3 - 2026 February - Cape Le Grand National Park, Western Australia part 2

 

Entry 3 – 2026 – February – Cape Le Grand National Park, Western Australia Part 2.

The Bureau of Meteorology next 7-day weather forecast was seemingly becoming monotonous. The previous weeks forecast had been for a prediction of only one sunny day. And the prediction for the following week was also to be one sunny day with cloudy weather the other days. And even more annoying, their predictions were ironically right.

On the latest warm sunny day, we had an outing, driving to the nearby Thistle Cove. It was another stunning location. Unfortunately, there was a large granite rock to scale down to the beach. It was a bit on the steep side and we saw a number of young people becoming quite anxious whilst attempting to scale the slippery decent. We decided to err on the side of caution, not to attempt the decent onto the beach.

Just down the road a bit was Lucky Bay. We decided to head to Lucky Bay thinking it wouldn’t be as crowded on this week day in comparison to the previous weekends viewing. We were a bit stunned to see it was substantially busier. Lucky Bay had easy beach access and we decided to cool our feet.

It was a lovely beach with firm sand underfoot. The sand was quite fine without a granular sensation experienced at most other beach locations around Australia. It was a delight to walk along and we soon found ourselves past the crowds of people and vehicles. We enjoyed a swim in the ocean before proceeding back to our car.

Back at camp we watched a different sunset, without any clouds about.

The views from our caravan windows at our Le Grand Beach campground were exceptionally stunning. We would go to sleep at night with no coverings over our windows. When we opened our eyes first thing in the morning we were greeted with positive vibe’s. It was “grand,” viewing.

Early one morning when Steve opened his eyes he was greeted by a beautiful blue sky. The backdrop of a blue sky enhanced our visual setting. It was spectacular. With a “moan,” he quickly got up and headed out to capture a photograph, show-casing the setting in ideal conditions. The optimum location to capture an exemplary photograph was up a steepish granite outcrop. It was a strenuous 10–15-minute climb. He was pleased to see no vehicles on the beach. In the distance he spotted three vehicles driving on the road towards our location. There was a need to push his legs as hard as possible. With deep heavy breathing he got the desired photograph, seconds before the first early morning arrivals.

During our first three weeks at Cape Le Grand N.P. the wave activity, provided a constant swell. When the waves were smallish, we would both enjoy time in the water riding our boogie boards. On some large wave days, at times, Steve attempted to obtain that “sort after” ride. Mostly the waves showed him who was in charge.

Eventually we experienced several sunny days in a row, most likely to the disgust of the weather forecaster’s prediction of ongoing cloudy skies. The sun seemed to calm the ocean wave’s and heighten our sense of well-being. The main “constant,” the remaining strong windy conditions.

One evening a couple of boats, moored for the night during the calm conditions.

Early mornings the local birds were most active. It was good to see them moving about. Though it was rare for them to be still long enough for a photographic opportunity.

When at our large city home base, there is a need to provide a week’s notice for when our tow tug requires a service. It was peak tourist season and the nearby town of Esperance; Toyota dealer service section was booked two months in advance. We had booked our tow tug service long before we had left home. Near the end of week three at Cape Le Grand N.P. we delivered our tow tug for a service at 8 am. Thankfully we had requested for a loan car during the period of the service.

It had been an early start for the day, with around a 65-kilometre drive to Esperance. Of interest there was a constant stream of vehicles travelling into Cape Le Grand N.P. at an early 7 am.

Our pantry and fridge were bare of fresh food. We started our day in Esperance with breakfast at one of the local cafés. We attended several different shops; including the hardware store, “Bunnings,” in search of items, we had identified to be helpful. Shopping trolleys were pushed around two different supermarkets, obtaining our desired food supplies. At the local laundry mat, we addressed three weeks of washing.

It had been a long day and we were in bed by 8 pm. Of note, our “big breakfast,” kept us going all day, including no inclination for an evening meal.

W.A. is not only a short version for Western Australia, it also stands for windy always.

It’s nice to have the caravan awning out with extra shade walls attached, providing a pleasant outdoor area. Unfortunately, with regular strong winds the awning material gets flapped about, placing it at risk of damage. Steve secured a rope length wise over the top of the awning which did address much of the flapping noise. One of those items he was seeking out when we were getting the tow tug serviced was some pool floatation noodles. He slid the additional awning rope through the hollow section of the pool noodles, spreading the area of pressure placed on the awning material. One morning we managed to obtain evidence of a nice sunrise, also displaying his ingenuity on the awning roof. And yes, the pool noodle addition did help to address some of the awning flapping.

Our final week at Cape Le Grand N.P. we continued to enjoy, basking in the beautiful scenery. The sun shone most of the time, enhancing the wild coastal scenery of rugged granite peaks, sweeping heathlands and fabulous turquoise waters on magnificent white sand beaches. We managed several dips in the pleasant temperature ocean waters with lots of fun on the boogie boards.

There was a blood moon one night with the next blood moon not expected for around three years.

Departure time seemed to be upon us too soon. We could have easily stayed longer. We spent the day in the nearby town of Esperance. The fridge and pantry were restocked to capacity, washing was attended to and we shared a lovely Chinese takeaway meal with friends John and Jill. It was time to head towards our next planned destinations.