Esperance and South Coast Archives

Point Malcolm and Israelite Bay

Israelite Bay is a bucket list trip for many 4WD enthusiasts. It was for us too and last December we ticked it off. Israelite Bay is known for fishing and 4W adventures. It is located nearly 900km east of Perth and is part of Nuytsland Nature Reserve and the Great Australian Bight.

Israelite Bay location on the map of Australia

Point Malcolm

Point Malcolm is 25km west of Israelite Bay, so we decided to visit it first, as it was on the way. We travelled there from Cape Arid National Park via Pasley/Telegraph Track.

Map of Pasley Track and Fisheries
Track on the way to Israelite By

Pasley/Telegraph Track

Sign Telegraph Track on the way to Israelite Bay

The condition of the track depends on the weather. Generally, we found the track much better than we expected, with not much corrugation.

Starting with soft sand, the majority of the track was hard earth with some soft spots and occasional muddy sections. We were quite lucky to travel in good weather. You wouldn’t want to take those tracks when it rains or immediately after, as the track or parts of it become washed out.

Point Malcolm camp and beach

When you arrive at Point Malcolm you will see a sign indicating a camping area. It is very basic with limited spaces and no facilities at all, so it is important to be self-sufficient.

The actual Point Malcolm is 1km or so further away through the sand dunes. There is a soft sand track that leads there through a steep hill.

We preferred to walk on the beach, which was long, sandy and quite nice with colourful coastal dune plants.

Despite strong easterly winds in late December, we enjoyed our 1-night stay at Point Malcolm. The trip to actual Point Malcolm (not just a campground) is a must, whether you drive or walk there, or you won’t appreciate this place. We were impressed with eroded rock formations, some of which looked out worldly. There were plenty of colourful crabs hiding in rock pools and many water birds above.

Israelite Bay

From Point Malcolm it took us roughly 2 hours to get to Israelite Bay (33km long trip). We saw some washouts (luckily, most of them had alternative tracks to drive around).

There were also a few clay pans and salty lakes along the way. If you are not observant enough and lose track, especially if you drive after the rain, you might be in trouble. So, we took it easy and slow, to be on a safe side.

Israelite Bay Telegraph Station Ruines

Israelite Bay holds a lot of historical value. It is mostly known for ruins of the old telegraphic station, dating back to 19 century. The visit to the ruins is a must and they are quite interesting to see. It felt a bit spooky to walk inside the ruins (our older son saw a snake there too), especially when the weather was so gloomy. Unfortunately, there was no information sign or board about the history of the place there.

Israelite Bay beach and old jetty

Apart from the Telegraph Station Ruines, there is also an old jetty and the graves of former post masters which are worth having a look at at Israelite Bay. The beach itself isn’t particularly nice. It is very weedy, up to half a meter high of seaweed on the beach and at places no sand visible at all.

Graves of old post masters at Israelite Bay

Pink lake

But the nearby pink lake with salt crystals is quite picturesque.

There are plenty of camping spots around, however we chose not to camp at Israelite Bay and headed back to Cape Arid.

Aerial view of Israelite Bay camping area and pink lake

Fisheries Track

On the way back (from Israelite Bay to Cape Arid) we choose the other route and travelled via Fisheries Track. We were told by the ranger that Fisheries Track was in a worse condition than Telegraph Track. We didn’t find this was the case and guessed that it depends on the weather conditions on the day and prior your travel. We found it in much better condition than we expected. It often gets closed when it rains and it was closed just a day or two before we travelled due to bush fires. The wind was strong and it blew the sand over normally heavily corrugated track, so it was quite a pleasant drive most of the track.

For the nature lovers

Nature enthusiasts will find plenty of interesting objects both at Point Malcolm and Israelite Bay. Varanus rosenbergi (below) is very common both in Cape Arid and Nuytsland nature reserve and we saw a few of them.

Birdlife is also abundant there. Below – Pied Oystercatcher (left), Caspian Tern (right).

The wildflowers will delight the eyes of anyone who has the ability to notice them. Below are just a few of them (Boronia spathulata – left, Gompholobium confertum – middle, Jacksonia capitata – right).

