7-Nov-2004
   

We spent two days travelling the 650kms from Albany to Esperance with an overnight stop at Hopetoun. Hopetoun is a sleepy little town on the coast next door to the Fitzgerald National Park. We just stopped the night there before moving on to Esperance to pick up some stores and then on to the Cape Le Grand National Park. The area is dominated by large granite hills up to 300mtrs high. The beaches are pure white and the sea is very blue.

Lucky Bay Campsite

There are a lot of French place names in this area. This is because the French are credited with discovering the area when two ships, 'L`Esperance' and 'Recherche' were forced to seek shelter here in 1792. The Dutch actually passed through in 1627 but didn't come ashore so they missed out!

Our campsite at Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand is located in the trees on the right.

Thistle Bay

The white powder sand at Cape Le Grand

The sand looks like snow or white powder and it feels like you are walking on cake icing. Well I guess that's what it feels like but I haven't really tried walking on cakes!

We walked along a bush track from Lucky Bay to Thistle Bay and here are some pictures we took of the scenery along the way. Cape LeGrand
Cape LeGrand

The cliffs near Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand

The granite rocks are full of caves and there were plenty of flowers to be found in between the rocks. We saw quite a few lizards and one small snake. If it had been a bit warmer I think we might have seen quite a few more snakes. When the bush got a bit thick, I let Ali walk in front just in case (well it's the navigators job to show the way isn't it!)

Thistle Bay, Cape Le Grand. Thistle Bay
Whistling Rock

Whistling Rock

When the wind is right, this rock whistles, it didn't while we were there!

  

Yes it did! He's going deaf.

Even the locals enjoy a day out at the beach. And they bring the youngsters with them.

Roo's on the beach at Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand

Roos on the beach
Roo with Joey on the beack The cliffs near Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand Thistle Bay, Cape Le Grand Some of the tourist pamphlets show photos of the roo's sunbathing on the beach, which is something not often seen elsewhere. I have never seen them at Calshot! We also saw some emus on another beach.