Esperance-Fitzgerald River National Park-Albany

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We spent 2 days in Esperance and drove around by the lovely Twilight Bay and all the lovely beaches. The Pink Lake wasn't pink but I guess it's seasonal. The weather was shocking with severe gale force winds and bursts of heavy rain.
We also drove out to visit Cap Le Grand national park and even in the miserable weather it was lovely but a long walk was not very appealing. Plenty of emu and birds around and the occasional chilly looking roo. We went out to Thistle Bay to look at Whistling Rock which has an indigenous dream time story to go with it. The rock wasn't whistling that day.
We were staying at the Esperance YHA and I feel obliged as part of this blog to give a review.
The staff were friendly and helpful and that is the only nice thing I can say.
It is shabby and the building flimsy. The bathrooms and showers are in an outside building and are not heated. The kitchen equipment is wretched and you are individually issued with crockery and cutlery. Knives and can openers have to be asked for at reception. The Dining Room is Arctic!!!
Everywhere are plastered "Do Not" signs and there is no food and drink in the lounge area where a single (locked) wood burning stove heats until about 9 (Do Not Touch This Fire Do Not Dry Clothes) which is when the kitchen is locked so you can't make a hot drink or access your food.
We called it Colditz and if I had 1 more night there I would have formed an escape committee.
So today we set off from Colditz with high hopes. We had planned to camp in Fitzgerald River National Park. It has an immensely important biosphere with very sensitive native plants.
On the way we saw a number of wedge tail eagles.
We took a dirt road down to Hopetoun and that's when things got interesting.
The road was quite damaged in sections and we had to ford several streams of flood water and running creeks.
When we got to the Eastern park entrance we discovered almost all the roads were closed and we were not able to see what we had hoped or access St Mary's inlet campground. So we have an extra night at Albany YHA which is the Ritz compared to Colditz.
Just grabbed pie of the day 2 minutes before closing time in a restaurant and now need to plan our days.

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