ROADTRIP FOR SOUTHWEST AUSTRALIA STAGE 2: ALBANY - ESPERANCE

We arrived in Perth with a tremendous illusion to know Australia from the road. There we rented a van and started the route that would take us to Melbourne, touring three states: Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria. We already tell you our first stage, now we go with the next 4 days, the second stage of our roadtrip in van through southwest Australia: from Albany to Esperance.

At the moment these are the main data:

Day 5Albany - Pallinup River

The initial idea of ​​this fifth day of roadtrip was to spend it, at least mostly, on the beach of Little beach, beyond Albany. The day got cloudy and, unlike the previous one, this time it didn't skimp, in fact it was sparkling at times. So we changed the plan: from the beach to the library... flat, huh? Nor do we visitThe gap, a platform hung 40 meters above a cliff, before Albany, although the biggest problem in this case was the 13AUS of the entrance to the Torndirrup National Park, where it is located.

In truth, we needed a few hours of being connected to laptops, although the speed of public Wi-Fi gave us just to answer some emails, a few comments and update social networks. It is a real odyssey to find open networks that offer decent connection speeds, it happened to us in New Zealand, we should be advised!

Albany It is a town with a certain charm. They are still 4 steep streets that end in the bay, after crossing the train tracks, but the original houses built there by the 1800, some small parks (with signs warning of snakes, do not forget that you forget that you're in Australia), a free museum about the history of WA and another with some importance about ANZAC, the NationalANZAC Center (24AUS), the ship's replica Amity, which brought the first white settlers (and a few animals) from Sydney to settle a colony in the far west of Australia, and a good handful of churches. We end up in one of them, yes! We tell you ...

We were protecting ourselves from the rain when we saw a huge very suggestive poster “Pancake day" What was really suggestive was the old man who invited you to come, not because it was attractive in itself (we have no special predilection for the yayos) but for the plate with pancakes and strawberries with cream in his hands. We saw no better plan on that rainy day than having a different breakfast surrounded by old people in the sports center of an Anglican church. It is a tradition that is repeated every Mardi Gras, the last day before Lent. Do not think that we are becoming religious, we do not know how to say no to a loving old man (OK, you caught us, we are greedy freaks). By the way, the pancake with coffee cost us 3.50AUS.

We take advantage of our passage through Albany to replace the fridge in the Cabbages, buy beer as if there were no tomorrow, give us some free hot showers in public toilets, buy some super cheap clothes and fill up our Chipy's deposit.

You said super cheap clothes? Yes, in Australia there are stores where you can find very very cheap clothes. In Albany there are two, side by side: Target and Best and Less where, for 21AUS (about € 13) we buy: 4 panties, 2 briefs, 2 shirts, 1 swimsuit and 1 cap.

We want to continue gaining ground on the map so we continue on national 1 in an eastbound direction and enter the so-called “bush”, That part of Australia separated from the coast but not as far away as the outback. Thus we arrive at a rest area, the “Pallinup River Rest Stop“, Where we spend the night with 3 other motorhomes. So far we have been lucky, for 5 nights we have not met any crazy killer with criminal genes ... We play wood! What apparently have visited us tonight are giant foxes, not that we have seen them, is that we have read it in a recent comment from the Wikicamps app. We have only seen crows!

Day 6Pallinup River - Munglinup

If you look at a map of the population of Australia like this, you will notice that it is concentrated in coastal areas, especially on the east side. When you travel the country on its roads, this fact becomes much more evident: moving away from the sea means moving away from signs of life, the landscape changes completely and the feeling is that you have changed your country (or planet) without having even heard about it. We are in full BUSH. We could call the bush as "the semi zone":

• Semi-desert: it is a dry and arid brown land, but full of low shrubs and eucalyptus. The landscapes are new to us.
• Semi-inhabited: You can go kilometers and kilometers without seeing any town, and suddenly there is a set of houses in the middle of nowhere, and the school bus that enters to leave the children.
• Semi-carbide: the roads become heavy, long straight of gray asphalt, on the sides a line of brown earth and then the green off of the bushes. The only thing that makes you come back from your thoughts are the three-trailer trucks, the so-called "train road" or the groups of galahs pecking at the shoulders.

And for 4 cats that travel here it is not necessary to make 4-lane highways, so settle for paved two-way roads (in Australia that is a lot to say), where we do not go more than 80 km / h, but that you Lets live the landscape, stop your eyes on the details, enjoy the trip.

We had read that theBremer bay It is a great place, with magnificent beaches and beautiful landscapes. But boy, what do you want me to tell you, with time as it was and considering that the detour was about 80 km to go and the same to return, we decided to pass by.

