Esperance 29 – 31 January 2007

Had a short trip into Esperance (“Espy”) – a pretty town on a tranquil harbour that shows little sign of the devastating storms of a few weeks ago. We camped at a caravan park by the water and we were surprised how crowded it was, as we had hardly encountered anyone since leaving Perth! Espy is a touch of Terrigal, Kiama and Port Kembla mixed together! It is refreshing after the dry inland!
In the early evening we walked along the waterfront to a long pier where the locals were fishing. At the start of the pier we saw a very insistent sea lion circling a small area waiting for the fisherman to throw in fish scraps. He continued circling coming up to snort and eyeball everybody, becoming a bit cross because of the lack of response. The signs state that the Sea lions do bite! The weather forecast for 40deg temp did not eventuate but threatening clouds and rising humidity created an enjoyable “storm coming” feel. There was a little bit of rain in the night to set it off!
Had a look at the fishing marina that had been devastated by the storm. The harbour was filled with sand and needed to be dredged before the fleet could get out to sea.
Our first excursion to the western coast of Esperance was a big surprise as we encountered a rolling sea mist as soon as we got to the town lookout and witnessed the disappearance of Esperance. A local said it was an unusual event adding to our awe of the fog. It was even more spectacular when we rounded the first big beach lookout with the contrasting sunny water and the wintry looking fog crashing in to each other. On Wednesday we headed back along this coast road in full sun to be stunned by some of the most spectacular scenery we have seen. The beach road hugs the coast very closely so you are never with out a view for the whole 20 kms. We stopped at a succession of lookouts gazing down upon nearly white beaches and sheltered aqua-marine bays dotted with huge russet rocks weathered smooth by the very powerful Southern Ocean.
We enjoyed our front row position in the Seafront Caravan Park though it was a bit windy at times. A few hot days at the beginning of our stay were superseded by cool to nearly cold days! WA is definitely variable plus, plus! Whilst it was about 22deg here it was 39 in Perth! Overall we have been mostly cool in southern WA, through December and January, much to our surprise. The last night in Espy we went out to hear a blues band play at a local pub – a good night and a chance to have a chat with some locals.