Esperance cont.

There is a 21km drive you can do in Esperance starting at the Information Centre.  On that 21km drive you visit more than 10 different beaches.   They all start to blur after a while.    It was a rough old day, the rain had stopped, but the wind was blowing a gale and the seas were getting quite rough.   On a beautiful still day they would have been sensational.   Still I have posted them here so that you can se the "islands" of granite that are all thru the bays here.

Twilight Beach, once voted the worlds best beach.   Many moons ago.

More Granite Islands

The beach from the town lookout

The port facility right in the CBD

Looking back to town and the port facility

We had planned to stay an extra day in Esperance in town, but Rick is anxious to move on so we are now heading North to Norseman than we will turn East and start the journey on the Nullabor.   I have tried to drag it out a bit longer but Rick wont cooperate!!!!  Im losing the battle.!!!!   I love the Coast and dont want to leave it yet.   Home is beckoning.    Not sure what service there is as we cross the Nullabor this week so may or may not be updating for a while.   Quite possibly there wont be anything worth reporting anyway.

Cape Le Grand and Lucky Bay

Parked up and ready to drive for kms along Cape Le Grand beach, the other campspot in the Nat. Park

Shamrock Bay, the white sand dunes in the background

Hellfire Bay, this was beautiful. We walked all the way around this bay and were treated to a show from some dolphins that were fishing off shore

Whistling rock - Another "dog" rock we think.  The rock actually does whistle as the wind comes thru.  

The dolphins we spotted.  There looked to be about a dozen just off shore and we caught these ones "surfing"

Parked on Lucky Bay beach

The view as you enter the campground

The view from the steps of the bus

The other view from the steps of the bus

This rock is a 3km walk to the top. We didnt do it of course

The kangas in the campground, they just hang around and wander around the vans without any fear.

Our neighbours water bucket.

Albany-Ravensthorpe-Esperance

Leaving Albany we headed to an overnighter at Ravensthorpe.  It was an interesting trip watching the landscape constantly change.   We had wheatfields, sheep, cattle, eucalypt/tree farms, forests of nat. park and then mines.   Two very large mines were seen, one at night lit up like fairyland.  The other mine, which we couldnt work out what it was processing was as big as any that we had seen up North.    We pulled into a bush camp, settled down and then it started to bucket down.  No service, so card games and draughts were played until we went to bed.   Then we started to feel our camp was just a little "creepy" no reason, we just both felt uncomfortable.  So at 9.30 we jumped out of bed, started up the bus and took off back into town.   Dinner dishes in the sink, half asleep, half dressed.  Ended up in the middle of town in one of their parks.  Not quite a legal stopover but we were stuffed and just didnt care.   The camp was prob. perfectly OK, we just had "that" feeling.    The next day we set off for Esperance.   It rained all the way and we werent feeling happy.   (Sue - thought of you & Brian then and your time visiting Esperance)   Got to the Esperance Info Centre, told them we were heading for Cape Le Grand Nat. Park and Lucky Bay and they said as far as they knew the campground was full.   There was no way they could check its status, we just had to drive the 55km out there, and if full, drive 55km back!!!!!.   Not impressed.   When we got out there it was 3/4 empty.    Our friend Paula told us we would love Esperance and she wasnt wrong.    As you turn down to go into campground, the words OH MY GOD couldnt be held back.   What a stunning place.   Crystal clear waters, white sand that went on forever, granite rocks everywhere.     Such a beautiful place to camp up, $12 per night, looking over Lucky Bay.  You could drive for kms along the beach, swim, fish or just soak up the beauty.    The whole of Cape Le Grand National Park was beautiful.   We visited all the bays and took far too many photos.   This lower end of WA is seriously granite rock country.    There are "mountains" of granite here that would give Ayers Rock a run for its money they are so huge, but their colours annd landscape make them breathtaking. We were so lucky because the sun shone for us and we were able to sit back and just enjoy.    This is one  place where you can see kangaroos lazing on the white sands of the beach.   They were there each afternoon around 4.30, I wish I had taken photos of them as our "neighbours" in the campground did and they were fantastic.  Bugger.    We were too lazy to walk around the beach to visit them. I could have stayed for weeks, but Rick is anxious to move on and get home, so 3 days was it for us.     Definitely the place to visit again and again. The day we left it started to rain once again.    I have posted pictures on the next instalment.

Albany

Can you see the puppy's head - this is The Gap at one of the National Parks here in Albany.

