Esperance

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We left Norseman yesterday morning, driving through bush until finally the land opened out to wheat and sheep country. The few little towns were by railway lines where there were big silos for loading the wheat onto trains.

We finally got to Esperance and drove around the waterfront - two big ships were in port, a huge silo at the wharf and a big jetty out into the bay. After driving around town, we drove up the lookout. There was a platform we could climb up which showed a 360 degree view. There are something like 101 islands out in the bay, the sand is white and the water a lovely blue - very pretty. We found a caravan park overlooking the bay.

We woke to wind and rain this morning but by 9am the skies had cleared. It was then a day of blue skies/grey skies/rain/blue skies. We decided to head east around Esperance Bay to Cape Le Grand - a drive of about 70ks and somewhere I knew nothing about

Farms were each side of the road with cattle and emus in paddocks. Then we came to Cape Le Grand National Park and what a surprise this all was! It was a rugged, barren coastline but very dramatic with tall hills of smooth rock rising above the flat country, white sandhills and the most beautiful white silica sand beaches of torquoise water and the smooth rocked islands out to sea. We drove from beach to beach - I can imagine it all in summer, rather than a windy, cold wintery day. We were very impressed with it all.

Once we’d driven back into Esperance, we took another circular road that took us to the westerly beaches behind the town. They were as magnificent but very exposed to the wind which was getting fiercer, making big waves and driving a bit difficult.

Once we’d turned inland to drive back to town, we went past the Pink Lake, it’s colour caused by the salinity and algae that forms. Different times of the year means different shades of pink - pale would be the colour of today. We did a foodshop once we’d got into town, filled with diesel ready for our trip tomorrow, then back to the caravan park for a warm coffee and into the trackie dacks ready for a cold evening.

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Photos

Frenchman's peak
So windy the top has been blown over

The perfect picnic spot
We had lunch down overlooking the view

the picnic spot
looking further along

The western drive
wild seas