Today we had a lazy day..after our hectic day yesterday...had a nice lie in.
Later in the morning we went for a drive into town..and had a walk around the main street, which we walked a couple of years ago when we sailed into Albany on the Queen Victoria ..then we thought that was all there was to Albany but in fact it's quite a large town...
John had a hair cut and then we had a nice lunch.
Later we drove to Mount Romance to the Sandalwood Factory ...I love sandalwood.. But I was a good girl I didn't buy anything...
We then returned to the house and relaxed for the afternoon...
Our new adverture in our Crossroads Cruiser.. 2012
Monday 19th March 2012
Well it rained all night and didn't stop all morning.. Once again we had to pack up in the rain...
Headed out about 10 am just before Geoff and Terri left... They are heading the same way...
We have a long drive today 500 kms something we don't normally do ..but not much in between Esperance and Albany...
It rained all the way for the first 2 hours...we stopped off for morning coffee and Geoff & Terri pulled in beside us just as we were finishing up...
We carried on travelling through Ravensthorpe where we expected to hit a locust plague... Which other travellers were reporting to be really bad.. But we were lucky ...we only hit the occasional ones, they didn't make too much mess...
We stopped at ............. For lunch this is where Geoff & Terri are staying for a few days before heading to Albany... John was tired and we seriously thought about staying there too... It was 178 kms to Albany and John said let's push on.
The road was interesting from here.. So it kept us alert... The bird life was amazing... Parrots every where on the side of the road..and as we passed they flew off in glorious colours... The main parrot we saw was a Port Lincoln parrot ...
We also saw huge black birds, Galahs
and at one stage we thought a dog was sitting in the middle of the road... As John slowed down, and we got closer it was a wedge tail eagle it was HUGE !!! these birds are about 1m long with a wingspan of up to 2.5m
It took off in flight.. And it's wing span must have been the width of our truck...amazing to watch....
Arrived at Albany Gardens Resort around 5.30pm very tired...nice park and we have a great site... Booked in for 4 days but may extend it...
Our Esperance friends, Mark & Sue and Geoff & Terri are heading this way too... They arrive Wednesday and Thursday.
Headed out about 10 am just before Geoff and Terri left... They are heading the same way...
We have a long drive today 500 kms something we don't normally do ..but not much in between Esperance and Albany...
It rained all the way for the first 2 hours...we stopped off for morning coffee and Geoff & Terri pulled in beside us just as we were finishing up...
We carried on travelling through Ravensthorpe where we expected to hit a locust plague... Which other travellers were reporting to be really bad.. But we were lucky ...we only hit the occasional ones, they didn't make too much mess...
We stopped at ............. For lunch this is where Geoff & Terri are staying for a few days before heading to Albany... John was tired and we seriously thought about staying there too... It was 178 kms to Albany and John said let's push on.
The road was interesting from here.. So it kept us alert... The bird life was amazing... Parrots every where on the side of the road..and as we passed they flew off in glorious colours... The main parrot we saw was a Port Lincoln parrot ...
Lots of little groups on the side of the road.....
and at one stage we thought a dog was sitting in the middle of the road... As John slowed down, and we got closer it was a wedge tail eagle it was HUGE !!! these birds are about 1m long with a wingspan of up to 2.5m
It took off in flight.. And it's wing span must have been the width of our truck...amazing to watch....
Arrived at Albany Gardens Resort around 5.30pm very tired...nice park and we have a great site... Booked in for 4 days but may extend it...
Our Esperance friends, Mark & Sue and Geoff & Terri are heading this way too... They arrive Wednesday and Thursday.
13th-14th- 15th-16th-17th March 2012
Tuesday 13th March 2012
Was really cold today and raining such a big change from yesterday...didn't do too much...But we did go out looking at scooters again...and we bought one .... A black one ...It's lovely...
Everyone gathered around when we came back with it...John had a little ride on it up and down,and I had a go too I wasn't as confident as John...
We have met up with a really nice bunch of people while stay at Esperance...and they have all been very helpful...
We all have big rigs... So we were all put together on the front of the park...we have all been here for nearly two weeks so we have really got to know each other..it really makes for a nice time in the park when you have a group of people that all get along.
He also picked up our new tyre that had to be ordered in...Cost $400 thank goodness we didn't have to pay for it...
At midday I went for my first maiden voyage as a passenger on the scooter....it was good fun and John handles it well... I have still not attempted again to ride it yet but I will....
Tomorrow it's my turn... Terri is coming to my kitchen to watch me cook a batch.... Plus she is going to show me how to make rice pudding...
Geoff copied the emblem that I wanted on my helmet, and he made up a sticker for me !!!!
Happy hour we all met again for drinks before retiring to our own homes to cook dinner...
Even though we are away from things and all you people back home think its one big holiday... its not.. its still like being at home and running a household... same chores.. cleaning bathrooms, washing windows, changing sheets on bed...ironing... always some house work to be done....
So after chores done it was my turn to cook scones.... Terri came over and I had a great time... and the end results were just amazing... I was so proud of myself... after the scones I cooked Custard Rice Pudding...yummy !!!
