The drive from Albany to Esperance takes about four hours and the landscape is less lush than on the western side of Albany. The road is flanked by vast wheat fields and cattle country, not forests any longer.
When I got to Esperance I took a walk through town and down to the sea. The town is fairly non-descript. It has all the shops and basic services that one can expect from a town with a population of just over ten thousand, It also has a museum and a tourist information, both of which I didn't visit. I don't know why, maybe I was not in the mood or maybe they didn't look inviting enough. The foreshore of Esperance has just undergone a major refurbishment and there were sections of it still under construction. They are building a park with lawn, sculptures and some barbecues. I am not sure how successful it will be because the main town centre is a street back from the foreshore, so there isn't a lot of passing traffic. Beyond the foreshore is a jetty and the port of Esperance, which is not the most beautiful sight.
The true beauty of Esperance, making it well worth a visit, lies in its surrounds. Driving along the foreshore towards the west there are some beaches with turquoise waters, white sand and good breaks for surfing, as well as cliff areas for rock fishing. I followed a tourist drive that took me all along the beaches and to Observatory Point, on which there is a lookout and a memorial to a French expedition from 1792. This expedition got caught out by a storm and sheltered below Observatory Point. It had two ships, the Recherche and the Esperance, the town is named after one of them, and the other gave its name to the archipelago of 105 islands just off Esperance, which is called Recherche Archipelago.
I only stayed in Esperance for one night, travelling on to Norseman the next day in preparation for the drive across the Nullarbor. Because Norseman is only 200 km from Esperance I took my time and first drove along the coast to the east to the Cape Le Grand National Park. You guessed it, the French sounding name comes from the first officer of the Recherche who climbed up onto the mast during the storm and safely guided the ships into the shelter of Observatory Bay.
Cape Le Grand National Park has a variety of bays and beaches on offer and, because I didn't know anything about it, I headed straight to Cape Le Grand Beach, which was closest. It was very similar to the beaches west of town, turquoise waters, white sand, with the difference that there was a sign that you can drive on the beach for 22 km to Cape Wylie. In case you wonder, I didn't take the drive. I didn't want to spend the time deflating and later re-inflating the tyres to drive on the sand. When I turned around to walk off the beach I noticed a mountain in the distance reminiscent of a garden gnome's hat. I thought I might go and take a closer look and drove in its general direction.
There was a road leading right to the foot of the mountain and a carpark. The mountain is called Frenchman Peak and is 270 meters high. Close up it looks like one big rock. There is a marked track up to the summit, which I couldn't resist. It is only 3 km return, but the sign said to allow 2 hours. The track first led halfway around the mountain to its flatter side and then headed straight up the rock. It got quite steep in sections and I had to use my hands to climb some of it. Near the summit I noticed a cave only about 20 meters up from the track and decided to have a look into it. To my great surprise, once I could see into it, I could see straight through to the other side.
The views from the peak were spectacular in all directions, because there is a sheer drop on most sides.
After the walk I kept driving east to a place called Lucky Bay. There is a camp ground there with showers, toilets, a camp kitchen and even a beach cafe. I think if I ever return I will stay there, rather than in town. There were not many people about. Lucky Bay has another one of these white sandy beaches. I had a cappuccino from the Lucky Bean cafe and then headed off towards Norseman.
Norseman is about 200 km straight north of Esperance and a lot more arid. It started as, and still is, a gold mining town. These days they dig up about 80,000 ounces of gold per year and have an accumulated total of 5.5 million ounces. The first gold was found by a chap back in 1894. He tied up his horse outside his brother's tent over night and when he set off in the morning he noticed it limping. There was a gold bearing piece of quartz stuck in its hoof. The horse's name was Norseman and that is what he used as the name to register his claim. So the town is named after a horse, which has since been honoured with a statue in the town centre.
These days Norseman is also at a major road junction. It is almost exactly half way between Perth and the South Australian border and also half way between Kalgoorlie and Esperance, so caters for travellers in many different directions. I will head off east along the Eyre Highway to Border Village Roadhouse tomorrow morning.
When I got to Esperance I took a walk through town and down to the sea. The town is fairly non-descript. It has all the shops and basic services that one can expect from a town with a population of just over ten thousand, It also has a museum and a tourist information, both of which I didn't visit. I don't know why, maybe I was not in the mood or maybe they didn't look inviting enough. The foreshore of Esperance has just undergone a major refurbishment and there were sections of it still under construction. They are building a park with lawn, sculptures and some barbecues. I am not sure how successful it will be because the main town centre is a street back from the foreshore, so there isn't a lot of passing traffic. Beyond the foreshore is a jetty and the port of Esperance, which is not the most beautiful sight.
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| The view from Esperance foreshore |
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| The view from Observatory Point |
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| Some of the Recherche Archipelago viewed from the beach |
Cape Le Grand National Park has a variety of bays and beaches on offer and, because I didn't know anything about it, I headed straight to Cape Le Grand Beach, which was closest. It was very similar to the beaches west of town, turquoise waters, white sand, with the difference that there was a sign that you can drive on the beach for 22 km to Cape Wylie. In case you wonder, I didn't take the drive. I didn't want to spend the time deflating and later re-inflating the tyres to drive on the sand. When I turned around to walk off the beach I noticed a mountain in the distance reminiscent of a garden gnome's hat. I thought I might go and take a closer look and drove in its general direction.
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| The top reminded me of a gnome's hat |
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| A cave.... |
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| ...with a surprise |
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| View South-East |
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| The actual summit |
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| View South-West |
After the walk I kept driving east to a place called Lucky Bay. There is a camp ground there with showers, toilets, a camp kitchen and even a beach cafe. I think if I ever return I will stay there, rather than in town. There were not many people about. Lucky Bay has another one of these white sandy beaches. I had a cappuccino from the Lucky Bean cafe and then headed off towards Norseman.
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| The lucky bean cafe |
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| Lucky Bay |
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| Norseman the horse |
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| Norseman the town |
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| A large salt lake outside town stretching over 100 km North/South |
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| Mining waste (tailings) stored just outside town |
These days Norseman is also at a major road junction. It is almost exactly half way between Perth and the South Australian border and also half way between Kalgoorlie and Esperance, so caters for travellers in many different directions. I will head off east along the Eyre Highway to Border Village Roadhouse tomorrow morning.
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