And this is us, with the iconic sign of Telegraph Track.

Munglinup Beach

Munglinup Beach is a beautiful beach, 130km west of Esperance in Western Australia. With its white squeky sand and crystal clear waters, it is tempting to want to camp right on the beach, but to protect this pristine environment, camping is allowed only in designated areas. We stayed at Munglinup Beach campground and found it quite good.

Munglinup Beach campground

Munglinup Beach campsite is a bush campsite, managed by the Shire of Esperance. The campground has 14 sites of various sizes. There is a direct access to the beach, which is quite beautiful and calm. The outer reef, a few meters from the beach, creates a natural lagoon, making it a safe place for swimming, kayaking and fishing.

Facilities at the campground include 3 clean drop toilets, bins and non-drinking water. The cost is $15 per site per night. The sites operate on a first come, first served basis (the staff from the nearby Munglinup Caravan park come around 5pm to collect fees). Munglinup Beach campsite is quite popular and arriving early during peak season is best to avoid disappointment. We were lucky to get the last empty ( #1) site on Boxing Day (probably because it was too small and only enough to fit a vehicle and one tent).

So, what’s the best thing (apart from it being affordable) about the campground? Undoubtedly, it was the white sandy slope on the left just opposite the entrance to the campground. Kids enjoyed going up and down, sliding, running or crawling on it. Adults climbed there to take pictures, greet the rising sun, gain internet transmission of simply to get fit 😊.

Dogs and cats are allowed on lead, within the camping area. Access to the campsite is via Munglinup Beach road, which is a gravel road, suitable for a 2WD.

Lake Shaster Nature reserve

There are plenty of things to do and see, apart from swimming or fishing at Munglinup Beach. Lake Shaster nature reserve occupies a large area either side of Munglinup Beach. The access to the reserve is 1km from the campground (we visited the eastern part). It is 4WD only. The tracks are soft sand and easy to navigate with some rocky sections closer to the beach.

Lake Shaster reserve is a great place to see wildflowers, including orchids, in season, spot rare birds and enjoy beautiful and secluded beaches.

Brown Honeyeater (above left), Splended Fairy-wren (above middle), Carnaby’s black cockatoo (above right).

We visited one of those beaches and had a ‘bumpy’ encounter with a friendly kangaroo on the way there (luckily, we didn’t drive fast!). Watch the reel here!

The beach delighted us with interesting finds, including shells, rocks and crabs.

It is a really beautiful beach that you can spend the whole day exploring.

Oldflied Estuary

Oldflied Estuary is another great place to visit and explore while you are at Munglinup beach. In fact, Lake Shaster nature reserve surrounds the estuary on both sides. The access to the estuary is just minutes from Munlinup Beach. It is another 4WD track with soft sand and overgrown shrubs. The track gets even softer closer to the beach. While it is possible to drive on the sandbar separating the beach and the inlet, it is wise to check the terrain first. We did get bogged and so did another vehicle that tried to go to the beach. Reducing tyres down to 14psi and using max tracks did the trick.

Vehicle got bogged at Oldfield Estuary near Munglinup Beach, west of Esperance.

We had a nice time at the estuary – picnic behind the dunes, followed by exploration of the beach on foot. There are no facilities in that place, subsequently, it is important not to leave any trace to keep the place pristine.

It is worth mentioning that the Oldfield Estuary is a heaven for water birds and it is a pleasure to watch them.

Without a doubt, Oldflied Estuary is an awesome place to visit and spend some time, despite that you can’t bring your dog or camp there.

West Cape Howe National Park

West Cape Howe National Park, half an hour drive from Albany, contains the most southerly point in Western Australia – Torbay Head. The park offers spectacular scenery with 23km of dramatic coastline dominated by black granite looking (it is actually dolerite) towering massive cliffs and headlands washed over by huge waves from the mighty Southern Ocean. The wind blowing straight from Antarctica is strong there. The black cliffs and white sandy beaches are contrasted with coastal heathland and further inland there is karri forest. For the most part, the park is accessible either by foot or reliable 4WD (except for Shelley Beach). Together with D’Entrecasteaux National Park, West Cape Howe is our favourite.

