Esperance and Cape Le Grand |
A day on Woody Island
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Two fur seals and a sea-lion basking on an islet It's a good life to be a baby sea-lion |
Pacific gull and pied cormorant Sea-eagle on the wing ... |
Gannet starting its dive ... and resting on its island home |
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Finally we arrived at Woody Island, where the welcoming committee of chocolate-cake birds (aka singing honeyeaters) greeted us enthusiastically and noisily. Woody Island caters to day trips and to people who want to spend a few nights in one of the tented safari hut type accommodation. These birds know when the boat will arrive and also know that coffee and cake is served on arrival; they are keen to share the latter with visitors. |
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Firetail finch |
Western silvereye |
Rock parrot |
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Skinnydip Bay - too rocky to actually skinny dip in |
Fan-tailled cuckoo |
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Cape Le Grand Coastal Track
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To Hell(fire) and back We had an inkling that today would be special when we arrived at Lucky Bay campsite and claimed a prime shady spot with views out across the blue waters to the pink granite walls of the headland guarding the western flank of the bay. The number of wildflowers still in bloom was also a pleasant surprise after the Stirling Ranges, but then the plants here are adapted to drier conditions. |
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The main beach ended at a small rocky outcrop and was followed by a smaller, secluded cove. We mentally noted it as a nice spot to swim on our return before leaving the shore to climb up the next granite dome - once again the views back over the turquoise, cobalt blue and white of Thistle Cove were spectacular, matched only by the views out over the islands as we descended the other side. On the granite slabs, tiny islands of moss and stunted woody shrubs created miniature Japanese gardens. |
Crossing a narrow inlet, we again climbed up and over the biggest granite dome of this walk, past hakeas covered in their woody nuts, the orange tubes of lambertia and the red feathers of calothamnus. Inland the massive tors on top of Boulder Hill stood sentinel-like as we passed by.
As we followed the line of cairns and markers over the dome, the views behind us revealed more and more of the inlets and islands, in their deep blue setting - I think that it was about this time that the fair Nello and I declared this to be the best coastal day walk that we had done. |
Once over the crest, the panoramic views encompassed offshore islands and Hellfire Bay, its long stretch of blue water culminating in a brilliant white beach, all set beneath the towering granite dome of Mt Le Grand. We descended the steep granite slab of our dome, crossing the secluded white sands of Little Hellfire Beach, before climbing back up through a thicket of banksias and mallee, dense with blossoms and honeyeaters. |
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Rocky heath landscape |
Sand dune landscape |
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Lucky Bay - swimming with dolphins
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The sun sets on the white sands of Lucky Bay |
Kangaroo enjoying seaweed for dinner |
Evening colours above Mississippi Hill |
The following morning we were enticed once again eastward by the dazzling white beach and the turquoise water of the bay. We strolled along this fine firm sand for 3km to the eastern end of the bay, past high eroding sand cliffs and swales leading off into the interior. Hooded plovers and oystercatchers waded nonchalantly along the water's edge as we passed. |
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We continued on, crossing two more red rock ribs that split this part of the bay into a series of small beaches and found our perfect swimming spot, a tiny white sand cove, dotted with red rocks, next to a group of large red boulders, looking out across the turquoise sea. As a bonus, we were able to watch a pair of dolphins lazily looping up and down the shoreline in the crystal clear waters. |
After warming up in the sun, accompanied by several skinks with the same intention, we ventured into the water - swimming in the warm tropics may be very pleasant, but there is something special about a plunge into a cold clear sea. The fair Nello went back to shore to soak up more sun while I stayed out to try and catch a few of the small, but perfectly formed waves that rolled in every so often. Suddenly, I became aware of some dark shapes a little way out, followed by the familiar looping of friendly dorsal fins - the two dolphins had returned. I swam out a bit and they came in to check me out. For five minutes I swam with the dolphins. It was absolutely magical to see these magnificent creatures so closely, to swim underwater alongside a dolphin only 5m away. Then, as a largish wave rolled in, they suddenly accelerated, caught the advancing crest and surfed it in, just a few metres to the right of my gaping jaw - a flash of grey in each direction and they were gone! It suddenly became clear what had just happened; the dolphins had seen my feeble efforts at bodysurfing and had just given me a demonstration of how the masters do it. For me, Lucky Bay had lived up to its name.
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