Le Grand National Park Week40

                         Week 40

                 Le Grand National Park

Who out there says we aren’t creatures of habit? Of course our last day in Esperance was in the other golf course we discovered. Playing with the birds here is an experience for old ducks like me. It is the first golf course we have encountered which doesn’t end the ninth hole at the clubhouse. By the time we had played twelve and eventually reached our thermos of coffee, we were hanging out big time. Thus we came to understand why this club has one fixed price. Who is going to stop after nine when you haven’t arrived back at your car?

We ended up playing in an unusually hot day and ended up with an old guys whose partner had deserted him because of the heat - no not his wife, his golfing partner. He was a relative beginner who could hit that driver, but had no control over direction. He hit some long long shots, but finding them was a problem.

Thus with long awaited anticipation we headed out for a sojourn at Lucky Bay, one of the campspots in Cape Le Grand National Park. Because there are showers, the price is $9 per person per night, but they don’t guarantee hot water, or indeed water itself, but they do charge you for it. Camp hosts come around about 5 to collect your dollars, so the savy travellers come in at 7 hoping for a spot and a free night.

This indeed was a popular destination and as we edged each night closer to the school holidays in WA, there were more and more campers each night. We couldn’t get over the number of Frenchmen here.

Because I was a squib, Brian had to climb Frenchman’s Peak by himself, but teamed up with some French backpackers and they took some shots for him to show he had scaled the heights. I don’t do steep rocky slopes with bravado so Brian was kind and didn’t pressure me.

We had been for a walk between Lucky Bay and the next cove that was described as an easy walk. After that, I was even more disturbed about attempting a climb they described as hard. Our legs got a good workout on the easy walk. It must be beautiful in the height of the wildflower season, but we are still captivated by the magic of this park.

Many of the bays and coves are deserted and offer idyllic spots to picnic or just savour the surroundings. On the more popular beaches you can see walkers, surfers and kiteboarders or even fishermen driving further to find that perfect spot. But we are in the south, so the water temperature is not enticing, especially in the wind. Still hardy souls are swimming and snorkeling with gay abandon.

Our neighbour was a local here for a few days serious fishing and shared his catch of salmon with us and the van next door as well, so we had an unanticipated feed of fish that was delectable.

All good things must come to a close, and though there are showers here, there is only so long the water in the caravan will allow unpowered camping without facilities. We must learn to be more frugal. I have learnt to do the “bushman’s shower” so it is great when I go to a shower where I can leave it running and enjoy!!!!! So we headed for another long drive, broken by a free camp on the way. Now we can boast we stayed at Needilup, behind the hall, population 1. Camps five let us down, because they promise toilets here, but they haven’t been operational for at least 4 years, but the local populace was friendly and offered the use of their facilities if the need arose.

Our destination is the Stirling Range National Park, but we stop at Ongerup to fill up the tanks and to view the Mallee Fowl information Centre. We are the first visitors for a week, so it is not the height of their tourist season. These small communities are doing it tough, but they still have spirit and good cheer.

So we finally emerge through the dust of roadworks at Moingup Springs campground, our base for exploring the Stirling Range National Park. The mist is so low in the morning the air is wet, but it is not actually raining. 

We didn’t have the best weather, but we did manage to explore. The best was Bluff Knoll, the easiest walk. Most are class 4 and 5 and three to four hours, a bit beyond my abilities and fitness, but we do walk for an hour and get an impression of why people should visit here. On our return the winds whipped up to a mini gale and showed us why you have to be prepared for all eventualities. If the weather had improved, we would have stayed another day or to so Brian could go back and climb to the top, but it wasn’t to be.

There have been searchers here looking for a missing hiker. They searched for ten days but have now given up. It is vast, dangerous, but beautiful. At our camp are white tailed black cockatoos who remind us of flying fox colonies. They screech and squark at first light, jostling for position so sleep beyond 4am is broken.

