Cruise: Eastward across the Bight

Four months earlier, after crossing the Bight from east to west, we’d stayed only a few hours in Albany. This time, we spent a few days enjoying Western Australia’s fifth-largest city and oldest European settlement, which beautifully blends maritime and ANZAC history with historic charm. The National Anzac Centre, which tells the story of the women and men who served in Australian and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC) in World War II, was memorable. The 2.6-kilometer walk (one-way) from the marina in bleak, rainy conditions, made an already solemn destination feel even more profound.Cutting through the gloomy skies, a vibrant mural of a ruby seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea) on the port silos instantly lifted our mood. Australian towns and cities regularly compete for the title of best "silo art," and this one ranks among the finest. Discovered only in 2015 off the coast of Western Australia, the ruby is the third known species of seadragon, joining the iconic leafy and weedy…