All the way to WA - Having a whale of a time

August 07, 2023

Day 15, August 7, 2023

The morning sea fog that hung over Mount Clarence this morning belied the fact that the forecasters had promised us our warmest day so far – 27 degrees! So, it was in a strange assortment of shorts, t-shirts and puffer jackets, that we arrived at The Gap and The Natural Bridge at 8:30 this morning.

The Gap, a huge granite cleft with a lookout platform suspended 10 m beyond the edge of the rock surface, offers a unique spectacle of the crashing waves of the Southern Ocean, battering the base of the cliffs. It did not disappoint. To stand out on the metal structure, being buffeted by the wind, looking down through the gaps in the grated deck, or peering over the edge of the railing, and seeing the broiling ocean 40 m below was an incredible experience.

A short walk away from The Gap, is the Natural Bridge, a granite arch, which can be viewed from a strategically placed deck, allowing a view of both the top of the bridge and the ocean below as it swells and heaves, washing under the bridge and up onto the rocks.

Both these viewing platforms and the accessible walkways provide outstanding views of the coast from Bald Head to West Cape Howe, the emerald colour of the sea, an impressive backdrop to the rugged coast. It was stunning.

From here we moved on to the area known as The Blowholes. This was designated as a 1.6 km return walk, which began on a bitumen path before progressing down some 80 steps onto an exposed granite area. Here we stood and waited for the spray from the well signposted blowholes. They were making all the right noises as the waves crashed onto the rocks below, but there was very little action today, just a few meagre puffs of half-hearted spray.

Scanning the ocean for any signs of passing whales we trudged back up the steps and the steep path, our calves reminding us of the prolonged uphill walk we had subjected them to only yesterday, the whole time.

Piling back into the van we returned to Albany in search of coffee, before taking Highway 1 in an easterly direction. Some 45 minutes later we saw the signpost to Cheynes Beach, made infamous by the unfortunate mass stranding of some 50 pilot whales there almost a fortnight ago. I had been monitoring a local Albany whale spotting group on Facebook since our arrival in the southwest and knew that there had been some good whale sightings in recent days, close to the area known as Tourist Rocks. We took the turnoff and 10 minutes later we were overlooking the beautiful beach. We stopped at a vantage point and jumped out to see what we could see, and it wasn’t long before we saw the spray of a whale spout in the distance. We decided to go a bit further around to Tourist Rocks in the hope of a better view.

There were frequent sightings of spouts at a distance, and then one whale nearby in the bay began putting on a fin slapping display for us. We realised that this particular whale seemed to be coming closer to the Tourist Rocks. We were right; very soon they had come close to the rocks and continued frolicking through the waves, right past us and out of view around the point to the west.

Tyrone and Wallsy decided to go to the fish and chip shop at the nearby caravan park to get us some lunch to eat on the rocks. While they were gone, we continued to see whale spouts in the distance as they travelled past the area. Once we had finished lunch however, another whale began breaching, slapping and rolling on his/her way past, eliciting cheers and claps from a very appreciative audience.

Only when it seemed the entertainment had definitely moved on, did we reluctantly move on too, feeling incredibly lucky to have witnessed these remarkable creatures at such close range.

The rest of the afternoon was relatively uneventful as we travelled on monotonously straight roads, often with a side of canola field. We did have a brief stop at the Ravensthorpe silo art, before turning off towards Hopetoun, our stop for the night.

The Harbour Masters Quarters, tucked away down an alleyway behind the small cluster of shops in town, provides a unique but comfortable accommodation experience, close to the pristine, white sandy beach, and within convenient walking distance to the only hotel for dinner.