ESPERANCE, W.A.

As you are all probably aware, I have been updating our blog periodically, when we have a little spare time.

Well, at the moment it is 8.15pm in Albany, WA and we are expecting cyclonic winds up to a Category 2 (or 125 - 140kms/hour) tonight from about midnight on.  We have had dinner and have just now lowered our pop-top on the van and cleared any articles away from outside in case of the weather forcast being absolutely correct.

Just thought you ought to know this in case I get disconnected unexpectedly (or drowned out completely, or both, or something far more drastic than even Greg's pocket knife or wheel brace can fix *lol*)

We arrived in Esperance in quite a lot of wind (not from Greg's side of the vehicle fortunately), but the guy in the next 'van said the previous night did the same thing, but the morning was beautiful.

 Just across from our Caravan Park

 

 These two pics are from the lookout over Esperance in W.A.  It was drizzling rain, so not as clear as I would have liked, but you can see quite a large area.  The 3rd pic is also from this look out also to the south.

WEST BEACH (Western View)

WEST BEACH (Eastern View)

Tip of West Beach on eastern view with seagulls











Salmon Beach (where the Salmon just jump into buckets too small for them!)

                                                                 Hope he didn't mind his pic being taken :D (The salmon that is - kinda embarrassing pic that, with yer tail in full view)

FOURTH BEACH (Sth West View)

Twilight Beach (South View)

 Twilight Beach (West view and East View with cold-tolerant learn-to-paddleboard people)

 Twilight Beach with the Southern view again

and No! I do not fully trust Greg not to tell me when that next cold wave comes in :O

Next stop on the tourist route was Observatory Point.  It was behind these islands off the point that the de Esperance in 1792 anchored and took shelter in the lee of the islands from the wind.

 From Observatory Point and Beach, we saw 9 mile Beach and above here was where Australia's first trial Wind farm was established. 

Behind the mountain lies Pink Lake (which is caused by the algae in the water which contain very high levels of carotenoids)  Incidentally, it is this same algae that is in Lake Nakuru in Africa that gives the flamingoes their brightness from there.

Friday, 8th June 2012

CAPE LE GRAND NATIONAL PARK

Today we got our pass for the National Parks and headed into Cape Le Grand.   On the way we stopped and had a look at Frenchman Peak

 Frenchman Peak

 

Hellfire Bay

Little Hellfire Bay

                                                                WHISTLING  ROCKS

 

And this is overlooking beautiful Lucky Bay from Rossiter Bay Lookout.

Unshown in any camp book/caravan park book etc, (probably because it is in the NP), this beautiful spot is well worth a visit.  The area just above the bay has caravan and camping sites, a shower/toilet block and is just a haven of wildlife and flora.  Truly lovely

This was the view of Rossiter Bay from the lookout. 

Oh yeah, on that subject of wildlife, this critter still thinks distinguished is handsome!  Man I know he is only keeping it to rub me the wrong way - hah!  It'll get soft soon *snicker, snicker* but I bet he shaves it off then 'coz all the fun will have gone out of it!!!

 Going down the mountain we came into Rossiter Bay wich was really nice too.  There are so many beautiful places along this coast area it is too hard to show all of them.

 LITTLE WHARTON BEACH in Duke of Orleans Bay was picturesque, to say the least.

 

These two pics are just a little overflow from the bay into a back area.  Not too sure if it gets much of a wash out very often, but appears to be a really good place for birds and small animals to grow.

The seaweed and kelp washed up here was amazing.  Just masses and masses of it, and so many dead crabs in amongst it with beautiful coloured sponges, sea-pens and assorted types of soft corals.  The seas must have been very heavy recently.

       And the water was just too inviting so what else would a girl want to do in a beautiful place like this.....