Shelley Beach (2WD accessible)

Located half an hour drive from Albany, Shelley Beach is a spectacular and rather popular beach with turquoise waters, white sand and cool breeze. Close to even more popular Cosy Corner beach, we found Shelley Beach a lot more interesting and attractive.

Camping at West Cape Howe NP

The only place to camp at West Cape Howe National Park is at Shelley Beach campground. It is a small campground with basic facilities, which we actually liked more than Cosy Corner campground. Having said that, Shelley Beach campground is a lot more exposed to the elements and does not have any privacy.

It is rather small with two camping areas – tent sites only area on the grass with vehicles parked in the carpark and campervan area on the opposite side of the carpark with the ocean view. No caravans or camper trailers are permitted. Dogs are not allowed. The cost of camping is $11 per adult per night. Facilities include a drop toilet only. The sites are not bookable.

However, the views are fantastic and this place is well worth visiting, even if only for a day trip.

Testing your 4WDriving skills

West Cape Howe National Park is the place to test your 4WD skills. We found it the most challenging and remote place we’ve visited so far. With very soft sand, stones, slopes going up and down, occassionally narrow lanes and overgrown vegetation, West Cape Howe NP is undeniably a 4WD lovers paradise. In our humble opinion, the tracks are not for the faint hearted, especially when you tackle them on your own.

Know your limits

You should certainly be well prepared when you tackle 4WD tracks on your own. We got bogged a couple of times but managed to get out. We’ve seen someone else got bogged, who had to ask for help to be pulled out with the winch.

Person reducing tyre pressure after getting bogged

At some point we had to turn back (along Dunsky Track going toward Torbay Head) because the track looked too soft and the chance of getting bogged there was very high.

With absolutely no other vehicle nearby, it was too risky to proceed any further once we got to what it looked like a fork that led to a ravine. You need to make your own judgement.

This place is so remote, that there are even no signs to identify where you are when you finally manage to get to your destination. With no map, other than the map provided at the entrance to the park, we had to guess where we were!

Almost the most southern point of Western Australia

So, we guessed that we got to West Cape Howe point (and we checked later that it was correct). West Cape Howe was very spectacular, pristine and untouched, with its dramatic black cliffs, crushing waves. We even felt like first explorers discovering a new land.

West Cape Howe is also a popular place for experienced rock climbers.

Granite cliffs at the edge of blue ocean

A tower of rocks at the background of blue ocean

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Torbay Head (the most southern point of Western Australia) but the scenery is probably more impressive at West Cape Howe and we definitely enjoyed exploring it.

Big stones at the background of granite cliffs

Family of 4 at the background of granite cliffs

Cape Arid National Park

Being further away from Esperance, at 120km east, Cape Arid National Park is less popular than Cape Le Grand National Park but it has its own uniqueness and beauty, especially if you appreciate the outback and remoteness.

Most of Cape Arid National Park is accessible via a 4WD. However, some of it can be assessed with a 2WD via unsealed road.

What to see with a 2WD – western side

Dolphin Cove

One of the places we visited there was Dolphin Cove, easily accessible. It was a little gem for us – a picturesque white squeaky sandy beach with crystal clear waters (similar to popular Lucky Bay) although a lot smaller. It is one of the best places to spot southern right and humpback whales during their migrating season (July to October) and it is also part of a beautiful Tagon Coastal Walk Trail (14km return moderate difficulty trail). For us, it was a beautiful place to enjoy the scenery and relax.

Yokinup Bay and Thomas River

Yokinup Bay is very beautiful too. It is long, wide and scenic. We enjoyed looking for crabs at the rock pools and watching Sooty Oystercatchers when we stayed at Thomas River campground.

Rock pools at Thomas River campground in Cape Arid NP

Rocky beach at Yokinup Bay Cape Arid National Park

Thomas River separates the Belinup campground from the ocean. The access to the beach is a short walk near the mouth of the river.

Thomas River joining the Southern Ocean at Cape Arid National Park

Aerial view of Thomas River joining the ocean at Cape Arid

Len Otte Nature trail

Len Otte Nature trail is short and easy (only 2km return). The trail leads up to Belinup Hill, featuring wonderful views of the nearby Belinup campground and the ocean. It is only a short drive (or even walk) from the campgrounds.

