March 2023
I have a bit of catching up on the blog to do. There are a number of reasons: We have spent a lot of time in areas with poor internet and phone service and I have been busy applying for jobs on the east coast. Yep, we are getting close to the end of our adventure and we are starting to think about life after 'lapping' Australia.
Back in March we arrived in Esperance 3 nights before our booking. Esperance is one of those places you really need to plan for. We had booked weeks ago and they were too full to move our dates so we drove through town, found a dump point and a water source to fill up and headed east to Wharton Beach. We could not really find anywhere to stay so we parked up at the Condingup footy oval for free for 3 nights (20km north of Wharton's). The toilets were out of action so after almost 2 years we now cannot avoid pooping in the caravan toilet. Yep, that's right, we have managed to avoid it so far. Some call us precious, but given I have not emptied the cassette once, Craig can make up the rules.
We thought we better support the local tavern and enjoy a few drinks, so we wandered over and were rather impressed by this lovely tavern in a tiny town of about 20 people. We went back the next day too!! (the accommodation was free so we could only oblige). We set off for Wharton Beach the next morning and were swept away by this magnificent beach. The sand was so white and fine it squeaked under the car tyres. We stopped part way down the beach where Mali and I surfed for some time in the small swell. The wind picked up (as to be expected, it is WA), so we moved back to the western end which was a little sheltered by the rocky headland. Mali surfed some more, and we all frolicked in the epic azure water. This was one of our favourite beaches on the trip so far.
The next day we set off with a backpack full of lollies and drove 47km into Cape Le Grand National Park to tackle Frenchman Peak – a very steep, rocky climb up the granite peak to the summit, which awards spectacular views over the national park and beaches. Mali took it all in her stride, navigating the tricky sections with ease and partaking in the traditional sugared treats on the way. We found an amazing cave at the top with stunning views thought to have been formed by wave action some 40 million years ago when sea levels were higher. We slowly wandered back down the slope (the more difficult return leg) and found a really interesting dreamtime story. It is called Walich Dreaming. Two walich (eagles) flew down to Esperance and landed at Cape Le Grand. The mother made a nest and laid her eggs. A group of Aboriginal people camped near the mother walich. The parents told their children to stay in the camp with the elders while they went out hunting. Two children did not and went off on walkabout. They came across the walich nest and stole her eggs. The mother walich saw that her eggs were missing and flew after the children. She picked them up and carried them out to sea and dropped them in. The two rocks offshore are the children. The top of Frenchman Peak is the mother walich watching the sea in case the children try to swim back. So, parents, that’s what you tell your kids when they do not do as they are told.
We left our football oval camp and enjoyed 6 nights at the Esperance RAC caravan park. OMG they had a family bathroom with a bath!! Mali and I visited each night with our bubble bath and rubber ducky. We don't usually cycle around towns as often we are a bit of a distance from the centre, but Esperance was perfect for cycling. We all rode down to the newly refurbished tanker jetty and Craig did a spot of squid fishing. We enjoyed the many playgrounds along the foreshore and went for a $3 ride on the miniature railway ($3 a ride and run by several almost deaf retired miniature engine enthusiasts) and explored the Adventureland Park. We should have gone to the indoor Putt Putt as it was only open weekends (Doh!). Something we have noticed in many of these smaller towns is the opening hours of various shops and activities. Many towns have no to little trading on Sundays, which I think is great. The last time I experienced that was when I lived in Hobart in the early noughties.
(clockwise from top left) Esperance beaches, light railway, parkland sculpture and Tanker Jetty
On the coldest day Mali convinced us all the swim out to the pontoon in the enclosed swimming area so we could use the slide. We all donned our wetsuits (the water is getting rather cold now) and flung ourselves off the slide half a dozen times. On our way back to shore we found loads of Ulva (sea lettuce) seaweed growing off the swimming enclosure so we picked as much as we could and have been enjoying it sprinkle over our dinners. The foreshore is amazingly well-equipped with solar showers, toilets, a skate park, playgrounds, mobile phone charging points, picnic shelters and some little cafes. Well done, Esperance. In fact, well done Western Australia. We are going to miss you!
Beaches on the Great Ocean Drive
There is an incredible coastal drive SW of Esperance along Twilight Beach Road taking you along and around all the headlands for about 20km - The Great Ocean Drive. We stopped at Twilight Beach so Mali could surf, whilst I squealed as I immersed myself in the cold Southern Ocean. Craig checked the surf time and time again and it has been pretty average. When it is on, it is either too big (he is a little out of surf condition for big swell) or there is no one else out and Craig is playing it safe around these 'sharky' breaks. The flags and the shark warning sirens on most beaches are enough to put anyone off. He is still invested in fishing and spends time setting up his rig and using his well honed skills to catch fish to feed us. He is a good hunter providing for his family.
We celebrated our 11-year wedding anniversary with a fancy dinner at Taylor St Quarters. Craig rode his bike and Mali and I hired an electric scooter and scooted the 3km along the foreshore and parked right out front. We ate like Kings and Queens and wobbled home on our chosen wheels, dodging the rodents running across the path from bush to bush. These e-scooters are the best idea for transport in small towns.
Hang time at Lucky Bay (ok maybe we are spoilt)
East of Esperance, at Bandy Creek, you can drive onto the beach the whole 22km to Cape Le Grand beach - just opposite Lucky Bay (voted as one of the top campsites in the country). Some locals take this route as it is quicker than the 50km by road. We even considered towing the van back this way but there were a few soft sections, so we decided against it. The sand is so squeaky I wondered if we were running over 1000s of mice. Now Lucky Bay has been voted the #1 beach in Australia (I am not sure who voted) and we had managed to secure one night at the national park campgrounds (some people don't even manage that!).
Mali telling the Roo the 'Rools' (left), Lucky Bay campsite (right)
So after a lovely week in Esperance, we headed back out to Cape Le Grand NP for our one nighter. This was our last beach stop in WA. It is a lovely beach indeed, but it was not our favourite. Perhaps there were such high expectations and we decided to go with the underdog Wharton’s instead. Our campsite afforded wonderful views of the beach and some friendly kangaroos. We set off to enjoy the beach for the afternoon and on return we could hear the water pump groaning away. Our neighbour popped right over and said he noticed our water coming out and could hear a strange noise but thought we had the washing machine going. The chopping board that was resting behind the tap near the window got blown over and, subsequently, knocked the tap lever into the on position. We had drained our whole 180 litre tank and there was no water available in the park!!! Our lovely neighbour was leaving the next morning so kindly gave us what we could transfer using jerry cans to get us through the night.
Hellfire Bay (left) & Thistle Cove (right)
The next morning, I enjoyed the coastal walk over to Thistle Cove. I was getting sick and tired of the march flies that bite consistently so I decided to just sit still and try to 'accept' the flies and appreciate the place they have in nature. I did not swat them or tell them to 'sod off'. I just sat on the hill, looking at the view below and relaxed. Amazingly, they stopped buzzing around me. I decided to do a meditation walk on my way back and noticed how many lizards and birds I noticed. It is incredibly how different my experience in nature is when I feel a part of it rather than someone walking through it.
See you in Kalgoorlie!!
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