Around Esperance

30th September 2014

Today was preparation for departing Esperance tomorrow to start the big trek east.  Feels like the holiday is nearly over.

Esperance beach

Esperance is a really lovely little town with a great walk/cycle track along the expansive coastline.  We walked the track this morning even though it was a bit drizzly, it soon cleared up though.

There are a string of lakes behind the sand dunes, parallel to the sea shore.  A board walk has been constructed around some of these lakes with a couple of bird hides installed.  We walked this in the afternoon but there weren't many birds around, just ducks.

Model of skylab which crashed near Esperance

Outside the Esperance Museum is a model of the first American skylab, launched in 1973.  In 1979 the apparatus fell to earth at Balladonia which is an area on the Nullarbor about 140km from here.

Cape Le Grande NP - then Esperance

25th to 29th September

We arrived in Esperance today after 3 nights in the Cape Le Grande National Park. The beaches within the park are reputed to have the whitest sand in the world and they are stunningly beautiful.

Lucky Bay 

The blue of the ocean is also unbelievable.

Lucky Bay from the campsite

The most beautiful of all is Lucky Bay which is where we were lucky enough to camp. Wonderful views, great company, ablutions and water all for $13.20 per night!

Lucky Bay

The bay was named in 1802 by Matthew Flinders when he was circumnavigating Australia.  He experienced bad weather, found the bay which is sheltered from the elements and he considered this lucky.

Sand as white as snow

The cape and many of the features in the vicinity were named by the Frenchman DÉntrecasteaux who sailed past on a voyage of discovery in the late 18th century.  His ships were the Recherche and the Esperance, hence the name of the modern city.

Kangaroos visit the beach at dusk and feed on washed up seagrass

The sand is formed from very small grains so they stick together and crust on the surface of the beach so walking over the sand crunches like snow!

Ornate Dragon, well camouflaged on the granite

This area is known for it's sudden storms and strong winds and we got a taste of this on our second afternoon.  The weather changed from a beautiful still morning with temperatures in the mid 20's to wind gusts of 50km/h and a drop to 13 degrees.  Some rain too.

Frenchmans Peak

Halfway up Frenchmans Peak

Under the 'Peak'

We had a great time walking the headlands and the beaches and this morning we climbed Frenchman's Peak, which is mostly a scramble up the granite walls. We were on the top by 8:15am enjoying the outstanding views and exploring the arch.  We had the entire mountain to ourselves at that time of the morning!

Fitzgerald River National Park

25th September 2014

Fitzgerald NP is outstandingly beautiful and we had perfect weather to visit.  Parks and Wildlife have spent a lot of money this year upgrading the road into the eastern end of the park and upgrading facilities within the park.  They have done a great job.

Royal Hakea

Fitzgerald NP is another biodiversity hotspot and we were amazed at just how many different flowers and plants we came across at the very first place we stopped.  The Queen of them all is the Royal Hakea, which has leaves tinged from pale green through to orange and yellow. A most remarkable plant and it is totally unique to a small area of this coastline and nowhere else on earth.

East Mt Barren from Cave Beach

We did two walks, the first across sand dunes from a large inlet to the coast.  The inlet is currently blocked off with a sandbar, but this changes from time to time.

Hammersley Inlet

The second walk was more challenging, a 200 metre climb, more or less straight up East Mt Barren.  The mountain is quartz so a very interesting walk over the rocks.  The view from the top was astounding.

View west from East Mount Barren

Stirling Ranges to Ravensthorpe

24th September 2014

Our last glimpses of the Stirling mountains today were the peaks breaking through a wreath of clouds and brilliant blue sky above.

Ravensthorpe is a small town which services the surrounding farmers.  This is a wheatbelt area with crops as far as you can see.  To the south is a very large national park, Fitzgerald River.  Most of the NP is inaccessible as it is another biodiversity hotspot and in need of protection.  Matthew Flinders sailed past this coast in 1802 and named the peaks the 'Barren Mountains'.  He was very wrong!