Family on top of Belingup hill at Cape Arid

4WDriving on the western side of Cape Arid

Yokinup Bay 4WD beach

There is a 4WD beach access from the mouth of Thomas River. While camping on the beach is not permitted (hence there is a paid campground with facilities set up here), we found a sign that indicated that beach camping is allowed further down the beach at Yokinup Bay. As it was a long drive to the area where camping is permitted and the weather not being favourable over Xmas period, we didn’t attempt exploring. But we know that people go and camp there.

Tagon Beach

Tagon Beach track is a 4WD only access beach track in Cape Arid. It is listed as a track for experienced drivers only. The 2km track starts as hard rocky track and gets very soft and sandy closer to the beach. We did get bogged the very first time we attempted this track when we still had very little experience of 4WDriving (this is the story here). With the tyres down and maxtracks (just in case), slowly initially and then faster without stopping, we managed to drive through and get to the long stretch of white beach a couple of years later.

Apart from being beautiful, as all Esperance beaches are, this beach surprised us with unusually big and colourful jelly fishes which we have not seen in other nearby places.

Camping at Cape Arid – 2WD accessible

Thomas River (Belinup) and Yokinup Mia Mia campgrounds are the only 2 campgrounds within Cape Arid National Park that are assible with a 2WD via unsealed road. We found Belinup campground a bit quieter than the nearby Yokinup camp, located up on a hill. Both campgrounds have similar facilities which include long drop toilets, non-drinking water, shelter with bbq facilities. There are 11 sites of various sizes in Belinup campground (and 17 in Yokinup), all with lots of privacy. Yokinup camp has a kitchen, whereas Belinup camp doesn’t have one. Normally, there is a camphost in Yokinup campground but there was none at the time we visited. The ranger came daily to check on the payments and to do clean ups. He provided us with good information regarding the local area and the tracks, some of which were closed at that time.

Kitchen at Yokinup Mia Mia campground in Cape Arid National Park

Camping site at Yokinup Mia Mia camp at Cape Arid NP.

The cost of staying at both campgrounds is the same, which is $15 per person per night, $5 per child, plus park entry fee (current at 2024). We spent a couple of days and really enjoyed our time at Belinup campground. Sites are non-bookable, so it is a good idea to arrive early if you travel during school or public holidays.

Additional info

As it is a national park, no dogs are allowed there. There are also no bins, so you would need to take all your rubbish with you. There is Optus reception (but no Telstra) there.

4WD accessible camping

There are 4 campgrounds further eastward in Cape Arid National Park, that are 4WD accessible. We stayed at Jorndee Creek campground for New Year’s Eve.

Jorndee Creek

Jorndee Creek is accessible via 1,6km soft sand track from Poison Creek Road. There are 9 camping spots there, all are well protected from the wind, with lots of privacy. Some are not very leveled and some have ants but the sites are big enough to find a good place for your vehicle, van or tent within a camping spot. Facilities include one toilet, non-drinking water, 1 picnic table with shelter. There are no bins and no dogs are allowed. The sites are non-bookable. The cost is $10 per adult, $5 per child per night. The payment is cash only in the envelope. Due to remote location, ranger does not visit daily.

Camping at Jorndee Creek in Cape Arid National Park

The beach at Jorndee Creek is quite pleasant, within a protected small bay, with clear water, white squeaky sand and lots of interesting rocks to explore. Unfortunately, there are no walk trails around the camp, other than a short walk to the beach. We attempted hiking to Jorndee Creek via the walk trail but it was overgrown and couldn’t be accessed past a certain point. Apart from that, we enjoyed our short stay at Jorndee Creek. Fishing is popular in this area (we didn’t fish), as well as spotting whales and wildflowers in season.

Nearby Poison Creek is a great place to visit when you stay at Jorndee Creek (or Seal Creek, which was closed at the time we visited). It is a day use only area, 6km east from Jorndee Creek campsite where we stayed. The creek joins the ocean, although there was a sand bar separating it from the ocean when we went there late December. So we drove to the beach passing the end of the creek. It is a nice place to visit for a day, if you enjoy beach and fishing.

