February 29th & March 1st, 2012- Dunn Rock- Cape Le Grand National Park

Wednesday morning we were up fairly early and on the road towards Esperance and Cape Le Grand National Park. We passed straight through Esperance so we could arrive at Lucky Bay early to get a camp spot. Even though we were at the park by 9:30am, it turned out to be in vain as all spots were taken in Lucky Bay and Cape Le Grand campgrounds. We decided to try another possible camping area further East while Di & Terry chose to head back to Esperance to find a caravan park. We ended up at Dunn Rock. This was an unmarked area near the beach East in Cape Le Grand. No facilities or sites for that matter. We found an area behind the sand dunes and setup. It turned out to be a wonderful location as we were quite sheltered from the wind and very secluded but only a short walk or drive to the beach.

Once setup we took a drive into Esperance and found Di & Terry set up at the Seafront Caravan Park. We made a booking at the same caravan park for Friday and Saturday after we finished our free camp at Dunn Rock. We did some grocery shopping and paid a visit to the Tourist Info Centre. Headed back to Dunn Rock for happy hour and evening tea.

Thursday morning we first headed West to Duke of Orleans. Not well advertised but a very beautiful area. We stopped at the caravan park there to scope it out before heading to Wharton Beach. Beautiful beach where we were able to climb a rock hill to overview both the beach and Little Wharton Beach on the opposite side. Had morning tea right on the rocks at Little Wharton. It was a cool overcast morning but warmed up and the skies cleared as the day progressed.

We then headed back West towards the main Cape Le Grand National Park. We stopped and got a few photos of Frenchman's Peak. Our first main stop was at Lucky Bay where we drove 3KM down the beach to a viewing platform overlooking the rocks and the beach. We enjoyed our lunch sitting in the car overlooking the beach. One of the most beautiful beaches you will see anywhere. There were a number of kite surfers near the camping area. We toured the camping area which was nice but very crowded and the Flinders Monument at the West end of the beach. Best views of the beach are definately from the East end; at least the day we were there.

We then drove further East to Rosseter Bay which was a bit disappointing but we did enjoy another fantastic lookout of Lucky Bay on the way. Back in the car and headed back East to Thistle Cove. Just another incredible beach and rock structures. Was also the home of the Whistling Rock although we didn't hear the whistle during our visit.

Back in the car again and off to Hellfire Bay. Another incredible beach with a beautiful covered picnic area. Had a quick walk down to the beach before continuing on our way to Cape Le Grand. We toured the campground there before climbing the lookout. The Campground was more spacious than Lucky Bay but still small.

We then ventured out on to the Cape Le Grand beach where we drove 23Km West to Wylie Creek at Esperance. What a great experience. The water was so beautiful and blue. We saw a seal surfing in the waves along the way. We had numerous photo stops before reaching our destination. We had planned to return via the highway but decided to retrace our route along the beach in the opposite direction instead. Still amazing and still a few photo stops. Returned back to our campground from Cape Le Grand after a long but very wonderful day of exploring.

Friday morning we had a bit of a sleep in and a big breakfast as we were only travelling as far as Esperance. We then decided to take a quick trip down to Dunn Rock beach for a swim and a fish. We decided against the fish as there was some really big swell. Stephen and I enjoyed a good body surf. I caught a couple of really good waves and also got somersaulted a few times by the big swell. We then took a drive down the beach for 4-5KM. Beautiful beach all to ourselves and the birds. More photos were taken and the girls did some shell searching. Headed back to the campsite where we packed up and headed into Esperance.