So once again we had afternoon tea ... only with my scones this time.. !!!!
While I was baking John went over to the beach and watched the Yacht's racing... perfect day for it today as it was so windy...
We had to go back later this afternoon, to pick it up after it had been registered etc...
Everyone gathered around when we came back with it...John had a little ride on it up and down,and I had a go too I wasn't as confident as John...
We have met up with a really nice bunch of people while stay at Esperance...and they have all been very helpful...
We all have big rigs... So we were all put together on the front of the park...we have all been here for nearly two weeks so we have really got to know each other..it really makes for a nice time in the park when you have a group of people that all get along.
Wednesday 14th March 2012
John had to sort out the tyre stuff today...and run around trying to get a new one for the spare, which we had to order in ...it will be here on Friday.
John took the scooter out for a ride to get used to it... He came back very pleased with himself ..saying he can handle it no problems...
A guy came around after lunch and measured up for a rack we want made up for the back of the truck for the scooter to sit in... We are lucky he said he could have it done for us before Friday...
We have done so much since we arrived in Esperance.. It will have fond memories for us..
Thursday 15th March 2012
Stayed in again today... John cleaned all the windows etc ...I did washing in between chatting here and there with our neighbors..the day flies by....
Did some shopping...and that was it...
Had happy hour with our friends... I was saying how I would love to be able to make scones and Terri said "they are easy to make" and she suggested I come over to her trailer and she will show me tomorrow how it's done... So I'm looking forward to that..
I spent sometime looking on eBay for a lady bug sticker I want to put on the back of my helmet... But the one I liked was too big...
During happy hour I was telling Geoff (Terri 's husband the sign writer) about the sticker he said he could make me one up if I showed him what I wanted... So I was very excited about that..
Friday 16th March 2012
John had to take the truck to the engineer place to get our rack fitted for the scooter, they did a good job of it, scooter very safe now...
He also picked up our new tyre that had to be ordered in...Cost $400 thank goodness we didn't have to pay for it...
At midday I went for my first maiden voyage as a passenger on the scooter....it was good fun and John handles it well... I have still not attempted again to ride it yet but I will....
One of the group left today... they are heading up to Kalgoorlie...
As promised last night.... Terri gave me a lesson today on how to cook scones...which she says is EASY !! And she wasn't kidding ... She went through the process...and then we had afternoon tea with all our friends... To taste them ... They were yummy !!! We had fresh cream and yummy jam to go with them....
David & Caroline
As promised last night.... Terri gave me a lesson today on how to cook scones...which she says is EASY !! And she wasn't kidding ... She went through the process...and then we had afternoon tea with all our friends... To taste them ... They were yummy !!! We had fresh cream and yummy jam to go with them....
Tomorrow it's my turn... Terri is coming to my kitchen to watch me cook a batch.... Plus she is going to show me how to make rice pudding...
Geoff copied the emblem that I wanted on my helmet, and he made up a sticker for me !!!!
Happy hour we all met again for drinks before retiring to our own homes to cook dinner...
Saturday 17th March 2012
Even though we are away from things and all you people back home think its one big holiday... its not.. its still like being at home and running a household... same chores.. cleaning bathrooms, washing windows, changing sheets on bed...ironing... always some house work to be done....
So after chores done it was my turn to cook scones.... Terri came over and I had a great time... and the end results were just amazing... I was so proud of myself... after the scones I cooked Custard Rice Pudding...yummy !!!
While I was baking John went over to the beach and watched the Yacht's racing... perfect day for it today as it was so windy...
And to finish a perfect day off Geoff finished my emblem on my helmet....
Sunday 18th March 2012
Just a packing up day today...as we hit the road tomorrow heading to Albany..
Monday 12th March 2012 Cruise to Woody Island.
You have heard me mention the "Recherche Archipelago" several times in the last few days...It is known by the locals as the Bay of Isles, the Recherche Archipelago is pristine wilderness at its best.
Nearly 130 untouched islands make up the stunning views...From land, the bay is one of Australia’s most beautiful seascapes. Pure white sand melts into turquoise water with islands scattered here and there. Many of the smaller islands are granite outcrops while one of the largest, known as Woody Island, offers camping, bush walking, fishing and swimming.... and that's where we are heading today... on a half day cruise...
We picked the perfect day as it's going to reach 42 degrees today.. so no better place to be than on the water...
We are expecting to see amazing wildlife including sea eagles, and colonies of sea lions and fur seals which come here to breed.. and we were not disappointed...
The cruise took us around a few of the islands and the captain did a great commentary on the surrounding areas and history of Esperance.
The seals were just so cute and we were able to get so close to them...
We landed on Woody Island which is perfect for nature lovers. There’s plenty of native bush, stunning lagoons for swimming and snorkelling, and a variety of wildlife including bandicoots and wallabies. It is open for camping between September and April and offers excellent facilities which range from basic camp sites to safari huts with views over the bush to Shearwater Bay... beautiful.
