Cape Le Grand National Park

Dear Mother Nature, On behalf of those fortunate enough to have traversed this vast land to reach the paradisiacal place that is Cape Le Grand National Park, I just wanted to express my most sincere gratitude and appreciation for your exceptional architecture.

Sand as white as ochre, water so pristine and turquoise that you are made to believe that there is some form of magic at place, harsh granite boulders adding to the immense richness of the surrounding terrain. What a magic place!

After a rainy night we awoke, made the final preparations, hitched up and drove a measly 53 kilometres to Lucky Bay Campground in Cape Le Grand National Park; a welcome change of distance compared to previous days. I felt an uneasiness mixed with frustration as the weather forecast had indicated more rain and high winds were on the way. Cyclone Seroja’s after effects would continue to haunt us and hinder our plans, so it seemed. Fortuitously, the inclement weather was only ephemeral and we managed four solid days of exploring this amazing place. Apparently, the entire south west of Western Australia had sold out of tent pegs, just the particular implements that I needed. Perhaps, I wasn’t the only one who left theirs in their shed at home. Looking online, I couldn’t find stock of any at the larger retail stores and ebay was not an option for us. I decided to construct my own version of the ‘drill in’ type of peg with the use of some 150mm coach screws, some mud flap washers, a hammer and a 16mm socket. Not being a very handy person, when things do go right, I envision myself as being something like McGyver! This was one of those times, as my plan worked perfectly! Not only had I fabricated myself a new set of screw pegs, they were absolutely not going to budge from the ground, no matter the strength of the wind. After strutting round the campsite on my newly acquired testosterone high, I joined the girls in a short walk to ‘The Monument’ and subsequent granite outcrop. This was a great teaser for things to come, as the afternoon sun beautifully engulfed the granite in a scarlet red colour as it set onto the horizon.

The next day the wind was up, but we braved the conditions to complete the first of three major walks: Lucky Bay to Thistle Cove. The girls donned their hand-me-down hiking shoes, which were an absolute godsend. Traversing the terrain like mountain goats, both Ebony and Charlotte experienced little trouble in making the 4km return trip to the beautiful Thistle Cove. We stopped for a quick snack and enjoyed watching the waves pounding into granite boulders in the ocean.

Sarah and I enjoyed a drink together that afternoon as the sun was setting. A delicious dinner and early bed that night for all of us. I am still waking up at five and am in bed by nine most days! The following morning arrived with almost no wind, which was a welcome change for us. We took the opportunity to ascend Frenchman Peak; arguably the most famous walk/climb in Cape Le Grand. We had heard stories of the gradient of this track and both had hesitations about the girls’ ability to reach the summit without injury. To our most pleasant surprise, they both exceeded our expectations. No complaints, tantrums or protests. They simply loved it.

It was at the summit; however, that we all learned a very valuable lesson. As we enjoyed a snack and celebrated our reaching the summit, we chose a section of rock to sit. It was on the edge of a section of granite outcrop where if one were to plummet, the chance of survival would be low. As Ebony stood to walk she went to skip, tripped on her own feet, stumbled, but managed to steady herself. This all occurred mere feet from the aforementioned edge. Sarah’s face spoke a thousand words and my heart skipped ten thousand beats. In a moment of panic I scolded Ebony, as did Sarah. Then hugs and tears flowed. We were lucky…and thankful. Ebony is such a level headed, trustworthy kid, but parental supervision and vigilance is an absolute necessity where there is danger. A moment of reflection…we were lucky.

We descended to the carpark where there was a stream of cars extending almost to the turnoff. Obviously, the tourist train was working hard that day. We had started the hike early, so there were only two other cars parked there when we first arrived. The girls had a quick dip in Lucky Bay that afternoon whilst Sarah and I opted for just a walk. The following day we had planned to trek from Thistle Cove to Hellfire Bay; a class 4 walk of 4.7km. One thing I have come to know about Cape Le Grand is that, for the majority of the time you are walking, there is some breathtaking view to indulge in. This walk epitomised that fact; it was simply and stunning mix of shiny granite, beautiful turquoise and pearly white. This, coupled with the teaming wildlife and just the right amount of challenge for us all, made for a near perfect expedition. The reward of Hellfire Bay at the conclusion was the icing on the cake; what an amazing and stunning bay. Named by Matthew Flinders after the electrical blue flame like phenomenon that occurred on ship masts in stormy weather, this became our favourite beach in Cape Le Grand. Neither of us can remember ever seeing such vibrant colours. Neither still photos nor the highest resolution video will ever do the place justice.

The stubborn, stupid me had decided to walk back to Thistle Cove solo, in order to collect the car and then pick up the girls from Hellfire. I managed this is just over an hour; quite proud if I do say so myself! The final day in Cape Le Grand was a token ‘lazy day’. We drove along Cape Le Grand Beach to get some drone footage, had lunch at Hellfire Bay, walked along Lucky Bay, spotted some of the famous beach kangaroos and packed up ready for an early departure to Walpole in the morning. The girls were both a bit tired and ratty, so they were entertained with a movie whilst Sarah and I packed the van and/or edited videos/photos. Cape Le Grand really is an exceptional place. Its stunning natural beauty is simply breathtaking. Sarah and I both lamented that another week would have been wonderful. Alas, we must depart and make our way west onto the next leg of our journey.