Blogs from Esperance, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 5

As we were getting ready to prepare breakfast this morning a kangaroo with joey in tow hopped right onto our campsite and surveyed the van for possible morning snacks but after waiting in vain retreated to the bush for more traditional tucker. They were not the last roos to visit today which made for some good photos. We headed out for a mid-morning hike that took us on some surrounding trails to the top of Mount Melville. The summit provided a picturesque view with the coast on one side and bush and farm land on the other. Back to the campsite and down to the beach for a quick dip before lunch. After some reading we decided to take a quick siesta as the day warmed up. Two hours later we finally woke and decided to ... read more

Felt decidedly refreshed this morning after a solid sleep due to cooler overnight temperatures in the south. We decided to take the bikes out after breakfast and explore the area before it got too warm. There are a lot of fruit orchards around and also one or two truffle farms. Summer rains have kept the surrounds very green which provides a relaxing atmosphere. We took the trail into town and back which ended up being a 20 km round trip - solid workout. Only one thing to do to celebrate Australia Day - down to the pool with the lazy boys and a few beers on ice. Well I don't think I'll be moving too far from here on in.... read more

The last two days of the house sit was spent taking it easy and getting prepared to hit the road. Once again I underestimated the time it would take to pack everything back into the van and clean the house; you tend to try and do a better job cleaning someone else's house than you would your own. The owners got back late on 24 January and they were very happy with the house and that the dogs were in good spirits. Having booked in earlier in the day we then set up the swag at the local caravan park. Tough night as it only cooled to the mid 20s. Time to move south for a few weeks to escape the incoming heat wave. The last weather report we saw read something like this: 40, 40, ... read more

Today we are leaving Esperance for a free camp destination at Mason Bay. Following the South Coast Hwy for 60 or so Klm passing through predominantly cropping country we saw herds of beef cattle and Merinos for the first time in months. We had decided to get of the main roads and head towards the coast to follow it to Mason Bay and as such we turned off at Springdale Road, a dirt road that appeared on our maps and info to head about 15 Klm towards the coast to meet another dirt road that would follow the coast. It was amazing to pass wild Kangaroo Paw, growing profusely along the roadsides and we thought about all the thousands of dollars that are spent on buying this plant and attempting to grow it in gardens in ... read more

Leaving K.B. (Kalgoorlie-Boulder)we headed west to Coolgardie. As you will (may!) recall from the previous blog alluvial gold was found here in 1892. Coolgardie grew quickly in the next 10 years to be a town of 15,000 people, 23 hotels, 6 banks and 2 stock exchanges ! The main street was made wide enough for camel trains to turn around in & was lined with some magnificent buildings & although few remain today, of the ones that have survived, 23 have been listed on the National State Register. Walking the main street looking at these buildings we noticed many 'markers' positioned at historic sites utilising stories & photographs to recapture the gold rush days. As many of you 'older' (with respect !) Aussies will know, Coolgardie is also famous for something other than gold. As in ... read more