Hamelin Bay was the stop of the day for Tour Day 5 of the Intrepid South West WA tour. However this doesn't mean it was due to a lack of highlights. The stingrays are amazing. So graceful, so relaxed. Even with the hundreds of tourist at their beach in what would be the busiest week of the year. The giant Karri trees we stopped in at with the Gloucester Tree are great. But they're no stingray.
This evening on paper gave me bragging rights. New Years Eve 2021 I was in the Margaret River wine region. Sounds amazing like that. Alas reality was we were at a bush camp in the middle of nowhere away from the coast and majority of the tourist. But they do say don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Day 4 of my Western Australia adventure had me hiking Cable Rock. This was my first time where I've completed a hike with a ladder after having maneuvered through a short scramble of rocks. Makes it sound advanced doesn't it? Well it wasn't really so.
After the early climb the tour left for a flyby visit of Albany before starting our journey towards Peaceful Bay. Along the way we stopped in the main highlight of the Elephant Rocks and Greens Pool near Denmark. We also took in the trees of Valley of the Giants.
Alas one of the lessor highlights was our arrival at the campsite in Peaceful Bay. We marked the disappearance of the last remaining patch of green grass used for makeshift soccer and football by the local kids. If looks could kill we were dead. A dozen 6 to 12 year olds were left fuming that their summer holiday oasis had been broken apart by a tour bus. The disappointment quickly descended into an outpouring of emotion, tears, and then aggression. We had caused a fight. A big bully unable to accept his kingdom was gone lashed out at a taunting slightly built younger kid. It was game on, and the masses of kids were either in shock or cheering on the scene with "fight, fight". It all came crashing to a halt as a diplomatic girl of perhaps 8 years old chose to get in between to stop punches berating both sides. And then came the scurry in of parents to mop up and bring all sides to a reality. What a welcome. Ah the serenity.
So day 3 of the Tour of WA saw us depart The Cape Le Grand. We started early with a walk up Frenchman Peak. We were there in summer so it was worth being on the walk early. We were climbing by about 7:30am. The granite heats up under the sun. And well I could only think I was glad it wasn't me going up as we descended at about 10am. I would also avoid this if its wet. So many times I was picking a path up or down around foot grip. This is not a place I'd want to slip.
From the peak we headed back to Esperance for a quick stop before venturing out to the better local beaches outside of town centre. These beaches are nearly as spectacular at The Cape Le Grand. Which is why locals and tourists are happy to just holiday here and not pressure the Cape Le Grand with even more tourists.
The 2nd day of the Intrepid tour of the South West of Western Australia saw us driving to our most easterly point of the tour. The Cape Le Grand National Park. There are reasons why this place is considered one of the top 10 beaches of the world. I rate this as the most beautiful I have seen. The only thing I didn't get from this experience was a photo of the kangaroos actually on the beach.
So 2020 was a bad year for most. And well travel was made near impossible thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. All of my international plans for the year were left in ruins. Fortunately Australia had been somewhat protected from the virus spread. We gradually came out from our lock down slumber to allow domestic tourism. So with international travel helplessly just a dream I returned to domestic tourism beyond that of weekends away and city stays for AFL football viewing. Western Australia was the destination of choice. It made sense for a trip in the peak of summer to the southern parts of Australia. Big distances made a tour company even more attractive. So I called upon a trusted brand Intrepid Tours to provide my tour solution of a short 5 night tour of the South West of WA and added on a few nights in Perth after.
As per normal I've packaged up my travel stories into short videos. Daily summaries for all to enjoy.
