The Great Ocean Drive

Esperance, Western Australia

One of the “Top Things to Do in Esperance” mentioned over and over again in brochures and guides was the Great Ocean Drive. Our new friends, Del and Mark, loaned us their car for the afternoon and suggested we take the 40km (25 mi) loop drive. How could we refuse such an offer? We downloaded a map with key stops noted and off we headed.

There are at least nine pristine, white-sand beaches on the route that are all easily accessible and picture-perfect gorgeous. We stopped at each one in turn and despite overcast skies and intermittent rain sprinkles, it would have been impossible not to enjoy the natural and unique beauty of each place.

Despite the stunning beaches, this is still the unpredictable Southern Ocean. All sorts of signs warned of rip currents and large, freak waves among other dangers to keep swimmers alert.

The waves at Fourth Beach were good sized. We watched surfers and boogie boarders held out for the right wave.

Somewhere out there is the Cyclops, known among surfers worldwide as one of the world's most deadly waves. We did not surf it. We did not even see it. But I did nick a pic off the net for you.

Probably the most picturesque beach of all was Twilight Beach, a sweeping shoreline and aquamarine water.

Looking at the waves crashing off the chain of tiny, off-lying islands and reefs was beautiful from our vantage point high atop of the lookout at Observatory Point. When we're sailing through them with Nine of Cups, however, we have a totally different view. Markers at the top of the observatory platform commemorate the arrival of the French explorer, Bruni D'Entrecasteaux, who anchored in this bay with his two ships, Recherche and Esperance in 1792.

Ten Mile Lagoon was really interesting. We didn't see anyone taking advantage of the nude bathing offer, but several 4-wheel drive vehicles certainly churned up the sand.

Esperance had the first electrical wind farm in Australia, built as a research facility in 1987. We could see the wind turbines of Western Power now situated strategically on the hill above the Ten Mile Lagoon churning out kilowatts.

Eleven Mile Beach concluded the necklace of beaches along this route, but it was absolutely stunning.

From here, we traveled north, then west, back to Esperance. The northern loop of the route passes by Pink Lake. According to the lady at Visitor Info, the Pink Lake has not been very pink since a massive flood several years ago, however we thought with a little imagination we could pick up a rosy tinge. The color is attributed to high concentrations of salt tolerant algae, dunalella salina. It's still a pretty view with banksia lining its shores.

It may have been a short trip, but touring along the Great Ocean Drive was a fantastic way to sample the essence of the Esperance coastline from the land for a change, instead of our usual view from the sea.

Esperance, Western Australia

...at first glance

At first glance, hiding behind all the tall, stately Norfolk pines that line the Esplanade, it's hard to know what Esperance is really like or where the downtown might be. We can see the Esperance Bay Yacht Club from our mooring and a clock tower nearby, but other than the large loading dock, jetties and some beach areas, Esperance is well hidden until you get a street or two off the Esplanade and search it out.

We tied up at a small dock near the yacht club, had a quick look around and headed to where we thought the downtown might be. Dempster Street, the main drag, parallels the Esplanade and is a long block away to the west, cleverly concealing the heart of the business district. We were searching for the Visitor's Info Center which we finally found at the far end of the Esplanade in the midst of the Historic Museum Village, a melange of craft shops and boutiques housed in early 20^th century historic buildings. We picked up our requisite maps and brochures, got the locations of the supermarkets and laundromat from the friendly lady there, and headed back towards the downtown. It's not a big town, so getting around on foot is pretty easy.

We found all the necessary places. West End Soapy is a 24-hour laundromat that will serve our needs perfectly … as soon as we can round up 24 one-dollar coins for the machines. There's a large, well-stocked Woolworths (Woolys) which unfortunately does not deliver. There's a smaller IGA closer to the yacht club which does not deliver either, but upon inquiry, would make an exception. The manager offered to drive us and our groceries down to the yacht club when we were ready. How nice was that? And I can one up that offer. As we were leaving the IGA, a woman who had overheard our conversation stopped us and asked if we were yachties. We admitted that we were. She explained that she and her husband are yachties part of the year (their yacht is in Cairns on the opposite side of the country) and she offered us the use of a car for a day for provisioning and fuel. Just like that … “If you need a car, let us know. Here's my number.” Wow! Think Esperance might be a friendly town?

