run by a Welsh man who was very nice and helpful. All the rooms were themed, there was a Paris Room, a New York Room. We were in the London room, quelle surprise!

The room was great and had a balcony so we could see all the action.

With a few hours before sunset we conquered the riverside nature trail that wraps itself around the Denmark river – and caught a glimpse of our first pelicans. Boy these are huge in real life!

We also found a wee bit of Street Art.