From:
To: Esperance (WA)
Via: Cape Le Grand National Park
Distance: 112km
High: Dolphins in Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park
Low: I can't walk to the top of Frenchman's Peak because it is too steep for my fear of heights
Quote of the day: Simon after we saw the dolphins "Our lucky day in Lucky Bay"
Animals: Seagulls (6), Sheep (many), Cows (many), Dolphins (2), Emus (1), Horses (9), Birds (many many species), Kangaroos (9), Bull Ants (3), Fish (1 - caught by a fisherman on the beach), Bees (5)
Colours: Brown and black of the granite hills, white of the beach sand, light and dark blue water, Grey clouds, Red flowers, Many shades of green bushes, black burned bushes, Black/Blue/Brown/Green in the port of Esperance
Cars: NA
Weather: morning average 13C cloudy, afternoon cloudy, 19C
Cape Le Grand National Park
Frenchman's Peak. 300 Million years old.
Along the way up the peak.
Some beautiful, yet tiny colours along the path.
Half way up the peak, three of us stop here because it gets too steep.
Simon goes up up up.
Red seems to be the most common wild flower colour here.
On the way down, together, confident and independent.
Pristine Lucky Beach
Seaweed washed ashore, such lovely colours.
Dolphins race past.
A windmill that pumps ground water for the campsites on this beach.
Back in Esperance, the 150m pier.
Esperance, the pier from the other side of the town.
A maze and lots of running to complete the day (as if we have not exercised enough today...)
Even though it's winter and it was very cloudy today, I'm writing today's blog with a glowing face. Sunburned after spending a day in the Le Grand National Park. Factor 50 did not do its usual trick. It must be the reflection of the granite and the water that burn our skin straight through the sunscreen.
We start the day by taking it easy. Which means that we are ready to leave for the park by 9am, which is outrageously late for our standards. But it was necessary. We finally have bread for breakfast again, and milk, fresh fruit and I make bacon and eggs. It's a luxury we have not had for days and we thoroughly enjoy it.
Bink shouts that he is ready to go because he has his strong arms and legs now, after this huge breakfast. We are off for a day in the National Park closest to Esperance. We see lots of wild life on the way to the park, but not the brumbies (wild horses) we were hoping for. We always want more, even though we already have seen so much!
Frenchman's peak is the first stop. It is one of the highest granite hills in the park and looks daunting. It is a very special hill as it is not only very old, but is also has a hole at the peak through which you can look through the hill to the other side. Isis, Bink and myself don't make it to the top though, it is far to steep and we stop half way. The boys go up without glancing back once. This is the life, the love it. While we wait we examine flowers, bull ants at work, some bees and Bink makes us hamburgers, salad and rice from stones and little gum tree leaves.
The next stop is at Luck Bay, which claims to be the whitest beach of Australia. The sand is quartz sand so it squeaks as we walk. We call it our musical walk. We have a picnic at the beach, watch dolphins race past and leave when people start fishing and catch one bog fish after another. I can't stand the sight of those struggling fish. I guess I'm a softie, but my beach experience is spoiled.
It is getting late anyway, we have to choose what other things we want to see and we drive and wander a bit more through the park until the children want to go home. Their big wish is to go to a playground before going to the holiday house. And there we end our outside adventures. In an old wooden maze which speaks to the imagination.
I want to hold on to the day, but times passes ruthlessly at a never changing pace. Day 11 is over too.