After a week of unpowered bush camping, the washing basket is full, and the batteries in the van, over four years old have run their course in life so must be replaced. We have also been out of phone and email contact for the week so have missed communicating with the real world. Undecided as to our next destination, we have stopped in Mount Barker, mostly to wash. Brian of course blanched at the price and is now champing at the bit to free camp again to test out his new batteries. Rain is keeping us closeted in the dry and warm but they need it desperately here so we don’t begrudge them a drop. It is interesting to see reports of flooding in Carnarvon, where their river usually runs underground, not a drop to be seen and is the town’s water supply along with all the farms in the district.

It was great to get a message from Carola that she is a grandmother to Emily Kate. Congratulations to Kevin and Rianna and all the family. Another little dancer has entered the world. Wow!!!!

Merry Christmas to you all.

Best wishes for a festive time with family and friends and loved ones to be thankful for a beautiful world.

The peaceful Nomads.

Esperance Week 39

                        Esperance

                            Week 39

Our longest move in quite a while has been achieved this week from Denmark to Esperance. In deference to poor Brian behind the wheel, we free-camped for a night just outside Ravenstorphe. We are really in wheat country here as the rolling fields stretch as far as the eye can see and national parks are fewer and farther between.

Esperance is a pleasant town, large enough to have most services, but small enough not to need traffic lights. It has the feel of Cairns when I was a teenager.

It is no surprise to see several wind farms here. I think the southern ocean breezes blow often and strong. The names of bays and inlets are alluding to the mighty power of the stormy ocean and the havens sheltering the poor sailors.

The beaches here are stunning, but their popularity with bathers is inverse to the number of steps from the road to the beach. Hence, by the time you have walked 150 stairs down to the beach, you hope you haven’t left anything back in the car.

The most popular beach is Twilight beach because you are right there on the sand. It is sheltered and calm and rivals Green Pool for pulling power. 

The Ocean Drive here stops at quite a number of beaches and by the time you have visited them all, your leg muscles have had a work out. Each one has its own magic pulling power and all are worth at least a few moment of your time.

Of course after driving on Monday and Tuesday, we were keen to check out the nearest golf course to our park, only $10 for nine holes and double for eighteen holes. Believe me, nine at a time is enough. It is hilly plus, so pushing the golf cart around as well as striking the ball is hard work. The bonus was the grassed greens, magic after all these months of sand greens. Our exploration of the area has uncovered another course that we shall test out before we move to Le Grand National Park on Tuesday. How many of you have a National park bearing your name? We couldn’t pass up the opportunity of staying a few days out there to cross another one off the bucket list.

We have gone out to Le Grand National Park for a reconnoitre to check it was suitable for our size van. There are lots of opportunities for walking and fishing. 

The signature plant of this region is a brilliant orange wattle that dominates and catches your attention instantly. The other features that dominates are the giant granite outcrops that are almost as prolific as the wattle.

In town there are several jetties. The oldest has been partly restored and is a favourite stroll for families and tourists alike. Here you are likely to come across a walrus or two. Like us they are seeking out the warming rays of the sun. The water temperature here is not for the fainthearted.

On Friday night we had a rare night out, having a meal at one of the local restaurants and then off to a dance. The meal was fine and so was the dance, but those of you in the know, the Merrymakers seemed fast in comparison. Merv would have been impressed with the musicman on the keyboard who played all night, ninety-one years young we were told. We knew most of the dances they programmed so we did in fact appreciate a good night out with some very friendly locals.

I’m sure you are all gathering your resources for Christmas. Enjoy the hurley burley of it all.

Cheers for another week.

The happy wandering nomads

Denmark to Albany Week 38

                   Denmark to Albany

                           Week 38

The year is roaring to a close as we move inexorably toward Christmas and a brave new year. We are trying to feel as though we aren’t missing the end of year whirl with family and friends but if you believe we have succeeded, you will believe anything.

Some of the people reading this with you are doing exciting things. One lucky couple has just returned from a cruise, while another friend is off to Bali. Others are off to Tassie for an explore and more are heading homeward to reconnect at Christmas. Another is venturing off to the states for a white Christmas. Many are attending those end of year parties and celebrating the end of another successful year. Others are enjoying a honeymoon. Oh to be young and carefree. Others are waiting for babies to arrive. Good luck and great joy to those expectant mums and dads, and of course the grandparents. We are most forlorn about missing our grandson’s first Christmas, but look forward to seeing those infectious smiles and gurgles. Best wishes to you all. Enough of this and back to the marathon.

