At 30,000 feet on a trip from Perth to Sydney just after Christmas, I looked down at the coastline of WA. We would be down there somewhere in a few months and I was imagining our travels. Suddenly, a sea of islands came into view. Sentinels of the sea, scattered along the edge of the coast. Stunning and intriguing. I was so engrossed by the spectacle that I didn’t see the town stretched out along the shore line – Esperance.
Even on our arrival, we still hadn’t connected the dots. This was supposed to be just another pit stop on our journey. Our true destination was Cape Le Grande National Park, 50klm further on. However a late afternoon walk on the first day made clear what I had been looking at from that Jetstar window.
I suppose the locals take them for granted, but as an outsider it is probably the only place in Australia where so many islands are in such proximity to each other and the shore. We had allowed ourselves five days in Esperance for the usual suspects. A bit of fishing and one catch by Tamika, radiator flush, replacing blown indicator on the van and of course laundry. Tamika managed to grab us a couple of days at Lucky Bay the following week, a hard place to get into by all accounts.
On our last day, we took a run along Ocean Drive, a 40klm loop west of Esperance. There were heaps of places to pull over and take happy snaps.
The weather is starting to turn. Winter storms and cold winds are becoming more frequent. A twenty degree day is the exception, not the rule. We’ve allowed ourselves just two more weeks on the coast before heading inland to Kalgoorlie – hope the weather gods can smile on us for just a little longer.
Faux Tan & The Coconut