Gold mining occurred around Ravenshtorpe in the early 20th century and a railway was built between Ravensthorpe and the coastal town of Hopetoun to ship the ore.

Hopetoun beaches

The mining was short lived and was abandoned by mid century. The track has been turned into a a heritage walk and we were keen to walk part of it.  However we were very disappointed as the signage was poor and the track completely overgrown in places.  Hopetoun quite a nice little town though.

 

Orchid tour

23rd September 2014

Today we went on an organised wildflower tour, mostly to find orchids.  Once you know where and how to look for them they are everywhere.  Sadly, the better known the area becomes, the more ignorant people arrive, trample on the young plants and also dig them up to take home [they never survive as their growing conditions are very specific]. We also saw plenty of other flowers unique to this area.  Here are some of the orchids we viewed.

King spider orchid

Zebra orchid

Pansy orchid

Dragon orchid

Silky Blue orchid

Cowslip orchid

Climbing Bluff Knoll

22nd September 2014

The rain which continued all night eased off from about 6:00am to occasional showers. By late morning it seemed to have dried up enough to venture up Bluff Knoll, which is the highest peak in the range.  There is a good access road and a well formed track as this is also the most popular climb.

Bluff Knoll 1,073 metres, Stirling Range

When we set off it was showering a bit, windy and very cold so we decided not to even try for the summit as it would be very exposed.

View from 750 metres

Instead we went about halfway, a climb of 300 metres, and turned back when we came out above the trees to the sheer rocky crags.

The views from here were amazing despite the stormy clouds constantly rolling over the distant peaks.  Lots of great wildflowers too.

Southern Cross flower

Albany to the Stirling Ranges

21st September 2014

We got off to a very early start this morning and arrived at the Stirling Range Retreat by 9:00am.  The camp is very basic, but we are here for the guided walks to find examples of the diverse range of wildflowers in this biodiversity 'hotspot'.  The park covers an area of 116,000 hectares and contains 1,500 species of flora, 87 of which occur nowhere else in the world.

Mt Toolbrunup in Stirling Range NP

Numbats have been re-introduced to the wild near here too, but we are unlikely to be fortunate enough to see one of those.

Mt Hassell, Stirling Range.  The walk is hard and goes right to the top of the granite outcrop visible

When we arrived there were very high winds, but none of the forecast rain, so we unhitched the van and set off on a gravel road drive which winds through the peaks. The highest peak is a little over 1,000 metres, so not high, but this is the highest point in WA which for the most part is very flat.

We returned from this drive just as the rain started, which has now really set in but the wind has died down.

Albany hilltops and ANZAC memorial

20th September 2014

Today was warm, probably reaching about 26 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  This is an unusually high temperature for Albany in the summer, let alone September.  No complaints though, it was just perfect.

Mt Clarence, Albany

The hills rise up quite steeply from the coast so Albany town is interspersed with several high peaks.  One of the peaks overlooking the town is Mt Clarence which has spectacular views in all directions.  The ANZAC memorial is atop this peak and much work has been done upgrading the approaches and surrounds to the monuments in preparation for the centenary of ANZAC troops departing from here.

There is a statue of an ANZAC horseman rescuing his mate.  This statue is a copy of one erected in Port Said in Egypt soon after 1918.  The original was partially destroyed by the Suez conflict in 1956, but enough was salvaged to replicate it.

Lookout at Albany wind farm

At the suggestion of the local visitors centre we drove to another peak outside town where the wind farm which generates 80% of Albany's electricity needs is situated.  A track and board walk has been made along the cliffs affording wonderful views to the southern ocean.  There should have been plenty of whales passing by as the migration in both directions is between June and October.  However we have seen none during out time in Albany.

Walks around Albany and ANZAC rememberance

19th September 2014

What a beautiful day.  Warm and sunny with no wind, just perfect.

Albany is on an extensive harbour system.  The city was founded in 1826 as a colony of NSW because the strategic importance was recognised.  The first settlers involved mostly convicts who were supposedly of the 'artisan' variety so they had skills to build the new colony.

