Esperance With Friends.

Grass Patch on the way to Esperance.

On the day we left Kalgoorlie, we awoke to a cold, wet, and

Esperance.

windy day. Such a contrast to the weather of the weekend. Graham & Di's car needed a new part, so it was decided we would head off for Esperance ahead of them, and they could follow when the repair was complete. As things turned out, they didn't get the car back until 5.00pm, so stayed an extra night in Kalgoorlie, travelling down the next day. Meanwhile we headed south for Esperance. We couldn't remember the last time we had travelled on a day like this. In and

Port facilities at Esperance.

The Tanker Jetty at Esperance.

out of rain squalls, and buffeted by incredibly strong winds. Once past Kambalda, and the last of the really intense mining, the landscape started to change, with both forests and open pasture. We stopped at Norseman, the Western gateway to the Nullabor, for lunch. Something Hot please!! We will be back to Norseman on our trip esat. There are two holes on the Nullabor Links Golf Course to play! Hopefully in the sunshine!! Back on the road, the scenery was now beautiful green fields of new wheat, as far as the eye could see. We were back in the grain belt, and it looks so different to our last visit, when everything looked brown and dead after the summer and harvest. We passed through the small grain belt towns, that offer nothing other than huge grain silos, waiting this years crop.Towns like Grass Patch, with its huge welcome sign.

With Moira & Geoff, Di & Graham
at Esperance.

Whale Tail Sculpture.

We set up camp in the wind and rain, back at the Esperance Seafront Caravan Park. We decided to put up our annexe, to give us a dry place to get together. After an hour and a half of frustration, we had only managed to get one side, and the long wall up. I know we haven't had a need to use the annexe for more than a year, but this was ridiculous! I was cursing and just couldn't figure out why the annexe would not fit. Drenched, we decided we would make do, and have a better look in

New sea wall to stop erosion.

New lawns & gardens.

 the dry. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night, remembering that we had the awning replaced when all the repairs were done back in January. A quick measure in the morning revealed that the new awning was 6 inches wider than the old one, so our annexe walls would no longer fit!! A call to our maker at Coffs Harbour solved the problem, but we will be making do until the new extension pieces arrive. At least we aren't going mad!!

Along the new sea front.

Graham & Di on the new sea front.

Tired, cold and wet, we showered and decided that we would just go to the pub for dinner. What a good idea! The pub, The Pier Hotel, was packed, but we found a table, and feasted on lovely Wood Fired Pizza. Absolutely delicious, and just what the doctor ordered! In the morning, the rain had gone, but it was still cold. We just lazed around, and waited for Graham & Di to arrive. Esperance is a lovely town. We were a bit disappointed to find that

Dolphins at play.

Beautiful beaches.

the works along the sea front were still going on, but were then delighted to find out that the scaffolding and temporary fencing was coming down on Friday. The next 4 days were remarkable, with instant lawn, instant gardens, playgrounds, BBQ's and furniture installed in record time. By Friday afternoon, it looked a picture. The Whale Tail sculpture, is spectacularly good.

One of many Happy Hours.

Girls day out.

We made the most of the next four days of good weather. We took on the role of tour guides, showing the West Australians around their own back yard! We had been before, and they were all first timers to Esperance! We did the beautiful Coastal Drive, which is just amazing. Such beautiful beaches, one after the other. This time, we were even treated to a pod of dolphins, lazing around in a corner of a sheltered bay. Wednesday was Di's birthday, so the girls decided they would take a girly day out, while we guys took in the excellent Esperance Golf Course. The girls had a

Birthday girl, Di.

lovely day, while we had a challenging day on a golf course that surprised us with its excellent condition and layout. A tough layout with lots of water! That

At Lucky Bay.

afternoon, we all met up for Happy Hour. The champagne flowed. Di had decided that after such a great wrap on the pub and pizzas, we should head back for her birthday, so into two cabs, and off we went. The pub was packed. Carolyn some how found us a table, and the pizzas were just as good a second time round. A great night with new friends, followed by birthday cake back at the annexe. Next morning we were off to Cape Le Grande National Park. Undoubtedly one of Australia's most picturesque National Parks, with

The girls.