Flora and fauna at Cape Arid

If you like nature or photography, you are in for a treat at Cape Arid National Park. The wildflowers are in abundance there any time of there (but more during the season). Banksia speciosa Showy Banksia is very common throughout the park. It looks beautiful at all its different stages of growing – from tiny bud to seed.

Unfortunately, big parts of the national park are affected by Phytophthora Dieback. That is the reason some 4WD tracks are closed in winter and during wet conditions to prevent the spread. Washing your vehicle after driving on 4WD tracks in the park is also highly recommended (we washed ours in Esperance on the way back – it only costs $5).

Other plants which we saw at Cape Arid late December:

Billardiera speciosa (above far left), Billardiera heterophylla Australian Bluebell (to my best knowledge but could be wrong) – above second left, Calytrix decandra (second right), Melaleuca nesophila (above far right).

Echiopsis curta (Bardick) – small poisonous snake, which is nocturnal but can come out in overcast weather.

South-western Crevice Skink (above right).

Black Wolf Spider (above left), Australia’s iconic red bull ant (above middle), crab (above right).

Christmas Spider – Austracantha minax (above).

Banksia speciosa at Cape Arid National Park

Pallinup Inlet and Beach

Pallinup Inlet separated from Southern Ocean by a sandbar

The best camping places are remote and hard to get to, and this was the case with Pallinup Inlet camp, where we spent 2 amazing nights early January this year.

What is Pallinup Inlet and where is it?

Pallinup River forms Beauford Inlet, also known as Pallinup Estuary as it flows towards the Southern Ocean. Most of the time, it is separated from the ocean by a sandbar. Once in a few years, the sandbar breaks and the river joins the ocean. It is located on the coast between Albany and Bremer Bay, in the Great Southern region of WA.

Aeriav view of Pallinup Estuary meeing Pallinup Beach

Camping

Pallinup Beach is very exposed, with soft sand. Most people camp along Pallinup Estuary, where the area is protected from the strong winds and the tracks are harder. It is a nice place to go fishing, bird watching or just relaxing. Popular with locals but otherwise, it is a quiet area.

It is a free camp, with absolutely no facilities. You can bring your dog and some people (locals, we presume) take camper trailers but you would need to be an experienced 4WDriver to do that.

It reminded us of Broke Inlet in D’Entrecasteaux National Park – pristine, raw and beautiful.

What is the track to Pallinup Beach/Inlet look like?

To get to Pallinup beach/inlet take Boat Harbour unsealed road from South Coast Hwy. After 13km the road comes to a junction with two large skip bins. Taking a right turn will take you to Boat Harbour camp and taking left turn will take you to Pallinup Beach. Both are 4WD only tracks.

The track to Pallinup Beach starts as a fairly good but corrugated track for roughly 6km or so. Then it becomes rocky which requires slow crawling at times, so high clearance 4WD is required for this track. Closer to the beach, the track becomes soft sand.

The above track is closer to Albany. It is possible to travel from Bremer Bay via a different 4WD track to Pallinup Inlet, which is a lot rougher. We didn’t take it, so can’t comment.

For nature and photography enthusiasts

If you love nature and bird watching, there are plenty of opportunities to observe birdlife at the estuary.

A flock of Crested Terns at Pallinup Inlet

Lot of Crested Terns (above) moving in flocks and individually.

Pelicans (above) normally come in small groups – often in twos.

Red-capped Plover (above) is abundant there.

Lesser Sand Plover (above left) is similar to Red-capped Plover but bigger. While Red-necked Avocet (above right) moves in big flocks from place to place looking for food.

Welcome Swallow is another bird that is abundant at Pallinup Estuary.

There are a number of different bankias along the track, leading to Pallinup beach.

Banksia attenuata along the track to Pallinup Beach

Banksia attenuata (above top left), Bankisa baxteri (above bottom left), Banksia nutans (above right).

Adenanthos cuneatus Coastal Jugflower at Pallinup Inlet

Adenanthos cuneatus Coastal Jugflower (above left), Melaleuca striata (above middle), Verticordia densiflora (above right).

