On the road again, again

It was time to leave civilisation, before we got too used to city life. Heading inland from Perth we were soon in the wheat belt. Vast open plains of golden fields stretched for miles on either side of us. We were once again on the open road, not another car in sight. Corrigin, an unassuming little wheat belt town, provided a welcome pit stop. Actually, it was quite interesting. In 1974 a dog cemetery was established.

Poor ol' Jedda






Headstones rivalling those of their human counterparts were dedicated to Dusty, Rover and Spot. But, ohhhh the flies were out in force once more. Wearing fly net hats, we took on the appearance of bank robbers, albeit in a slow getaway car. And, they didn’t let up once we reached our camp spot for the night at the base of Wave Rock. Wave Rock is a 15 metre high granite cliff that has been weathered by water erosion to form a ‘wave’.

Dave surfing Wave Rock

Dissolving minerals add a striped colour effect, so it really looks like a roaring wave. Pretty cool. Indeed, the area has many cool formations, with the Hippos Yawn another favourite.

Hippo's Yawn

Having climbed The Breakers- a mini wave rock, we bade farewell. Goodbye flies!! Heading towards the coast once more, the landscape was dominated by salt pans and brown wheat fields, having recently been harvested. The only colour in this barren landscape was the bush corridor running beside the road. Reaching the coast, near Hopetoun we stopped off to savour the cool ocean breeze. Barrens Beach was deserted except for us and a decomposing humpback whale carcass. Every year migrating whales wash ashore along this coastline, most having died of natural causes. The DEC leaves them, as they form a vital part of the food chain. It was a pretty awesome sight, but the smell was not so pleasant.

Rotting whale carcass, tail in foreground

Leave a tub of butter out in the sun for a few weeks and you get an idea of the rancid smell. To think, this tallow fat is what tasty McDonalds chips were once cooked in.... As we pondered this thought, out of nowhere a Roulette fighter plane silently appeared from behind the nearby headland. It really took us by surprise, as the setting had been so serene. Flying only about 100 metres above, we looked up as yet more appeared- five Roulettes in total. They must have also heard about the whale carcass, for before we knew it they made a beeline for us, dipping their wings to get a closer view. It was actually quite a frightening moment- they really looked poised to shoot us down. With nowhere to run, we can only imagine the fear enemy soldiers would surely feel. With all that excitement, it was off to set up home. I must admit feeling a little despondent. I still had my ‘city eyes’ on as I viewed our campsite in the Fitzgerald National Park. Dirty black sand and pit toilets, with none of the city luxuries. I had to take a step back and open my eyes to the beauty. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long. Dave and I set up our chairs on the clean, sandy bank of a large lake, under the shade of a gnarled paperbark tree. As the water lapped at our feet we gazed at the distant mountains, while sipping a glass a Vasse Felix. We soon reconnected with nature and each other.

Sitting at the waters edge, Fitzgerald River NP

Recharged we packed up and headed towards Esperance. We were both looking forward to Esperance and the Cape Le Grand National Park, which we were told had Australia’s best beach at Lucky Bay. We also had a smile on our face as we set up camp, for who should be positioned next to us, but our friends Lauren and Brendan from Perth! Esperance has a real nice feel about the town, and clean fresh air. However, Lucky Bay in the Cape Le Grand National Park was one of the biggest disappointments of our trip. Granted the view was stunning with bold granite headlands and ice blue water washing up on brilliant, white sand. It was possibly the most magnificent beach view to date. However, our plans of a picnic and swim were thwarted. Having trekked to the beach, we were first greeted by the stench of rotting sea grass.

He jumped out in front of me during our trek!

Stepping foot on the sand, we soon realised it was wet, with nowhere dry to lay a towel. Still walking the length, we soaked up the sheer beauty, as the sand crunched underfoot rather like the feeling of hard snow.

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand NP

By the end of the day, we visited and walked the length of all the beaches- Thistle Cove, Rossiter Bay and Hellfire Bay. Each made up of white sand and vivid blue water, but leaving us with sore legs! Fortunately the Esperance coastline is dominated by majestic beaches and with 35 degrees forecast, we headed for a day at Twilight Bay. Granite boulders looking like they have tumbled into the water, made a protected spot for us to swim. The sun was out, the water oh so inviting and we were happy.

Esperance Beach

With only a day left in this town, we perused the local markets, before heading to the jetty, where Sammy the Sea Lion is known to hang. Sure enough there he was, showing off and waiting for scraps from the fishermen cleaning their catch. He entertained us by shaking his head in a yes motion- meaning he wanted more food (click play to view video below). Finished gutting their haul the fishermen left.

Sammy the Sea Lion

Sammy too headed for the open water. But wait... here comes another fisherman! You could almost see the smile on Sammy’s face as he sped back to the jetty, jumping in and out of the water. Alas, they had no catch, but Sammy stayed awhile in hope.