The Boys.

its unbelievable beaches. We did them all. It was surprising how they had changed since our last visit, with the movement of the ocean having caused a lot of erosion at some of the beaches. We did them all. Cape Le Grande, Hellfire Bay, Thistle Cove and French man's Peak. We decided to have our picnic lunch at Lucky Bay. I don't think we could say any beach in Australia is better than Lucky Bay. Just a breathtakingly beautiful

Carolyn & Moira
among the wild flowers.

Giving Graham the salute at Lucky Bay.

spot. With the three Landcruisers parked side by side on the beach, we could have been doing a commercial for Toyota!! What a picnic spot. After lunch, we headed out around the bay, but couldn't get too far, as a high tide and a lot of beach erosion made it impossible to get to the other end of the beach and the lookout. So instead, we drove around to Rossiter Bay, where the wild flowers put on a show as well. We worked our way back through the park, and headed out to

It doesn't get better than this!

Toyota Commercial at Wharton Beach.

Duke of Orleans Bay, and the lovely Wharton and Little Wharton Beaches. There isn't much at Orleans Bay other than sea weed! But the extra few kilometres out to Wharton Beach is really worthwhile. On the way back to Esperance, we dodged the dirt road and followed the bitumen all the way in via Condingup. The drive through the rolling fields of green wheat and yellow canola was just gorgeous. This sure is amazing farming country!

Taylors on the Beach Cafe.

The week had flown by. Friday, we all just did our own

AFL Grand Final day.

things, before meeting up for Happy Hour. We went out for quick dinner at Taylors on the Beach Cafe. The girls had seen a sign advertising $10.00 steaks, and they proved OK. Cheapest night out in years! Geoff, had a couple of heaters, and despite the cold nights we managed to get cosy in the annexe. On the nights that we ate in, the girls all took turns at cooking up a feast, and there was no shortage of wine to wash it all down! Our last day was Saturday,

Time to pack up.

Always time for champagne!

and the AFL Grand Final. We set up our spare TV in the annexe, and settled in to watch the game. The Weber was cooking the lamb for the half time lamb and gravy rolls, which were delicious, and Carolyn & I got ribbed mercilessly as the Sydney Swans got flogged. Thank God no WA teams were involved!! That night, we cooked up some extra lamb and veggies, and had a farewell dinner, as the wind howled and the rain fell along with the temperature, as another cold front swept through. Carolyn had also finally succumbed to

More beautiful beaches.

On Cape Le Grande Beach.

all Geoff's begging, and made another Millionaire's Pie for dessert! We remained snug and warm in the makeshift annexe. Sunday morning it was all over! Moira & Geoff were heading back to Perth, and Graham and Di were  heading down to Albany for a couple of days with friends, on the way back to Perth. We had such a good time. It is so hard for us to imagine that we only met these people, 9 short months ago! It was so lovely that they wanted to see us one more time before we left WA. I am sure there will be many more adventures ahead with these wonderful new

Bye Moira & Geoff.

Bye Di & Graham.

friends. It was a quiet and melancholy Sunday afternoon, after so much fun and bright company. As if the Gods knew we were feeling flat, the phone chirped and a text message told us that Laurel & Adrian, who we had met at Tom Price and Karijini NP, had just arrived in Esperance, so we invited them around for a cuppa. They are at another caravan park nearby. We had kept in touch, and knew they were in the region. Nonetheless it was a pleasant surprise. We had a good catch up, and will meet again for dinner, the night before we head off. Probably do the pizza thing at the pub again! We have a couple more days at Esperance to stock up, pack up and clean up, before we start the long journey back east. We have now been in WA for just over a year. How the time flies!