Eucalyptus pleurocarpa Blue Mallee at Pallinup Inlet

Clematis pubescens (above left), Eucalyptus pleurocarpa Blue Mallee (above right).

Lambertia inermis Chittick (above) is beautiful in every stage of flowering.

We really enjoyed the drive, as well as camping at Pallinup Estuary. The drive was an adventure in itself providing us with a good 4WD experience, as well as a sense of adventure with “tiger stripes”.

Cape Riche

While staying at Boat Harbour campground, we visited Cape Riche, which is roughly 120km east of Albany. There is a paid campground there, which appeared to be very full when we visited it at the end of December. Being it just a day trip, we did not need any accommodation, so from the campground, we took a 4WD track to access the beach 110 meters east of the south-eastern end of Sandalwood Road. On our way we got lost and ended up in some mysterious forest 😊.

We had to launch a drone to find out how to get to the beach, because there were quite a number of tracks intersecting.

When we got to the beach, it turned out to be an interesting and picturesque place. While the kids busied themselves with digging sand and building sand castles, we explored what was around. The beach was nice and the water was clear, although there was some seaweed washed out on the beach. There were only a couple of vehicles there apart from us and they left shortly.

At the western side of the beach there was an inlet (Cheynes Inlet?) separated from the beach with roughly 50 meters of sand. It looked tranquil and beautiful, especially with a pelican swimming serenely there.

It is a very relaxing place to spend some time. There are also a number of tracks to go 4WDriving.

Boat Harbour Beach, Wellstead (Trevor’s camp)

Boat Harbour beach

Boat Harbour in Wellstead (between Albany and Bremer Bay) is a place with a unique flavour and a paradise for 4WD lovers. It has long beaches with white soft sand to drive on, some slopes to go up and down and rocky hills to master and refine your 4WD skills. The views of the ocean are stunning. Crystal clear waters are ideal for swimming. Sand dunes are fun for the kids to play. There are rocky outcrops for explorations. In short, there is a lot of space and variety.

Trevor’s camp at Boat Harbour

There is a free camp, looked after by Trevor Smith, a “take carer” (as he calls himself), who has been living there in his own caravan for the last 14 years. Trevor looks after people who come to camp, helping them to find spots and park. He also cleans up after people leave the place (please do the right thing to preserve the environment). After learning what Trevor does and seeing him around all day long, always engaged and busy, it makes me appreciate even more his efforts and what he does, keeping the campground clean and tidy and people safe. Maybe that’s why, he prefers to call himself a “take carer”. This place wouldn’t be the same without Trevor Smith.

Aerial view of Boat Harbour — Tracks leading to upper campground

The camp has 2 areas – “the million-dollar view” ocean camp ground up the hill with spaces enough to park not more than 6-7 vehicles, which we tried initially but couldn’t get into, and a lower lying campground behind the dunes and near the inlet (actually, according to the sign, it is Naundyup Lake – a fresh water lake). Both campgrounds have undercover picnic area, non-drinking water and composting toilets.

The views from the upper (beach front) campground

Camping at Boat Harbour — River (lake) side campground

Boat Harbour campground — River (lake) side campground

This place turned out to be very popular, with both campgrounds being full almost all the time and lots of campers parking further away in a wide and more exposed passage leading straight to the beach. And this is considering that the road to get to the campground is corrugated, with the last section classified as a 4WD track.

Overflow camping area (more exposed to the wind)

Getting bogged in the sand

One of the wishes of our kids was to get bogged in the sand! That was their idea of an adventure and entertainment. “What’s the use of carrying maxtrax if we are not using them?” – was their reasoning. It turned out that the kids got their wish when we decided to try out how the vehicle will perform with 29psi on quite soft sand. Not so good, as it turned out. So, we got “intentionally” bogged and the kids had the pleasure they asked for – reducing tyre pressure to 15psi and digging out sand from the wheels.

