Esperance - Picking up Asher

Esperance and Cape Le Grande
5-6 December

Fabian and I got up early for a final fish at Waychinicup, but there wasn't much happening. Bro took over from me when he turned up at the fishing spot while I started packing. Then I checked the distance to Esperance - 450km – and called the fishing to a halt. Back through Waychinicup National Park and along the highway through hectare after hectare of blue gum plantations.

From Esperance

We took a scenic detour via Hopetoun but didn't have have time to stop anywhere. Lots left for another trip.
In Esperance, I checked into the Caravan park, successfully arguing that Broughton was not an adult, and left the boys to set up camp while I did a quick shop and picked up my Nephew Asher Caley from the bus stop. He had caught the bus down from Perth to join the cruise from Esperance to Wyalla.
Next morning we packed quickly and I sat down to do some work while the boys tried their luck fishing off the tanker jetty.

From Esperance

Bro quickly came back to tell me there was a seal lion lazing on the beach under the Jetty. When I returned from stocking up on fuel and food, Broughton had caught two squid. I set about the messy business of cleaning them at the cleaning table on the jetty. Unfortunately, unfamiliar as I was with the trigger spray nozzle provided, the first jet of water from the trigger hose sprayed my shirt front, and the second flushed the first squid tube down the pipe to the water below where it was claimed by a waiting pacific gull. I was much more careful with the second squid, although the sea-lion which had swum out to catch whatever else fell through the hole looked so imploring I was temped to through it a large piece.

From Esperance

Loaded up with squid, we drove out to Cape LeGrande National Park, home of Lucky Bay, the third most beautiful beach in the world according to some authority. We drove there for lunch just in case there was a vacant campsite but found the place not to our liking. Instead we picnicked at Hellfire Bay then climbed Frenchman's Cap past some beautiful wildflowers for some great views of the cape.

From Esperance

Then we left Cape Le Grande and headed on to the less visited Cape Arid National Park.