Day 2 - Esperance, Western Australia (March 2006)

We woke up early, as per schedule (around 630am). We went back to the rock formations to take pictures of the Wave Rock with the morning lighting. 

photo taken on a higher ground

there we were, in the middle of nowhere

left side of Waverock

at the foot of the wave

right side of Waverock

After the last few shots of Wave Rock, we pumped gas, then headed to our next destination - Esperance - which was 4.2hrs drive, 364.8kms away. 

From Esperance

Stop at the visitor centre to get some brochures and to ask around for directions. Kelvin's still wearing his pyjamas!

www.visitesperance.com

Esperance Visitor Centre 

Museum Village PO Box 507

Esperance WA 6450

Australia

Phone: +61 8 9083 1555

              1300  66 44 55

Fax:      +61 8 9071 4543

Bookings: bookings@visitesperance.com 

Information: info@visitesperance.com

lounging at the park in front of the visitor centre

Kelvin was on a hurry to get to the beach

We drove to Cape Le Grand National Park  and paid AUD 22.50 for the holiday park pass.

via Esperance 6450

Phone                 +61 08 9483 1111

Toll Free Phone +61 1300 361 351

Fax                      +61 08 9481 0190

Email                  travel@westernaustralia.com

Website              http://www.wavisitorcentre.com

We headed to Lucky Bay. which was one of the five white sand beaches in the national park. The crystal clear water was quite inviting. We changed to our swimsuits and let the children crawl and play with the sand. The water was too cold for a dip. We hoped to find a kangaroo lounging on the beach, as what some travel guide books suggested. Unfortunately, we didn't see any. 

the beach itself was nice but the sand, although white, it didn't feel grainy.

It had more of like a gooey feel to it.

family photo before the kids went on to their own agendas

Kelvin walking around, finding places to throw sand on

Ira crawling along the beach. He was just learning to walk during our trip

The kids had a really good time. They loved playing with sand and running away from the waves. They didn't mind the cold water at all.

view of Lucky Bay from afar

We let the kids enjoy the beach for a few minutes, then we drove around the park to see the other natural attractions it has to offer.

WHISTLING ROCK. It seemed to look like a dog's head. 

We weren't able to hear any whistling though.

From Esperance

FRENCHMAN's HAT Mountain. As the name suggests, it looks like one.

After a few hours in the park, we headed to the city, followed the Great Ocean Drive (40kms) which was a scenic drive around the city, before we finally dropped ourselves to our cabin at PINK LAKE TOURIST PARK (AUD 82).


We passed by the following sights along the Great Ocean Drive - an 8km circular loop that showcases Esperance's best coastal scenery. 

Photo op at the Rotary Lookout. Located high on top of a granite outcrop overlooking the town of Esperance and the islands of the Recherche Archipelago. It provides a 360 view of the outlying areas.

From Esperance

couple moment


I totally forgot what this place was. But it had this boardwalk going up the hill to catch a glimpse of the islands and the ocean surrounding it.

From Esperance

Seems like there's a storm out there....

a view of the shoreline from the top of the hill

Wind Farm

From Esperance

PINK LAKE. A salt lake. The lake is not always pink in colour but the distinctive colour of the water when the lake is pink is a result of the green alga Dunaliella Salina and the bacterium Halobacteria cutirubrum. Once the lake water reaches a salinity level greater than that of sea water, the temperature is high enough and adequate light conditions are provided, the alga begins to accumulate the red pigment beta carotene.

The pink halobacteria grows in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake and the colour of the lake is a result of the balance between Dunaliella Salina and the halobacteria (whatever that means).

We were lucky enough to see the lake a bit pinkish and lilacish in color. This was our last top for the day. 


We headed to Pink Lake Tourist Park to retire for the night. Their one room villa had one bedroom with double bed, small living cum dining room with sofabed and small dining set, a fully-equipped kitchen, and bathroom with heater. It's really a value of money specially for long-stayers. The only downside was that the partition wall between the 2 neighboring villas was thin so they could hear the kids jumping around in our villa. The other villa occupants actually knocked on our door and asked for the kids to stop making the noise. Argh!


Day 3...