On our way back to the boat (you can't do too much on your first day ashore), we scoped out Taylor's Beach Bar, a highly recommended shore side restaurant for dinner one night and then wandered through the small, but lovely Don Mackenzie Waterfront Gardens. Mackenzie arrived in Esperance in 1947 to fish and subsequently developed a tug service and island cruise business which has contributed to the community and continued to grow with his family still at the helm.

We learned more about the elaborate Taylor Street Clock Tower, which we can see and hear from the boat. It was scheduled for completion at the end of 2013 as a community project, but it doesn't appear to be quite done. Two statues and two clock faces still need to be installed. It's impressive, nonetheless. The statues, all made from bronze, as well as the mechanical four-face clock, were all cast and machined here in Esperance. During the day, the clock's melodic peals drift sweetly on the air announcing each quarter hour.

Back aboard, I poured through our new library of brochures and made up a list of things to do and nearby places to visit. There's the museum and a “boutique aquarium”, a Sunday farmer's market and a walk down the long, historic tanker jetty and possibly the Great Ocean Drive. Simultaneously, David was making up his own list of what needs to be repaired, what chores need doing and what supplies he'll require. We'll negotiate later on a balance between play and work. Right now … time to watch the sunset on the foreshore.

A Day on Daw Island

 

Unlike yesterday's grey day, this morning was glorious and sunny. We woke to a spectacular sunrise, light easterly breezes and the shrill pre-dawn whistles of little (aka blue) penguins bidding farewell to their families as they headed to sea for the day.

We headed to shore early, looking forward to exploring the island a bit. We took long jeans, socks and heavy walking shoes with us and changed on the beach. We could see a sign higher up on the hill as we walked along the shore, but couldn't make it out. Even as we got closer, it was hard to read the worn, faded lettering, but we got the gist: “Death Adders reside in large numbers on this island”. That was certainly food for thought.

There were no distinct paths to the top of the hill. Dense bush and lots of bird nests and critter holes had us lifting our feet high, stomping and testing each step before the next. Falling into an adder pit was not on the day's activity list. We climbed up to the first ridge for good views and then, wimp that I am, I was uncomfortable about venturing any further and descended quickly, but cautiously. David uttered nary a complaint.

We walked further up the beach, approaching the sea lions cautiously and giving them plenty of ground.

They headed for the sea, but kept a wary eye on us as we continued along the shore. They followed us up and down the beach, daring to come a bit closer at times until we made eye contact and then they'd dive under the surf and surface several yards further out.

We beachcombed awhile, with our audience watching every move. Limpets, turrids and abalone shells littered the wrack line. Other than a small iridescent abalone shell, we left the rest behind. We could see penguin nests in the bush closest to the beach with clear tracks leading to and from each nest.

We walked the beach till we could walk no more … big boulders and deep water occluding our path. Our sea lion buddies still kept us in view. Some climbed onto outlying rocks for a sunbath and others maintained sentry duty.

We launched the dinghy and began to explore the rocky coast from the seaward side. We thought the engine noise would deter our friends, but they swam around, under and behind us with alacrity, and though still a bit timid, they were more comfortable in their own element and a bit braver.

Ashore we saw tens, if not hundreds, more sea lions. Sooty oystercatchers, Pacific and silver gulls and terns sat on rocks or stood at the shore's edge, avoiding the waves and looking for a snack. We saw a small flock of Cape Barren geese flying low over the water, then spotted several more walking higher up in the bush, their size and lime green ceres identifying them immediately.

The other side of the bay was inaccessible for landing, but offered some interesting rock formations. One huge boulder looked ever so much like a huge dinosaur egg, broken open. As we dinghied closer, we noted it was a “window” rock.

We were back to the boat by midday. David made a celebratory “Crossing the Bight” pizza to go with our home-brewed Australian Pale Ale for dinner. The dinghy's hauled, the pole is rigged for a downwind sail, and tomorrow we head to Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago. We are getting closer to civilization (Port Esperance) and low on granola bars.