With our mind absorbed in hundreds of thoughts (cri cri) we reach the Munglinup RoadhouseApparently here you can spend the night without being disturbed or fined. It is one of those places that truckers use to rest for a while, load the truck's tank and unload their own, chat for a few minutes with the saleswoman (namely which of the two has more need for conversation) and, in some cases, to sleep. Roadhouses are also good places to take the curriculum if you are from WHV and want to accumulate good dollars.

We arrived in the afternoon, as the sun went down more people came, including a couple of super nice Italians with whom we shared a barbecue And some beers. Unlike in New Zealand, in Australia, barbecues (which are still metal plates that are heated with gas cylinders) are more widespread and free! Some dirtier, others cleaner ...

Here too there were a few gray nomads, as retired grandmothers are called who, tired of the routine, get on their caravans and travel the country without haste, at their own pace, sometimes with their pets, and always wanting to share some words with you. They say it is a style of traveling for older people, we love it (that young spirit that runs through our bodies!). It is actually an excellent option to know your country, to discover places that you saw on television or heard on the radio and never thought you would step on it, and it is also a very cheap way! There are many free campsites to spend the night (with more or less facilities), Caravan Parks much better prepared for affordable prices, cheap gasoline and roads in a good state. Only two dangers? Run over the kangaroos and end up hooking you (the trip, not the kangaroos) ... is a travel style that becomes addictive (travel I say, do not run kangaroos).

By the way, we have not seen aboriginal people since we left Perth. The feeling is that there is no integration, they are simply part of society. We will talk about this topic in a specific post.

Day 7Munglinup - Esperance

Before reaching Esperance there is a detour to travel the Eleven Mile Beach Road, a panoramic road that passes through some very cool beaches and viewpoints on great cliffs, the most spectacular point is undoubtedly the Eleven Mile Beach. Although the first stop is neither more nor less than the Pink lake, which was pink at some point in the past, but apparently has faded and now has an indescribable color. Algae thing ...

Eleven Mile Beach

Although the sun shines again, the wind is terrifying and this time we leave the bathroom for another occasion. But for the record, as a beach, the one that most invites to the bathroom for being protected by a bay is Twilight beach. Nor is it a bad place to prepare a sandwich.

The next day we learned that today a Spanish tourist rescued a swimmer who Ocean currents they had caught while he was catching some waves with his board on some beach in Esperance. And, beyond the sharks, jellyfish and saltwater crocodiles, the real danger of the waters in Australia are their unpredictable and unexpected currents (the “rips“), Which in 2016 killed 116 people.

We also visited the Esperance library, and we got a great gift: the book “Down Under ”by Bill Bryson, which we are reading in Spanish in kindle. And only for 2AUS! A must for anyone who is preparing a trip to Australia.

Tonight we stay at the Bathers Paradise Caravan Park (39AUS two people on a plot with electricity) and there we met two types of those files that, when they see that someone opens a beer alone, they approach to keep company. A former truck driver who told us that the worst on the road are not kangaroos, they are wild cows that can destroy you half a truck, and a retired farmer who disappeared without even noticing. People in Australia are usually open and friendly, with a sincere naturalness and curious to know what your country is like or what your next destination will be.

Day 8Esperance - Lucky Bay

We get up early thinking it would be night but here it dawns at 5:24 in the morning! At 6 we were already on the road to get one of the few places that are released in the camping Lucky Bay We arrived at about 7 in the morning and, surprise, we were not the first! Ok, we were seconds and at 8 o'clock or there we already had our coveted plot, we are anxious! But you have to understand us, this place deserves that and more ... it is, without a doubt, the best of all the campsites where we have stayed so far.

The price is 11AUS per person, plus 13AUS per vehicle for the entrance to the National Park. There is a 4-week pass to all WA national parks for 46AUS (by car), but we have a couple of days left before crossing the border (literal) and entering South Australia. However, if you want to visit several (like the one we told you before Torndirrup National Park) it can be interesting.

→ More information on national park prices in WA

The national park is the Cape Le Grand, where you can enjoy several beautiful beaches, trails for all tastes and fitness and, of course, is very famous for its fauna. Yes, it is here that thebeach where the kangaroos roam freely * _ * It is the beach to which the campsite directly gives, the kangaroos live in the low hedge forests that are in the surroundings and occasionally they walk around the beach to eat a little seaweed. In addition to the kangaroos around here snake snakes so beware!

Another animal that we were excited to know closely was the emu, a kind of ostrich very similar to a dinosaur, and we saw it twice! Two impressive black specimens with orange eyes were wondering from the roadside and in front of theEsperance Stonehenge (a real-size replica somewhat odd) What did these two guys do with faces of sobaos at that time? “Enjoy Australia, copon!”

We also saw a seagull. Ok, it is not very exotic but don't tell me that she is not beautiful and that she does not know how to pose.

Video: Exploring the South - Perth to Esperance and Back (May 2024).