All the way to WA - 17 Western Australian kilometers
Day 17 August 9, 2023
Our one full day in Esperance began with relentless mizzle.
Raewyn and Shane found out how wet you can get in mizzle when they went out for
their morning run/walk. The rest of us opted to remain indoors and stay dry.
After breakfast, I decided to tackle the 17 km Great Ocean
Trail loop from the Esplanade around 5 bays up to Pink Lake and back. Following
some discussion and amendment of the plans for the day, Nicki decided to join
me on the hike (much to Wallsy’s relief!) while the others had a rest day.
We set off, wearing layers in case of further mizzle, but it
wasn’t a problem, the sun came out and we were soon quite warm. We visited the
Rotary Lookout on the way and then took a shortcut (!) to the great ocean trail
which soon took us to West Beach. The sea was its signature turquoise and very
calm. The path was paved and at the outset, it seemed to be a deceptively easy
walk.
Taking a few photos of amazing rock formations and gentle
waves lapping at white sand as we travelled along the path above West Beach, we
soon crossed the point and found ourselves at Blue Haven which offered an
equally picturesque and serene beach scene. At Salmon Beach, the next one along,
the ocean suddenly turned less calm, and the water was less blue. We scanned
for evidence of passing whales, because we had heard that this was the beach
where they were most often sighted, but of all of the beaches we had passed so
far, this seemed the least likely stopping point for a whale this morning, so
we were not surprised when there were no telltale spouts or fins to be seen. Somewhere
around here, we decided it was time to eat our apples, as we thought we were
about halfway through the hike.
Moving on to the next bay, we found ourselves at Fourth
Beach where the signage proclaimed the invasive Victorian Tea Tree was an issue
here, taking offence at the reference, we continued on our way, still scanning
for whales, just in case. As we passed the end point of Fourth Beach, we crossed into some badly burnt
terrain. The acrid smell of burnt scrub still lingered in the air, and we
thought it might have been quite recent, however a quick Google search told me
that the fire had occurred mid-May, when a prescribed burn had reignited. Apparently
180 hectares were burnt, the fire jumping the road and destroying the Twilight
Beach Lookout.
After passing through a considerable area of burnt terrain,
which felt quite desolate and eerie, followed by a large area which had been
replanted, we reached the point where the track crossed the road and moved away
from the coast and inland towards the Pink Lake.
We were making good progress, walking a good 5+ kms per
hour, with frequent stops for photos, and were on track to complete the hike in
our predicted 3 ½ hours, so we thought. Despite being described as an easy
walk, suitable for prams, walkers and cyclists, we quickly discovered that, as soon
as we began to move inland, the gentle undulations, became quite steep hills,
and neither of us thought, pushing a pram would be a desirable option.
It was a relief to reach an area which had not been fire damaged,
where the tall native shrubs again lined the track, and the bright red pea
flowers of the Cockies Tongue shrub provided contrast to the grey-green of the Woolly
Bush foliage. The dried flowers and seed heads of the Ashby’s Banksia, which we
found in great numbers opposite the Pink Lake (which showed no hint of its
famous colour today), suggested they must have been stunning when in full bloom.
The birds were also evident again, and after the silence of
the burnt-out area, it was nice to see
and hear them. We couldn’t help but feel the call of the Western Wattle Bird
was saying ‘lookout, lookout’; a warning of our arrival, being passed on
through the bush. On other occasions they seemed to be taunting us with calls mimicking
parrots, yet when we stopped in the hope of seeing some brightly coloured
Western Australian parrot variety, we found only a Wattle Bird, with its usual
characteristic call, saying ‘Tricked you!’
And so we walked on. At the point where Nicki’s Garmin told
her we had reached 15.7 km, we still seemed to be a long way from the end point
of our hike, and we began to realise that the 17 km distance indicated in the
trail maps and the tourist guides, might not have been accurate. Turning away
from the Pink Lake and heading towards Esperance once again, we were shocked to
find Google Maps indicating we still had some 6 km to cover, despite having already
walked 17.
It was after 3 pm, we had been walking solidly for 4 hours
and Google was still telling us we had an hour to walk, we had just decided to call
for a ride, when Shane phoned to check in on our progress. We gladly accepted
the offer of a lift, sent a pin to indicate where we were and trudged on, until
our ride arrived. We had walked 21 km at this point – a far cry from the advertised
17!
Arriving back at the accommodation, we devoured the proffered
toasted sandwiches and coffee, showered and set off for happy hour at our new
local, 33 Degrees. Dinner was a BBQ and salad back at our unit, which was enjoyed
by all. Tomorrow we farewell Esperance and begin to make our way back in the
direction of Perth, in readiness for our flight home on Saturday.
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