Esperance, Western Australia

Sammy the Sea Lion takes in the sun!

We left Woorlba Homestead Rest Area just a few minutes after eight o'clock. It was a cool, crisp morning but beautiful. Time to pull out the winter woollies again, something I hadn't done since our morning at Acraman Camp Ground where it got down to below four degrees Celsius.

After coffee at Balladonia we continued to Norseman arriving on lunch time and decided to eat in.

Did a tour of the main street by foot, but many of the shops in the town centre open for a few hours a day therefore many were shut. At the information centre we picked up a brochure or two about Esperance.

By the time we arrived in Esperance that afternoon we'd driven over four hundred kilometres. We were pretty tired after the long drive over the Nullarbor and we were looking forward to spending two or even three days in and around Esperance.

Drove into the town with great expectations, would it be as beautiful as I was expecting it to be? I was surprised to find that Esperance is a wheat growing region.

Esperance didn't disappoint. Just look at the colour of the ocean, absolutely as I expected it to be, the town though was a little larger than I though it would be.

It was somewhat windy when we arrived and we were feeling a little spent from the many kilometres driven over the past three or four days so decided to spoil ourselves and book into a cabin. The Esperance Bay Holiday park was just perfect. Ahhh! Had a quiet night in, a bit of telly, sausages and three veg for dinner which we cooked in the self contained chalet, caught up on the laundry the next morning and set out for a mid morning stroll along the pier where we met Sammy the sea lion. What a lazy sea lion he turned out to be! Turned his nose up at everyone that wandered by him.

Started to walk out along the pier but it was too windy so wandered back.

Did some window shopping in the town and came across a photo kiosk, had our camera with us so popped in and had some photos developed. While we were there who should we come across but Mark and Mal whom we'd met at Cactus Beach. It was great to catch up with them and we filled in some minutes while our photographs were being developed.

Next...lunch, ahhh...what would we do with all our time if we didn't have to eat?

Found a great little eatery called Alimento and tucked into a gluten free ricotta pancake stack with smoked salmon while Andrew had pie of the day with chips and salad....mmmm.

The afternoon was filled in with the forty kilometre Great Ocean Drive to take in the sights.

We'd decided to camp at the Cape Le Grand National Park at Le Grand Beach, rather than at Lucky Bay. Mark and Mal had advised us that it was more protected at the Cape.

It's a fifty kilometre plus drive from Esperance to Cape Le Grande National Park and we arrived at the camp around four thirty. We've purchased a holiday pass for Western Australia national parks. This allows us day entry into the parks (which is payable even when camping) but not camping fees, which were eighteen dollars for two people per night.

We were greeted by the camp hosts, who assisted us with finding a suitable site and also collected our fees.

Loved this place, only about twelve or thirteen sites, all carved out of the surrounding densely growing bushes, each spot just large enough for a caravan with space alongside. The wind wasn't too bad and we felt protected enough from the ocean. We'd had quite a substantial lunch so we prepared toasted cheese rye bread sandwiches in the camp kitchen (which had gas barbecue and range top) which we washed down with tea.

Early to bed for an early start. Slept to the sound of the waves.