Advertisement
When we visited WA last, we went directly from Perth to Albany, back along the coast to Margaret River and then back to Perth. At the time, we were told it was worth the trip to Esperance but we thought 500 klm there and then 500klm back to Albany was too much for the short time we had to do it. That decided on us ‘going there next time’!
Well the next time is now and we clearly see why we were told to visit those years ago. It is beautiful! But don’t misread what we say, as it is not so much a place to live as a place to visit. Our four night stay become one for a week to enjoy the area and take a time out.
The coastline is well renowned but you really have to see it in 3D (ie. yourself).
Cape Le Grand National Park
The main tourist destination is Le Grand National Park. It is located about 40 klm to the east of Esperance. It is essentially an area of fine beaches and granite hills. The bays are made up of clear blue water and pristine white beaches.
At
Le Grand Beach we watched a whale offshore for a while after climbing Mt Le Grand. Our favourite beach was at Lucky Bay. Matthew Flinders discovered it in 1802 and used it for shelter in bad weather. We found it in beautiful sunshine and the white beach looked really spectacular. Other bays such as Rossitor Bay, Thistle Bay and Hellfire Bay each had different appeal. As you will see from the photos, the sandy beaches are surrounded by huge granite boulders.
One of the boulders was known as the Whistling Rock and it is situated more than 50 metres from the water. Even so, the water gushes under the rocks and pushes air up through the cracks at a great rush and sends up a whistling sound that is best heard back a little from the rock.
We decided to finish the day climbing the Frenchman’s Peak. What a challenge! It is over 300 meters high and some of the climb was very steep. We were wrecked by the time we got to the top and still had to come back down! Luckily we made it and could hardly walk back to the car. It took a day
Cute?
This little fellow was keen to taste the apple core at Le Grand Beachto get over the leg soreness.
The day was really picturesque and we would strongly recommend visiting Cape Le Grand.
Stokes National Park
As they say, you can’t win them all. Stokes National Park is 80klm to the west of Esperance and we set out to see more pristine beaches etc. Not so, unfortunately. We found a pleasant bushland setting around Stokes Inlet. We didn’t even take a photo.
For the bush camper however, there is a recently built camp there with extensive facilities and large private sites. No water or power though.
Great Ocean Drive
On the way back to camp we followed the Great Ocean Drive. It doesn’t match ours in Victoria but if you take the trouble to visit the bays (Twilight, Observatory, Ten Mile etc.), you will be rewarded with some beautiful scenery.
Rotary Lookout and Walk
Close to the town centre is a lookout on a high hilltop that enables you to see all around for miles. On a sunny day the views are spectacular and enable you to see many offshore islands (there are over a hundred) and beaches as far as the eye can
Lucky Bay - Cape Le Grand
One of the many beautiful beaches in the Esperance area. see. From there a walking trail has been established around the rocky coastline in the area. A very pleasant stroll.
Today we walked into town (a couple of klm) to check out the Sunday Market (mandatory). Bought some honey and a book and then walked home. Much to our chagrin, the coffee shop on the way is a popular breakfast venue and there were no tables free. No queuing for us, so on we trudged a little grumpily. We shouldn’t complain though because it has been shorts weather the whole time we’ve been here (18-22 deg).
This is the first place that we have been able to wash vehicles so yesterday we washed both the van and the car. They were both pretty dirty after 6000 klm and looked bright and shiny after the attention. Who knows when we will be able to do it again.
As mentioned earlier, our stay was extended by three days and so, much rested, we’re off to Kalgoorlie for a couple of nights.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.243s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 62; dbt: 0.1639s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
