The Albany area has been a place of great significance for many years and to many people. Historically it was one of the earliest settlement areas of Western Australia, and is proud of being the point at which WW2 soldiers from New Zealand and Australia left their familiar shores, and in more recent times, it was the site of a prosperous whaling industry.

Today Albany remains a thriving residential town and popular tourist destination, steeped in history and famed for its natural beauty. In Crossing the Kalgan, Tom uses local sources and documentation to record all known history of the Lower Kalgan bridges and jetty, and his publication commemorates the return of the repaired and preserved original Lower Kalgan bridge trusses to the Lower Kalgan Reserve.