Getting bogged in the sand is an adventure in itself and a good entertainment for the onlookers. Driving on soft sand on the beach was easy, but going uphill on very soft sand was a bit of a challenge. 😊

Early morning on the beach

The sun rises early in December, and so do we. Capturing the sun rays playing with the ocean waves is an adventure by itself. There are also some interesting tracks and foot prints to observe and identify. At 6am nature and people at Boat Harbour are fully awake and engaged in walking their dogs, driving on the beach or marvelling at the beauty of nature around, like myself.

Beach at Boat Harbour — Early morning at Boat Harbour

Everyone loves to walk (and drive) on the beach – dogs, birds, cars, buggies, people, lizards (?)…

Tracks on the beach at Boat Harbour — Everyone loves to walk on the beach…

Birds tracks at Boat Harbour — Everyone loves to walk on the beach…

The beach at Boat Harbour offers a variety of features – inlet, rocky side, sandy side, 4WD tracks. This is the rocky side of Boat Harbour which we explored on the last day of our stay. It turned out to be a very picturesque place with some rocks, big and small, rock pools and rather large wave splashes.

Kids’ entertainments

Playing with sand is the main entertainment for our kids when we camp on the beach – whether it is building sand castles, digging sand, running down the slopes, throwing the sand up in the air or climbing up the sand dunes. They can’t get enough of all the numerous sand games they engage and are always inventing something new!

Kids playing with the sand at Boat Harbour

And when you can’t wait to go to the beach to play with the sand, the dirt will do too! 😊

Hiking up the hill

On the last day of the last year the weather was overcast and cooling. It was a perfect time to go hiking. Dressed and equipped with drinks and cameras off we went. Initially the sun was shining but it quickly gave way to drizzle coming from the ocean. It was time to put on jackets and rain coats… and continue the journey. With only a drizzle (although there were huge dark clouds over the ocean) we managed to continue our hike up the hill along the Boat Harbour beach. Beautiful vistas opened up from the hill.

Boat Harbour during the storm — Views of the Boat Harbour in the middle of the rain

Closer in front of us we noticed some interesting things – wildflowers and their leaves being were eaten by ants and large families of caterpillars, sticking together or sometimes pilling one on top of the other, all chewing the same leave enthusiastically (Gross!!!)

Huntsman spider

We have heard about huntsman spiders (so common in Australia), but it was a first time we had the pleasure of such a close encounter with one. They are sometimes called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. They are huge. Really huge. The one that we saw was about 15cm including their leg span but they can even be larger than that. They are different from normal spiders, first because their legs are splayed out to the sides, similar to those of crabs. Secondly, unlike most crabs, huntsman spiders do not build webs to catch their prey, instead they hunt for their prey. Luckily, these spiders, although they can bite), are not deadly to humans.

The beach offers such an opportunity to watch sun rising and setting. While we missed the sunrise (the sun rises too early in summer! :), we watched the sunset. The colours of the sky were magnificent!

We ended up staying 5 nights at this place, deciding not to risk our chance of finding a camp spot as good as this one somewhere else during the New Year holidays, and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were leaving the place with sadness, as we grew so used to the constant roaring sound of the ocean nearby, the sound of vehicles passing by and seeing Trevor, the larrikin, with his beer every day coming over to check on people and the place. This is one place we will always remember and will definitely come back.

Day 9: Sunrise at Cape Le Grand

Sunrise at Cape Le Grand National Park is opposite to where the sun sets. So, it rises over the hills. This is where we went to greet a new day, new beginning. It is the last day for us at the campsite and is the time to pack. Cape Le Grand campground was a lovely home for us for 9 days but now it is time to leave.

Sunrise at Cape Le Grand on the last say is also the time for reflections. Brian got up at 5am and disappeared from the caravan. He came back with photos and a story to tell.

“Another day. A new dawn. A new year (2021) is fast approaching. The current (2020) year has been plagued with calamities affecting so many around the world. Not to mention the lifestyles change that will see us doing things differently. Hopefully, we come as one to make a better world.

As I walk down the beach in the early morning, I breathe the fresh air, reflect on my life and hear the rolling waves. The cold air breezes through my ears and I feel the cold, so l know l am still ticking. We will depart today to another destination after breakfast. Have a wonderful good morning to all and especially a new year to you all. “

The view of the ocean during the sunrise at Cape Le Grand National Park — Morning at Cape Le Grand

Ariel managed to find another beautiful colourful beetle for me to photograph when we went to wash hands.

