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Published: February 27th 2014
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Arriving in Esperance we settled into our site on a caravan park just out of town and across the road from the sea with a good beach.The town itself is small but has all the amenities required for a short stay.The foreshore and esplanade were under construction and renovation which restricted access to the town beach.The town is also a major exporter of ore and visiting giant cargo ships can bee seen loading while others anchor off the seaway waiting their turn.This is however a major tourist town with an abundance of accommodation ranging from camping to self contained units and hotels.Tourist flock here in the warmer months to soak up the sun and play in any of the many pristine beaches that surround Esperance,whale watching is also a major attraction in season.The Recherche Archipelago is the largest group of islands in Southern Australia consisting of 150 islands and 1,500 inlets and is known as an important aquatic wilderness.This group of islands is accessible from Esperance and day trips to some of the nearer islands are available for tourist.
We take some time to chill out out for a couple of days doing not a lot other than clean the
Cape Le Grand
Frenchman Peak van and car and rest.Then we head off to Cape Le Grande a national park only 50ks from our base,we are privileged to live in such a beautiful land.A permit is required to enter the park and proceeds go towards the park upkeep and amenities. Within minutes of entering the park we are at our first highlight, Frenchman peak a granite formation rising 262mt,walking from the car park the climb is described as a( gentle stroll.Allow 1.5 hrs hard walking!!!).A well marked route to the top leads the way to some spectacular views from the summit of the surrounding countryside.This area was named by an officer on board the L'Esperance on of the ships in the 1792 expedition of Bruni D'Entrecasteaux.The view from the summit is indeed breathtaking and well worth the effort.
We moved on to Lucky bay voted to having the whitest sand in Western Australia and what a beach, with one enterprising person serving coffee and tea from a trailer.The beach itself is crescent shaped with indeed white sand and beautiful clear water. Resident Kangaroos can be seen basking in the sun. A small camp site is situated next to the beach with limited sites available
Cape Le Grand
We climbed that mountain strictly controlled by the parks rangers these sites are at a premium and are on a first come first served basis.
On our way to Cape Le Grande beach we stopped at Hellfire bay to have lunch on an outcrop overlooking the bay,what a view.Cape Le Grande beach was a breathtaking as any others we have seen with a long expanse of white sand and safe shallow waters to swim in, camping was also allowed here again again a first come first served basis.Although we did not swim at either if these beaches we did take time to soak up the ambiance and magnificent views.
In the opposite direction away from Esperance is a coastal drive which circles round to come back to the town a trip of about 7ks, this short journey takes you to some wonderful beaches with safe swimming with names like West beach,Blue Haven, Salmon beach,Fourth beach, Twilight beach( voted most popular beach in WA) these beaches are stunning and this time of year sparsely populated.We spent some time at Twilight beach soaking up the ambiance and swimming in the pristine waters. There are many other national parks close by together with numerous scenic
drives, so much to see and do around here.
We decide to move on to a well known phenomena called Wave rock which is situated inland close to a town called Hyden.It takes us the best part of the day to reach our Caravan site stopping off at several small towns for a cuppa and lunch.The C/Pis only a hundred meters from the rock so once settled in we set out to explore the wave and surrounding area.Wave rock is stunning and well worth the trip to get here.Nothing to do with the sea for we are well inland, this rock formation is the result of weathering and water erosion and stands 15metres high and 110 metres long believed to have evolved over 60 million years.This is a truly magnificent site to see and admire,nature at it's best.The wave only became a national attraction following a photo competition in 1963/4 run by Kodak when a photograph of the wave won the Kodak International Colour Picture of the year in New York.The surrounding area abounds with nature walks and aboriginal history with a small cottage industry rising up to meet the tourist demand.We have decided to only spend one night
Cape Le Grand
A view half way up here so we explored the local area and of course the rock taking the opportunity to photograph the wave both in the afternoon light as well as the early morning.The plateau on top of the wave offers plenty of opportunity to explore the many walking trails leading away from the wave to other natural attractions.
The town of Hyden supports 100,000 tourist every year flocking here not only to see the Wave rock and other granite formations but also the bird life and wildflowers in season.Although a small town it has all the amenities required and has a relaxed feeling about it.With a history dating back to the late 1980's the town has a varied collection of memorabilia including a novel collection of street scape art depicting the changing face of Hyden through the years.Only spending one night here was not enough time to explore all this area has to offer,so this is yet another place to visit again in the future.
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marian
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Another great adventure shared. You brought the memories of wave rock to life again. Keep them coming