Denmark is a pretty place, but our arrival was fraught with stress. There are two caravan parks here, the Riverbend and the Rivermouth. We had arranged for the Riverbend, letting them know the size of our van, but the “No worries” WAS. It turned out to be avery small park with only five or six sites, definitely not meant for larger vans, and ours is only middle sized. We did try, but had to admit defeat and moved on to the “mouth”. Our first thought was to look for protection from blustery winds, and secondly shade, because in between the bad weather, they have periods of heat wave. We were lucky to get one of the few spots that afforded both.

There are lots of opportunities to walk here, especially along the river back to the township. Birds, especially pelicans abound and it is an ideal anchorage.

Early settlers built this bridge to cart their timber to the port, but now is just a walkway for local fitness and those on the Bibbulmun Track, for we are near the terminus point of Albany.

The piece de resistance here is Green Pool. On a hot day it is a beautiful clear sea pool perfect for families. I thought of Ruth here and how her paintbrush fingers would be twitching in anticipation. 

Close by are Elephant Rocks, for the slightly more adventurous where some of the rocks look like elephants standing close looking out at the beautiful vista.

The golf course here has sand greens, but they are fast and true, so a game here is an enjoyable experience, nowhere near as hilly as we experienced in Walpole. As Brian puts it, we don’t need a brick to put under one foot for balance.

Pleasant as it is here, onward ho we go to Albany, where my new bankcard is hopefully waiting for me. One of the stresses of travelling for prolonged periods is getting “stuff”. When we found the bank and explained  they should have a card waiting, the teller was greatly relieved as the Edmonton branch had forwarded the card, but, despite assurances, had sent no covering explanation. Luckily it had arrived that morning so our timing was great.

We are staying at the Middleton Beach Caravan Park. You can walk along cliff pathways back to the visitors centre and the town, about an hour an a half each way or along the beach and pathway for an hour or so in the other direction to Emu Point. Owen would love it for Mango and Whisper, but no sticks. All the dog walkers have those throw sticks for tennis balls. We do miss those beach walks with Vanilla and Bertie when we visited Owen. The other way is perfect for the Red Arrow crowd because your leg muscles get a good working out. With all this walking we should be fading to a shadow, but I fear we have too much fuel input.

Whale World was one place to visit here. Very good for the historical link, but I for one found it a bit disturbing to think of all those magnificent creatures who died because of men. The dispassionate young lass giving the learnt commentary didn’t help those feelings of remorse for maltreatment of the whales in the name of commerce. At least they didn’t pretend it was research.

There are some skeletal displays that are awesome and there is also a delightful 3D movie well worth a view. It took us back to Avatar and the blues brothers look, but further back to our childhood and those cardboard glasses. The only difference was the lenses were not red and green.

A beached whaling ship is easy to explore. It is an interesting way to spend a bit of time. In town, there is a historical walk, but many of the featured stops along the way require an entry fee, so it would add up pretty quickly if you paid for everywhere. Maybe this is the downside of bigger places, everyone wants their ten dollars worth, or more.

More enjoyable was an exploration of Natural Arch and the Gap. Here the forces of nature are hard at work in changing the coastline, as it has been since this land was joined to Antarctica. Nearby are the blowholes, not spectacular in wave action today, but the air rising was enough to carry Brian’s hat into the air in an almost successful escape bid.

There have been lots of markets to pour over, craft markets and farmer’s markets, the latter being popular with the locals. They are not necessarily cheaper than the shops, so you do have to be discriminating, but there is lots to tempt. We even found a RSPCA store where we found some treasures for next to nothing. Brian got a tupperware cake container perfect for the carrot cake he has just made and I found a jacket a bit lighter than my big winter one, just enough to take the bite out of the wind, plus some glass bowls, all for less than $10. How good is that?

So after wearing out our wallets and our legs, we are gathering ourselves for the next stage of the journey, off towards Esperance.

Have a good week all of you. Love to hear from you all.

The Wandering Nomads