The large harbour of King Georges Sound opens into two inner harbours to the north and south.  We walked on the opposite shore between these two entrances.  An excellent walking trail/cycling path is in place and despite the fact the town is close by the dune vegetation is preserved.

We encountered plenty of birds, lizards and a small furry mammal that was either a bandicoot or a potoroo.

Later, we went to the old gaol where there is a small ANZAC exhibition.  An ANZAC museum is under construction, due to open on 1st November to mark the 100th anniversary of the departure of 26 Australian and 12 New Zealand ships for Gallipoli.  They were assembled here from all around Australia and NZ to sail out as a large flotilla.  There are big memorial ceremonies planned in Albany for the centenary.

West Cape Howe NP

18th September 2014

West Cape Howe NP is not as visited as other national parks around the Albany area. There are no facilities and a dirt road in.  However, this meant we had the place to ourselves today!

Shelley Beach, West Cape Howe /NP

We started off at the lookout high above Shelley Beach, then went down to the beach for a walk along to the black granite rocks at the end.

Later, we went to Cosy Corner Beach, which was almost as pretty. We saw a number of birds today but they are so hard to photograph; they only land and keep still for a couple of seconds at a time.

We also saw some coastal wildflowers I had not come across before, then 2 snakes in quick succession.  Both the same type of snake which John thought was Tiger, but I think were Dugite as seemed to be a uniform black. Whatever they were, best to avoid them.  The first one was going across the track as we drove down to the beach, the second, which only I saw, was lurking in the coastal scrub outside the dunny. It took off when I approached though.  No way was John going to use that dunny!

Torndirrup National Park

17th September 2014

Albany is on a big harbour and on the southern end is the Torndirrup NP, an area with a wild coastline to the southern ocean.

Natural rock arch in Torndirrup NP [2 people standing on left]

When Australia was part of the super continent Gondwana, it was attached to Antartica along the entire southern coastline of WA and SA. The same gneiss rocks found on this coastline are found in Antartica.  Weathering has fractured the rock and in places spectacular arches and gaps have developed.

Old whaling station at Discovery Bay

The coastline near Albany was the first area in WA to be settled by Europeans and they came for whaling.  The old whaling station, which unbelievably was still in operation until 1978, has been preserved.  All the gory details are described, it really was a horrible industry.

Cheyne IV whaling boat in operation 1947-1978

One of the whaling boats has also been preserved and put into dry dock.  The vessel can be explored to get a feel of life for the crew who would sometimes be at sea for 6 months.

Pygmy Blue Whale skeleton

There are several whale skeletons on display including a 22 metre pygmy blue whale.  This whale beached and died on the coastline nearby.

Right next to this reminder of past brutalities is a beautiful stretch of coastline.

Beautiful coastline at Discovery Bay

Confrontation over food

Adjoining the old whaling station is an area of the settlement which has been rehabilitated and planted with over 50 species of endemic WA coastal plants.  Frankly this was disappointing, but the area also included an animal sanctuary featuring Australian mammals, birds and reptiles.  The mostly nocturnal mammals were all active due to being fed during the day.  I captured an interesting encounter between a possum and a barn owl.  The possum had a chicken gizzard which the owl wanted, but was not successful whilst I was watching.

Walpole to Albany - leaving the Southern Forests

16th September 2014

Before leaving Walpole we took an eco boat trip on the beautiful Nornalup inlet, all of which is a protected marine park.  The inlet receives fresh water from several rivers and has a shallow opening to the southern ocean.

The water is dark brown due to tannin in the rivers  A preserved forest has been discovered under the water, which flooded the area about 3,500 years ago.  The timbers are preserved due to the low oxygen content of the water.  Despite this there are plenty of fish and attendant bird life, we saw petrels and osprey.

Beautiful reflections on Nornalup Inlet

The boat moored at the inlet and we walked over the dunes to a lovely beach on the southern ocean.

View to Rocky Head

On the dune was an unusual shrub which lays dormant for years until a bush fire stimulates it's growth.  This example had grown since a fire in 2004.