Esperance – Denmark – Margie – Perth

Taking a day of rest, and beaches, at Esperance, we drove out to the Cape Le Grande National Park, and spent much of the day lazing on beautiful white beach with clear blue water - Lucky Bay, Thistle Cove, Hellfire Bay - tough day! We would have been playing beach cricket, but a seagull took off with our ball at the first stop.


Back into town, we had a BBQ on the seafront of Esperance, before further drinks back at the Motel to see out the night. The next morning, we were back on the road, for a big day of driving. Covering a large section of the map, we stopped for lunch somewhere in the middle of nowhere, before heading further south, and making it to Albany.

Still driving, we reached our planned destination of Denmark, and checked into the YHA Backpackers. Going out for a pub meal, we returned to find our fellow travellers all seated around the big dining table....all buried in their laptops. Belinda, Dillo, Carl and I decided we needed to take matters into our own hands to stir things up for ourselves, and unpacked the blender we were carrying for Jess (of Blender Party fame). A bit of rum, pineapple, coconut milk, ice, a bit of noise, and our balcony card game was mixed up with pina coladas!

Morning had us heading out, stopping outside Walpole to visit the Valley of the Giants, and walk the Treetop Walk in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. Being up amongst the canopy of the forest, before walking at ground level pass some of the biggest trees, and a tour by a very enthusiastic Ranger.

More driving had us reach the most south-westerly mainland point, being Cape Leeuwin. Here, it's said that the Southern and Indian Oceans meet, and it is also the site of a pretty impressive lighthouse.

Reaching Margaret River with just a half hour before the closure of the cellar doors, Carl, Belinda and I managed to squeeze in a visit and tasting session at both the Leeuwin Estate, where our wine presenter impressed us with his honesty and humour, and then down the road to beautifully manicured gardens being Voyager Estate.

Our last night of the roadtrip was spent at the YHA in Margie, where Carl cooked for us, and over more card games and drinking, Dillo finished his barrel of port carried across from Adelaide.

The next morning we stopped off at the beach at Yallingup, where Carl and Belinda took a dip, before starting the last portion of our trip, up to Perth. Running the gauntlet with the petrol tank, we found a stop to fill up just before we were in real trouble, and then reached the city outskirts.

Reaching Jess' new place in the early afternoon, we had covered just over 4000 kms since we saw her last, in the carpark of Adelaide Oval. Such an awesome trip!