Hopetoun to Cape Le Grand National Park

Day 242

Pack up and leave Hopetoun, bound for Esperance a couple of hours drive further along the coast.

Arrive in good time and call in at the visitors in the hope of getting some information on a nearby National Park as we have heard that it is a good one and well worth staying there. As we walk into the visitors centre there is a notice outside saying that both campsites in the National Park are full! Not a good start we think but head in to ask anyway. Turns out they have had queues of people outside the park that morning and there is no way there are any spaces left. The woman suggests that if we really want to go we should turn up about 7 in the morning and get in the queue (a la Cape range)!

Back in the van slightly dejected we realise that it is a Friday, it’s a nice day and it’s still school holidays so no wonder they are full! Looking at our options we decide to retrace our steps by 70km and take a turn off to Quagi beach, down a ‘gravel’ road for 10km’s and hope that they have a space there. We do the 70km no problem but the gravel road is very rough and it takes us ages to do the final bouncy 10km to the campsite.

Once we are there we are relieved to find that there are plenty of sites and even more relieved when we see that it only $2 a night! The campsite is alright as well, they have toilets and an outdoor shower and we set up Polly and go and investigate the beach.

It’s a lovely bay with a rocky outcrop at one and miles of empty beach stretching off in the other direction and we return to the van happy that we made the trip down that road after all.

Day 243

After a great night’s sleep listening to the waves crashing we awake to find it’s a beautiful sunny day and decide to hit the Beach.

Head off for a stroll to explore the rocks and after a couple of hours exploring return to the beach for a swim and a sunbathe (it’s a hard life).

In the afternoon have a big push on our Christmas jigsaw, which we have been carting around, half-finished for ages and make a pact that if we don’t finish it today its going back in the box. Despite our best efforts we are nowhere near finished (it doesn’t come with a picture) by the end of the day and so defeated it goes back in the box to fight another day. Beaten by a jigsaw!

Day 244

Pack everything up, which seems a lot easier now that we don’t have a half-finished jigsaw getting in the way and head back along the gravel road (these things invariably seem easier on the way out) and back into Esperance only to find that it is closed on Sundays! Literally the only thing we can find open is a fish and chip shop and so it’s fish and chips for lunch then (Rob and Davey will be happy).

Before checking into a campsite for the night we take a short drive along the coast to what has been billed ‘Australia’s best beach’ and did in fact win that accolade in 2006. Twilight beach is absolutely beautiful, the sand is amazing, very soft and almost powdery, it’s so fine and as white as we have seen anywhere else (including Whitehaven beach)! The water too is crystal clear and (although a little nippy) has a wonderful aqua marine colour to it. Plus there are some great big rocks plonked there, perfect for climbing on! No wonder this is W.A.’s most popular beach. Absolutely beautiful.

The time seems to pass so quickly here and before we know it it’s time to go and get a campsite for the night. Back in Esperance and just past the centre we stop at Bathers paradise campsite and check ourselves (and Polly) in for the night. Set up and as its still hot so we head down to bathers bay for a late afternoon dip to cool off.

The beach here is pretty nice too and we enjoy a cooling swim in the bay, complete with tankers coming in to load up at Esperance docks in the background!

Day 245

Up early for our departure and a second attempt at getting in to the National Park. It’s a grey, overcast and drizzly morning but we aren’t going to let that dampen our spirits (boom, boom) and so we pack up and hightail it off to the supermarket (open today as it’s Monday!). Shopping done we jump back in Polly and head off towards Cape Le Grand National Park. It’s about 60km away and in the drizzle takes us a while but we arrive at Lucky bay nice and early and are overjoyed to see that there are spots available.

As soon as we have parked up and popped the top Skippy is round checking us out and we have to shoo him off to stop him coming in the van!

The weather hasn’t improved that much and so after we have settled in and had some lunch we head off for a walk (hike) over to the next bay complete with raincoats and jumpers!

The rain does stop but it is still grey as we arrive at thistle cove and walk down over the rocks to look at the ocean. There are some good rocks here too, one that looks like a frozen wave (which I try to surf) and one that looks decidedly like a dog’s head.

Along with that are a number of small caves which I am straight in but get a bit frightened at the prospect of snakes and so am straight back out again!

We stroll back the way we came to Lucky bay and Skippy (plus joey) are there waiting for us, sniffing around the van looking for something to eat.

Pretty good facilities here so we spark up the barbie for tea and retire hoping the weather will have improved by the time we wake up.

Day 246

Another grey and windy start to the day puts pay to any thought we had of an early swim so instead go for a stroll along the beach and clamber up some more rocks at the end to have a look. More small caves for me to explore (whilst Carmen waits at a safe distance) and lots of clambering later we return to Polly for some lunch.

The weather seems to improving so we go for another stroll along the beach but this time head right around to the other end of the bay. The wind is pretty strong and of course it’s a headwind the whole way which makes the going slow and at times difficult but as we reach the far end the sun pokes its head out and we think we have found paradise.

Rocky fingers project into the sea to form beautiful, secluded beaches and the water seems to have gone from murky grey to an iridescent aqua marine in a matter of minutes.

More giant rocks to clamber over (always good) and a lookout offering you sweeping views back along the bay make this well worth the walk (even with the wind).

The walk back (with the wind) is thankfully a lot easier and after a hot shower and a hot meal (and another visit from Skippy) we hit the hay, happy explorers.

Day 247

Sunny this morning but the wind is still blowing and so we decide to check out some of the other beaches in the park. First stop is Le Grand beach, just a short drive through the park. The beach here is big and wide and stretches off further than you can see with 4WD’s zooming up and down it. We take refuge from all the traffic at the end of the beach and find a sheltered spot out of the wind to lay down our towels and head in for a swim.

The water is pretty cold but lovely and we both splash around for a bit before returning to the sand for a lie and a sunbathe.

Next stop is Hellfire bay and what a cracker it is too! It’s a smallish, protected bay, pretty much out of the wind with the now commonplace squeaky white sand.

It’s pretty much deserted again and the water is the same, crystal clear aqua marine colour. We can’t believe our luck to have found such beautiful beaches and enjoy a swim and a laze about in the sun for the afternoon before returning to the campsite for a slap up meal and a cold beer, perfect!

Day 248 (Australia day)

The sun has got his hat on for Australia day! Every other car and campsite seems to be decorated with the Australian flag although on closer inspection a lot of them are the West Australian version (A yellow circle with a black swan in place of the southern cross) just adding fuel to the ‘W.A. is another country’ fire!

After a leisurely breakfast we hit the beach for a swim at Lucky bay, seemingly along with the rest of the campsite! It’s as beautiful as before but the wind is still blowing and so after a few dips and few lies in the sun we return to the van for some R and R.

I head out on the bike in the afternoon and decide I will go along the unsealed track leading from the campsite to the next bay along, Rossiter bay.

It’s only 6km away but the road is pretty badly corrugated and there is the ever present headwind to deal with as well so by the time I arrive I am knackered and collapse on the beach to get my breath back (and some feeling back in my legs).

As I sit there Skippy bounces into view and stops right in front of me to have a look and see what I am up to but once he decides I don’t have anything to eat he bounces off again.

As always the return journey (with the wind) is far easier and I fly along, glad that I have suspension over the rough road and arrive back hot and sweaty but glad that I did it and more importantly glad that we didn’t decide to drive down there in Polly!