Eucla, WA

After another 600km day we have arrived in Ecula.  It is basically just a road stop but a nice one.  The Nullarbor is interesting if you take the time to get off the road and have a look.  It is far from boring and every stop has been so interesting along the Marine Bight.  Here you can see from our little camp park the road leading down to the water.  Here we just parked slept and left early the next morning.  

Eucla is the west side of the WA boarder.  Here we were licenced check and tried to work out the time.  Crossing the boarder is like going through time warp.  I asked the police what the time was but they didn't seem to know as they avoided the question.  People say there is Eucla time perhaps this is because in this part of the world no one really knows what time it is.  It is a really peculiar situation.  Through this part of the highway there are somewhere 2 time changes from 45 minutes then to 2.5 hours, but I don't think anyone is quite sure where this all takes place.  So we followed our own time and made it through to another 600 km to Penong, SA the town of 100 windmills.  Here we went off road (unmarked) to Cactus Beach (after some local directions) where we exited all amenities, hook ups, and the world for a few days.  

Fraser Range Station, WA

We left Cape Le Grand and set forth across the Nullarbor again.  We have really enjoyed the Nullarbor a second time.  It is the most beautiful drive.  Yes it is incredibly long and straight but the landscape is constantly changing and so interesting.  

We stopped the night at Fraser Range Station.  This used to be a working sheep station and like I have blogged many times before, once again I feel like i'm living in a novel.  The Station is 440,000km and used to run more than 4000 sheep.  The old buildings are still there to enjoy.  Both Bill and I discussed that we loved the beach but we both love the bush and feel so at home here.  Fraser Station was stunning. We were greeted with wild emus and a beautiful bush walk.  We hiked to the top of a hill and had the most amazing view of the country side.  It was a perfect sea of bush.  Again another beautiful sunset and sunrise the next morning.  

Cape Le Grand, WA

Here we watched sunsets and the full moon rising!

Esperance/ Cape Le Grand, WA

We have been told all along our trip that Esperance would be absolutely spectacular!  We arrived in Esperance and thought that maybe we arrived in the wrong spot! Esperance is a port town that looks to be absolutely exploding with growth.  We got lost in a massive construction zone that is appears to building an overpass directly to the port.  We got our bearings and found a great park to stay in for a couple of nights and do a load a wash.  We were so lucky to meet two other wonderful families of which one of the girls was also celebrating  birthday.  They invited us to their little party that was such a treat after so many weeks on the road.  We had birthday cake, tea cups (marshmallow cookies), chips and crackers. 

The next day we went 4wd along the beach 22km to Cape Le Grand.  Cape Le Grand is a pretty special spot with only a quiet little camp spot.  There are only about 12 sites here and no amenities other then a toilet block.  It is very quiet.  We were lucky enough to arrive when someone had just left so we took the spot and drove back to Esperance packed up and moved to Cape Le Grand.  

This was absolutely beautiful, quiet and free from the world.  George got us up early a few mornings so Bill did some beach photoshoots! 

At this camp site we met another family who were surfers and they were so wonderful to teach our kids how to surf.  The kids spent the whole day in the surf...coming home to falling asleep in their dinner.  Only a few short games of crazy eights made it these days! 

George has become  little bush and beach boy.  He absolutely loves the beach and just crawls like a mad boy along the beach.  He sees water and demands to be put down so he can get to it! We've created a monster!

Albany, WA

It has certainly been a while since I have caught up with this blog, I think it has been the better part of two weeks! The time just disappears!  I have to already go back and look through the pictures to remember what we were doing.  This trip has certainly not all moulded into one memory but each place is just so overwhelmingly beautiful in so many ways that the last place is already put by the way side!  So now I am thinking back to Albany and remembering our time there.   

Albany is a nice town but we found it to be busy and to many people after being so secluded which we have grown to enjoy.  We stayed at Emu point park and again it had beautiful walking paths along the ocean and out to a beautiful swimming hole.  Bill and I even escaped one morning with George and walked around to have a coffee returning to the kids still asleep!! Must be all the fresh air they are getting! 

We rented bikes and rode along the pathways.  Tim and I took off one morning to meet the others in town on what was supposed to be a 7km trip along the pathway but I got turned around and distracted and well, got lost! We ended up riding 15 km instead but eventually found our way and were greeted by a well deserved break!  WE also managed to find the Sunday morning markets and they were a real treat.  We had coffee and homemade belgian waffles and fresh baking!  Was so good!!! From here we took off the whaling station and blow holes.

Here we toured an old whaling station that stopped working in the early 70s.  But is the only station is the world that is completely intact.  We did the 40 minute tour to familiarise ourselves with what we were looking at and then we looked around on our own.  It was eye opening for the kids to see and almost smell the mass brutality that was done to whales.  Learning about what the oil was used for also has opened their eyes to the importance of reading labels and knowing where things come from so as not to support such shocking practice.  But that was the past and we know better now and it is remarkable to see how these people lived and what they had to do.  The ship is the 4th of 4 that remains docked for all to climb through.  We through our van was small to sleep in!

From here we drove the coast line to some amazing gigantic blow holes.  I have never been near blow holes before and although they are quite terrifying we sat down on the sloping rocks next to them and just listened and observed.  What an experience the roar of the water and the mist that come up through the holes makes you feel very powerless.