Esperance to Augusta.....

The past week has been amazing.  Although the weather hasn’t been the kindest it couldn’t damper our enjoyment of the stunning beaches in and around Esperance.  We sat in the car (while it poured with rain) for ages amazed by the colour of the water.  The white sand and the aqua water are like nothing any of us have ever seen before.

Beaches around Esperance - the girls first swim.

We spent a few nights in Esperance stretching our legs before heading out to Cape Le Grand.  We were lucky to grab 1 of the 15 spots in the national park – many people are often turned away as it is a first come first serve basis.  But the weather had probably put a few people off.  We arrived in the rain but day 2 at Le Grand was stunning – we drove the 22 km beach track (Andrew can tick that off his bucket list now) back into Esperance, played beach cricket on the best beach wicket we’re ever likely to see, saw wild horses on the beach and had kangaroos hop through the camp ground.  To top it off the girls made instant best friends with two other families – going on night walks, playing on the beach and generally having a lovely time.

Our campground and the 2 (of only 7 in the park) wild horses we saw.

From there we drove to Fitzgerald River National Park – we arrived late in the afternoon and were treated to a stunning sunset.  Only to wake the next morning to weather that reminded me off England.  Misty soaking wet rain.  We sat and played Monopoly, instead of hiking down to the coast, and in a tiny break in the weather we packed up the tent and reluctantly move on.  Assuring ourselves that there will be many more hikes and beautiful beaches along the way.

We drove on to Albany.  We loved Albany and it’s rich settlement and ANZAC history.  The girls loved the Old Gaol and the funny lady on the desk who pretended we were prisoners and locked us in the blackhole.  We boarded the Amity replica and learned about the first people to settle in Albany.  Albany was also the last Australian port visited by the Australian and New Zealand convoy, the last time many of them saw Australia – our timing and the 100^th anniversary this weekend made it even more moving.

We left Albany and again headed west to the Valley of the Giants.  The pictures say it all!

We made the decision to drive on to Augusta from the Valley of the Giants – chasing the good weather to be had on the west coast.  It was a long day and we finished the set up in the dark.  But we were rewarded with beautiful weather and a full day the next day to enjoy it.

We visited the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse – the most south westerly point in WA, then on to Hamelin Bay.  We were disappointed that the beach didn’t look like it did in the pictures.  But the disappointment didn’t last long when a pod of about 6 dolphins came along – swimming as close as 10 metres off the beach.  They jumped and played in the shallows.  Followed by two big stingrays. 

On the way back to the campground we found a lovely spot for beach cricket and an afternoon swim to top off a wonderful day.

Our last day in Augusta was spent at Lake Cave – a stunning cave.  The girls were speechless – they’ve never even imagined something like that would exist underground – seeing it through their eyes made the experience even greater.

Lake Cave - it's hard to see in the picture but the image on the right is of a 'suspended table' - one of only 2 in the world

Our first campfire - with marshmallows to roast too!

We asked Isla to smile and Ivy thought she'd help!

Tomorrow we've off to Margaret River to meet up with Andrew's parents.  If anyone has any suggestions of must see/try wineries in the region please let us know.

Till next time,

Anna.