Esperance, Australia

Hmm, rolling over in bed this morning I wondered if I was going to be able to get out. Bits of me that I clearly don’t use regularly were howling with protest after yesterday’s Tour de Esperance. Gingerly I rolled out of bed and surprise, surprise, other than stiff legs things weren’t too bad.

Merryn and Patrick headed off to Cape Le Grande fairly early so that they could be back in time for Patrick to watch some of the AFL Grand Final. Lyn and I, two of the country’s least interested football fans, lazed about for another hour or so and then drove west along the coast to take another look at the beaches we visited yesterday and those further along that we missed. It was windier today, not too bad but not as nice a day as yesterday and we were pleased that we weren’t cycling today. The coast road doesn’t go as close to the beaches as the cycling path so we were fortunate to have been that close.

We found a spot named Observatory Point where you could see right back along the coast for a long way and the views here were magic but with the sun in the wrong spot we’ll run back this afternoon for some better photos.

Cape Le Grande National Park, about 50 kilometres from Esperance is renowned for it’s snowy white beaches. This is likely to be our last chance to visit a National Park on this trip so we made some sandwiches, packed some snack food and fueled up, leaving Esperance around 10:30.

Other than the beaches Cape Le Grande doesn’t have anything else to offer but the sand is the whitest we’ve ever seen and so clean that your feet squeak as you walk along. We started at Lucky Beach where we could drive down onto the beach and we headed out past the parked cars, parking and admiring the view for a while and of course, snapping a few pics. Whistling Rock and Thistle Cove were next and we caught up with Coughlins after hailing them over the UHF. This is another beautiful little beach and I can see why Esperance has a reputation as a holiday destination for Western Australians.

Lyn and I returned to Lucky Beach to eat our lunch and then took a look at Frenchman’s Peak which is a big climb but given how our legs feel, it will have to wait until next time. Hellfire Bay and Le Grande Beach are equally as stunning and had the tide been a bit different we may have driven the 22km back along the beach rather than taking the road to town.

We managed to stay out of radio and television range for the entire day but thanks to Facebook kept up to date on the football result. After doing a few chores around town on the way back to the park we had a couple of drinks with Scott & Nicole Davies (who have arrived in Esperance also) before dinner.