Mon, 6th Mar, 2017 Gibson Soak Hotel RV Stop, Gibson, 30km north of Esperance, WA (Great Ocean Drive)

7.30am - 23 degrees with a clear blue sky. Bob & Margaret texted so see where we were so sent them a reply. Sent Emma a birthday message then realised I was 4 days early. It was Yanneke’s birthday today!! Should have looked at my birthday calendar!!

Drove into town to follow the Great Ocean Drive.

Stopped at the Tanker Jetty park to check out the pictures etc. 1904 – the Daw daughters in horse & buggy on the beach. They are very reflective – we are in the photo!!

  

Sammy Seal. I was told to watch out for seals who like to perform for fish scraps off this jetty but now the jetty is closed we won’t see them.

1904 – Esperance Bay.

1934 – Driving the first pile for the Tanker Jetty.

The jetty was the gateway to the Goldfields.

More information as we walked out to the jetty.

It was recently a popular fishing spot but no fishing here until they fix it up.

Another tanker waiting as I scan over Esperance Bay and its islands.

Stopped for fuel – along with everyone else!! Public holiday (Labour Day) so lots of people out and about.  

Crossed over the big railway line which brings down iron ore and nickel from the north. First stop was the Rotary Lookout on Wireless Hill above the port and the ‘Bay of Isles’. Fabulous view. A local chap pointed out a few landmarks. 

The town with the big diesel storage tanks. Diesel comes here in the big ships and is then taken up to Kalgoorlie.        

Tanker Jetty juts out into the bay.

Microwave Tower across to the sand dunes near Bundy Creek Harbour.

A big container ship leaving the port.

Across the bay to Frenchman Peak in Cape Le Grand National Park; Black Island in front.

Cape Le Grand on left with Woody Island in front.

Continuing around over the islands to the west then the coastline to West Beach.

A western suburb.

 Zoomed in on Pink Lake.

A directional guide and another plaque showing some of the islands in the Recherche Archipelago.

A diesel tanker has just had the pilot board it to come into port as the big container ship heads out into the shipping lane.

Continued around and stopped at West Beach for a look from the high car park. The rocky outcrop is called Hughes Step and the point on the other side is Chapmans Point.

Flat rocky platforms break the waves providing nice a swimming area though there is warnings about rips.

Turned off to check out Australia’s first wind farm at Salmon Beach. This was actually an experimental wind farm and after its success more turbines were installed further along above 10 Mile Lagoon to the west.

Walked down to the site of another wind turbine which is now a lookout platform.

Top view.

Back to the truck where the remains of a tower lay down showing the ladder that runs up the inside.

Next stop looked from Wireless Hill (Rotary LO) along a beach that doesn’t have a name around to Blue Haven Beach.

Sliding down the rocks seems the fun thing to do.

Looking across the bay to Cape Le Grand again. It’s amazing seeing all the islands so close.

Further around the point we drove back up and over to Blue Haven Beach. Long set of stairs down to the beach.

Back around to the other side which is Salmon Beach.

Lots of pretty yellow daisies along the roadside.

Around another point to Fourth Beach – very long beach along Twilight Bay which goes around to Twilight Beach which are near the rocky point.

Turned off and down into Twilight Beach. Interesting hole in the rock.

Across the car park on the west side of the point is Picnic Beach. Looking west to Observatory Island and Observatory Point.

Further around we found another good lookout spot – over more islands then big Observatory Island and the Point with more islands in the distance.

The wind farm runs along the ridge from past Observatory Point.

Down the steep drive to Observatory Point. Parked then walked up the stairs to the lookout.

A plaque commemorating where two French frigates took shelter during a gale in 1792 – L’Esperance and Recherche. Good place for a selfie.

Another fabulous view - the day has turned out just perfect.

View from halfway down the steps of the west side.

Around the point to Observatory Beach with more steps down to the beach.

A couple of people were surfing so we grabbed our lunch and sat on the seats part way down the steps and watched them surf.

Across Butty Harbour to Butty Head and big sand dunes around from the head.

Zoomed in further along the beach – rocky platforms then 9 Mile Beach.

Skipped 9 Mile Beach car park then turned down into 10 Mile Lagoon and Beach.

Next turnoff was down a dirt track to 11 Mile Beach. I vote this as the best one. The rocky reef creates a great lagoon though there is still a big hike down the steps to it. There are 4WD tracks down onto the beach off both sides of the point we are standing on. It is quite warm now so I could almost have had a swim though I know the water will still be freezing!! Nice breeze blowing though, which has made the day pleasant.

The road turns north from here so I don’t think there is any access to Butty Head and the sand dunes.

Headed north-east around to Pink Lake. Put the air-con on as it is getting quite warm now we have left the cool sea breeze. The lake isn’t pink at the moment – probably because of all the recent rain. It is one of a chain of wetlands around Esperance – Lake Warden, Windabout Lake, Woody Lake, Wheatfields Lake and Mullet Lake. Table salt is harvested from solar ponds on the eastern end of the lake.

A plaque about Eyre and his companion Wylie when they passed through here in 1841.

Back through town then along the Esplanade and around to Castletown Beach on the northern edge of Esperance Bay. Looking back to the Esplanade with its lines of pine trees then around to the groin for the Bandy Creek Harbour then around the coast to Cape Le Grand.

Another ship being guided in to the port by the tugboats.

Continued along then turned down the Bandy Creek Harbour Road. It provides a great shelter for all the boats and is a popular swimming and fishing spot. A school of mullet were in close to the bank.

Walked out onto a rocky point to view the mouth of the harbour.

A horse is having a swim.

Nice beach area.

A few people are trying to catch dinner.

The harbour.

White daisies.

Headed home. Stopped at the top of a hill – street aptly called Island View. Looking over Windabout and Woody Lakes across Esperance Bay to Cape Le Grand.

Over Lake Warden to some of the many islands offshore.

Across Pink Lake, Esperance and Wireless Hill.

Further along we stopped to check out the big grain bins. One full and covered and a new one ready for the next harvest (Nov-Feb).

Back to the van for a cuppa. It was 38 degrees in the van. I didn’t have all the windows open so got them open and some breeze floating in.

Mum rang to say that Becky had her baby, a son, Mason Leigh, at 10am and he is a bonny boy. Sent Becky and Jeremy a congratulations text.

Greg, from NSW came over for a chat. He heard we do detecting from one of the others and asked Stephen’s advice on what to get etc. They spent the afternoon chatting and Steve got out my detector and some gold to show him all about it as that is what we would recommend to anyone starting out. A few march flies are about and when the sun goes down the mosquitoes then come out in force.

Nice quiet evening with only an occasionally iron ore train coming by tooting his horn.