They provided morning tea for us fresh scones and cream and home made cookies.
After morning tea, you had a choice of going for a bush walk or snorkelling in the bay or just relaxing on the rocks and in the water, John had a go at snorkelling but it was too rough so he didn't stay in too long.
We also got a view from the water of Frenchman's Peak ... where we were yesterday...
John at the helm
We are expecting to see amazing wildlife including sea eagles, and colonies of sea lions and fur seals which come here to breed.. and we were not disappointed...
The cruise took us around a few of the islands and the captain did a great commentary on the surrounding areas and history of Esperance.
The seals were just so cute and we were able to get so close to them...
Woody Island
They provided morning tea for us fresh scones and cream and home made cookies.
After morning tea, you had a choice of going for a bush walk or snorkelling in the bay or just relaxing on the rocks and in the water, John had a go at snorkelling but it was too rough so he didn't stay in too long.
We also got a view from the water of Frenchman's Peak ... where we were yesterday...
11th March 2012 Cape Le Grand National Park
We had a very productive day today...I did my ironing and John made 2 partitions for my kitchen cupboards...and by lunch time the temp was around 38 degrees so we decided to go check out the beaches around the National Park ... I packed up a nice lunch...and off we went...
The Cape Le Grand National Park is located 30 kilometres south east of Esperance.It cost us $11 to enter the park and it was worth every penny...
The park is named after Le Grand, an officer of the L'Esperance, one of the ships in a French expedition commanded by Admiral D'Entrecasteaux in 1792.
Features of the park include incredible coastal scenery and majestic granite peaks.
The landscape changes from massive granite outcrops to freshwater pools and unbelievably white sandy beaches with views over many islands.
In the south-west corner of the park, massive rock outcrops of granite and gneiss form an impressive chain of peaks including Mt Le Grand (345 m), Frenchman Peak (262 m) and Mississippi Hill (180 m).
Frenchman's Peak
Close up of the hollow right at the top and cave
The peaks of the park are the result of erosion and movements in the Earth's crust over the past 600 million years. During the Eocene period, some 40 million years ago, sea levels were at least 300 metres above their present level and these peaks would have been largely submerged. The caves and tunnels found in the peaks are thought to have been either formed or enlarged by wave action and underwater currents.
We first stopped off at Le Grand Beach... which just stretches for kms....
Then we travelled further on the well marked roads which cut straight through the park to a place called Hellfire Bay...
It's a small bay ... but just stunning to look at...
There were more beaches to check out so we didn't settle here... we moved on to the next bay where we found Thistle Cove .. we didn't walk down to this beach as it was a fair way down to it...so we went up the hill to check out the Whistling Rock..High on the hill was this huge rock which actually whistled as the wind blew through it !!!
Walking further around the rock were more amazing views...and we got a good view of the beach below...
We then moved on to the famous beach, Lucky Bay....There aren’t too many places in Australia where kangaroos sun bake on the beach, but at Cape Le Grand National Park Lucky Bay is home to a colony of friendly kangaroos which are often seen soaking up the sun... and very friendly !
It's a small bay ... but just stunning to look at...
There were more beaches to check out so we didn't settle here... we moved on to the next bay where we found Thistle Cove .. we didn't walk down to this beach as it was a fair way down to it...so we went up the hill to check out the Whistling Rock..High on the hill was this huge rock which actually whistled as the wind blew through it !!!
Walking further around the rock were more amazing views...and we got a good view of the beach below...
Thistle Cove
We then moved on to the famous beach, Lucky Bay....There aren’t too many places in Australia where kangaroos sun bake on the beach, but at Cape Le Grand National Park Lucky Bay is home to a colony of friendly kangaroos which are often seen soaking up the sun... and very friendly !
Lucky Bay is one of the most stunning and unique bays in Australia. The bay stretches for over five kilometres, offering a magnificent stretch of beach and sparkling clear blue water.
We decided to travel back to Hellfire Beach for our picnic lunch as it was nice and secluded...it was also getting quite hot and we wanted a swim... once again you could walk quite a way out in the crystal clear water as it was so shallow....and a couple of people were snorkelling...
After we had lunch we went for a climb up the huge boulder rocks at the side of the beach... great views from the top...
Eventually we had to head home .. being one of the last few left on the beach...shame to leave it was just so peaceful ..
Once home, our neighbour... a sign writer... had made up our new sign for the trailer ( the other one we had was too small) and the trailer was christened once again !!
We decided to travel back to Hellfire Beach for our picnic lunch as it was nice and secluded...it was also getting quite hot and we wanted a swim... once again you could walk quite a way out in the crystal clear water as it was so shallow....and a couple of people were snorkelling...
Our beach tent. taken while wading in the water
After we had lunch we went for a climb up the huge boulder rocks at the side of the beach... great views from the top...
Eventually we had to head home .. being one of the last few left on the beach...shame to leave it was just so peaceful ..
Once home, our neighbour... a sign writer... had made up our new sign for the trailer ( the other one we had was too small) and the trailer was christened once again !!
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