Good bye beloved Cape Le Grand! We’ll be back again!

Day 4: Christmas at Cape Le Grand

What a better way to spend Christmas than at one of the best beaches – Cape Le Grand beach! Christmas Day is the time to spend with the family. Well, on that day, waves, sun, sand and seagulls became our family 😊.

We started the day by exchanging Christmas presents and then spent the whole day at the beach.

While we were having our morning tea we had a visitor at our place. This Monitor Lizard was very friendly and quite relaxed about people. It let me take a number of shots.

Monitor Lizard at Cape Le Grand camp ground – a local resident 🙂

Christmas Day was the only hot day during our 9 day stay at Cape Le Grand. The temperature hit 40 degrees and while the water was a bit cold, it was so refreshing to swim in the beautiful water on such a hot day.

The kids entertained themselves with digging the sand, building castles and tunnels, and jumping over little waves while I was practising my photography skills.

A lot of 4WDs were passing by and a few boats were launched off the coast.

A hot day meant lots of flies. We decided to have lunch inside our caravan where the temperature was 48 degrees! Still, it was better than fighting flies.

Hiding from the flies inside our caravan on a hot Christmas Day

With the air cooling at night, it was very comfortable to sleep.

Day 5: Mt Le Grand

While Frenchman Peak is a more popular hiking destination in Cape Le Grand, Mt Le Grand is the highest peak in the park. It rises 345 meters above sea level. The track to the summit from Cape Le Grand campground and back is around 6km.

Walking towards Mt Le Grand from our campground

After 40 degrees during Christmas Day the temperature dropped by nearly 20 degrees – perfect for hiking! With much cooler and cloudier weather, it a was great time to climb Mt Le Grand. We didn’t have to drive anywhere, as we camped at Cape Le Grand and Mt Le Grand was at out doorstep. The track is considered quite hard as you get further up. Not feeling like doing a work out on that day, we were happy to only hike part of it. Our aim was to take it easy and enjoy the scenery.

This south-west corner of Cape Le Grand National park is the most spectacular. Rugged granite peaks, born from molten rock 2500 million years ago, rise from the coastal plain. They form an amazing contrast to expansive coastal sand dunes. Wild coastal scenery, and sweeping heathlands with small freshwater pools characterise this area as a unique, bio diverse and rich in natural beauty place.

Climbing Mt Le Grand — Stopping to admire and appreciate the beauty

Our older (9-year-old) son Ariel has an amazing ability to notice and find interesting things. This time he found this colourful beetle which I took numerous pictures of.

Hiking further I found amazing diversity of vegetation. Getting closer to some of the plants and flowers I discovered their beauty and uniqueness.

Mt Le Grand is within Cape Le Grand National Park, 63km east of Esperance. It is roughly 630km south east of Perth in Western Australia.

Point Malcolm

Pasley/Telegraph Track

Point Malcolm camp and beach

Israelite Bay

Israelite Bay Telegraph Station Ruines

Israelite Bay beach and old jetty

Pink lake

Fisheries Track

For the nature lovers

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Munglinup Beach campground

Lake Shaster Nature reserve

Oldflied Estuary

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Shelley Beach (2WD accessible)

Camping at West Cape Howe NP

Testing your 4WDriving skills

Know your limits

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What to see with a 2WD – western side

Dolphin Cove

Yokinup Bay and Thomas River

Len Otte Nature trail

4WDriving on the western side of Cape Arid

Yokinup Bay 4WD beach

Tagon Beach

Camping at Cape Arid – 2WD accessible

4WD accessible camping

Jorndee Creek

Flora and fauna at Cape Arid

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What is Pallinup Inlet and where is it?

Camping

What is the track to Pallinup Beach/Inlet look like?

For nature and photography enthusiasts

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Boat Harbour beach

Trevor’s camp at Boat Harbour

Getting bogged in the sand

Early morning on the beach

Kids’ entertainments

Hiking up the hill

Huntsman spider

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