The Bridge - I cant remember its name

Dog Rock - Does he look like a Staffy.   This is the feature of the Dog Rock Shopping Centre (Woolworths)

Dog Rock Motel

Salmon Pond Bay - pure rock

Albany is a very large City and we liked it very much.   Parked up in a caravan park, next to the main beach which is huge.   This place is built on and surrounded by pure granite rock.   As you can see from the examples above.   Lots of houses are built with foundations over massive rocks on their blocks.  Others are set back from the rocks, then landscaped to include the rock as its garden.  Everywhere you look you see these monstrous but very attractive rocks.     Lots of lovely old heritage type buildings here, all mostly around where the Port is.  Albany has a huge and very busy port facility, lots of ships coming and going being loaded with various cargoes and has been so since the 1800s.   Whaling was also very big here.    It would be a great spot for whale watching at the right time of the year as Albanys bays are easily viewed from a number of great lookouts. This place was also the embarkation point for the Anzacs when they went to fight in WW1.  It was very hot here, spent time  walking the beaches and in the park pool, but also watching the smoke clouds in the sky. We thought it was from Margaret River but then found out there were fires not far from Denmark, around 50kms from here, where we were last.  The weather has changed so fingers crossed the fires are now under control as I type.  Last reports 39 houses lost at Margaret River.

Cable Beach Albany not as nice as Broomes Cable Beach but very private

Waiting for a feed, we tried to give them chips but they were waiting for the fishermen to clean their catch.

Parrys Beach

We camped for a couple of days at a nice cheap little campground at Parrys Beach.   The Kite surfer below is on the beach, he is one of the campers we have been constantly bumping into along the way.   The pretty beach photos are Greens Point a 10min drive from our Camp.   This little bay beach is prob. one of the most beautiful we have ever seen.   Our fav. spots so far in Exmouth and Coral Bay are up there, but we just thought this was No.1

Two walks along the beach, saw us scrambling when two dugites were on the sand and along the rocks we were walking on.  It must be "the season" our caretaker had a tiger snake nxt to his cabin and we saw one on the road as we drove out of the camp.

We are now down in Denmark.   In a caravan park after 14 days of "free" camping.  The laundry has piled up, we have been travelling on dirt roads, to see some beaches/bays, the bus is putrid inside and out, the car unrecognisable (been driving on the beach at Parrys) and its time for house work.  Mind you its hot here - 32o so its not a pleasant job, rather be relaxing though there isnt a pool here which is very strange.  I guess the beach is 5min away so perhaps thats the reason.   We can see the smoke from the fires from here and have even had ash floating in the air.    This caravan park is huge and very beautiful.   In its peak times (late Dec to Easter) they have 2000 campers coming and going thru the park.    Lots of kangaroos all over the place amongst the sites and lots of poo everywhere.   The owner of this park owns an automotive business in Perth, spending big $$$$ here, owns another caravan park elsewhere plus a vineyard.   Another one with too much money!!!!!     Today is a sightseeing day so Im looking forward to visiting Swiss Annies - a Licensed Chocolate restaurant.  If Rick will let me?

Pemberton to Walpole

This Tingle Tree is more than 300y.o. and is very healthy!!!!!!!

Grandpa Tingle Tree



Treetop Walk

 The home of the Giant Tingle Trees and the treetop walk.  Had never heard of these trees but they are amazing.There are Red and Yellow Tingle Trees. Eucalypts.  They can grow up to 75M tall and 20M round.   They have hollow bases caused by fires, insects etc.   As long as part of the tree under the bark is alive, the trees will continue to grow.    Dozens of them with all sorts of hollow trunks but all growing strong.

The Treetop Walk is 600M long and is 40M above the ground.  Walking amongst the Eucalypts.  Lovely feel on top of the forest.  There is also a walk amongst the Giant Tingle Trees here which was fun as some of them have trunks that you can picture as something comical.

Margaret River to Pemberton

I am typing this and listening to the news of fires at Margaret River, so hope it gets under control without loss of life.

Margaret River - The town itself is quite small, you can walk up one side of the street and then down the other in about 20 mins.   Rick and I did some of the attractions - cheese factory, chocolate factory, nut & cereal factory etc. mostly it was all about the scenery.    We then left for Pemberton and camped up in the bush.  Nice camp but no service here.  Big Brook Dam is close by and it is a really beaut spot for swimming and great trout fishing.  Here is the Gloucester Tree, the highest working fire lookout in the world. You can climb the 153 rungs up 60Metres to the lookout if you are keen.  Naturally we didnt.

Our bush camp. The trees behind us are 90 y.o.

This was where I spent my birthday.  Deep in the bush, no internet no phone and Rick was sick as a dog.  Got sick Friday night and ended up for most of Sat. either huddled in a chair, in the toilet or sleeping in bed.   All the other campers left for a day of sightseeing and I was alone except for the magpies and rosellas.  I read a book and a half in the peace and quiet.    We stayed two days cos Rick was too weak and light headed to move one.   Even when we pulled out he still wasnt 100% and it took a couple of days to get over the bug.
We managed  couple of scenic drives, visiting Windy Harbor which was a recommended Camp spot for us.  Must admit it wasnt all that nice so glad we had chosen to stay in the bush instead.   The Karri Forests were stunning though.  They grow so tall and straight and their trunks are so pretty it makes you feel so good as you drive thru them.