Lake King | Ravensthorpe | Hopetoun | Bremer Bay | Albany | Denmark
The five-hour road trip from the Wheatbelt to the southern coast of Western Australia was certainly worth the journey. Spring wildflowers had just emerged and the unspoiled natural beauty of the southern coastline presented an excellent visual display.
Just two weeks after our northern sojourn, we found ourselves dreaming of a southern equivalent. With 8 days up our sleeve, we set off again, with the specific destination unknown, other than ‘somewhere’ along the south coast.
Passing through fields of wheat, canola, lupins, chickpeas, field peas and fava beans, we arrived at a free overnight camp at Lake Camm.
We had previously downloaded WikiCamps Australia for the northern trip, an app I discovered some time ago, on a Facebook page. This app contains ‘Australia’s largest database of campgrounds, caravan parks, backpacker hostels, points of interest, dump stations, visitor information centres, water taps, toilets, showers, and more’.
Located just north of Lake King, we found a campsite beside a lake and an old tennis court. We had tennis racquets, a new set of balls on board, and an extension cord which we strung along the posts to have a hit the next morning. Trees growing in the middle of the court proved problematic as the ball rebounded off them.
Driving further south, we headed for Hopetoun, a town I had been to several times before. The weather was simply perfect, but the town was extremely quiet. We booked into a campground at Four Mile Beach for two nights. Run by the Department of Parks and Wildlife, the grounds were extremely well organised with toilets, warm showers, tables, and barbecues.
From that location, we planned to explore the Fitzgerald National Park, at least the eastern side of it. As always, we found the highest part and climbed Mt Barren. The wildflowers in this park presented such a diverse and stunning display.
From Hopetoun, we set out westwards to Bremer Bay a town I had never been to. We set up the caravan in the Bremer Bay Caravan Park and cycled around the town, played tennis, and explored the coast.
I am becoming acclimatised to living in the small space a caravan provides. It forces you to be organised, to only bring with you what is required. Caravan Parks are often really well set up,especially those in the more popular tourist areas.
On a windy Sunday morning, we headed for Albany. The intention was to watch our daughter’s boyfriend play a game of football, not realising that the game was being played on the Saturday afternoon.
We arrived in Albany to one of their wettest days for the year. We set up at the Middleton Beach Caravan Park, a place we stayed at previously. Although it is slightly more expensive than the others, it is worth every extra cent. In this park, you will find fresh flowers in vases in the toilets, immaculately maintained gardens, green lawns, and a hydro spa.
We had lunch at Dylans on the Terrace and dinner in the van because it was too wet and windy to be anywhere else. For breakfast, we met friends at Three Anchors cafe on the other side of Middleton Beach. We took a drive out to Nanarup and Gull Rock. We were surprised by how few people were out travelling.
Having spent two nights there, we had one remaining night before returning home. Our final destination was Denmark, a 50 km drive to the west of Albany. This town holds a very special place in our hearts. We have spent many holidays in Denmark over our years together, taking our daughters there as well as spending time there alone. For the most part, hang gliding has been part of these trips. Shelley Beach at West Cape Howe is one of WA’s prime coastal hang gliding sites.
We stayed at the Denmark River Caravan Park. Again, with our bikes on board, we cycled a 23 km round trip out to Ocean Beach and back around the inlet. Bringing bikes with us turned out to be an excellent decision. Sitting in the car driving for long periods means that when we get to a destination, we can get out and see towns from the perspective of a bike.
On the last morning before leaving Denmark we called in for coffee at the Denmark Teahouse Books. Being here ignited a new spark for me. Ross bought me a beautiful mosaic, created by a local artist, Dawn LaPuma. Check out her creation below. Her work made me realise how extremely creative I could be.
