Another day in Cape Le Grand National Park on Wudjari land.

But first a trip to Esperance Cemetery to see the grave of great great great great Uncle Ben Hannett. He was the brother of Great Grandma Matthews’ Great Grandfather (who went to the Victorian Goldfields and then to South Australia).

Pink Lake at Esperance….yes, I know its green. It was pink up until the 1970s when earthmoving and developments disrupted the connected lake system. This prevented the necessary nutrients and conditions for the pink hue to form in the lake.

Wylie Bay Rock – on the eastern side of Esperance.

The idyllic conditions are sadly deceptive as there have been three fatal shark attacks here in recent years.

Wylie Rock is at the edge of Cape Le Grand National Park. These are views across the bay into the park.

4WD Esperance style! Drivers test their mettle (and metal) on the granite headland.

Coming down looks a little more daunting.

“It’s just a jump to the left….Let’s do the time warp again!” Outside Esperance on the way to Cape Le Grand.

Driving past Frenchmans Peak to Cape Le Grand Beach.

Granite peaks at Cape Le Grand

WA Christmas Trees

Cape Le Grand Beach – what you don’t see are the 3001 flies that descended upon us.

Time for a scratch

There were series of caves throughout the granite domes.

A tea tree with huge flowers.

Peak-a-boo

Wedding bush

Hellfire Bay

Gorgeous Pimelea

Hellfire Bay Beach – its white sand is so fine, it is very squeaky to walk on.

Scenery from the track to Little Hellfire Bay

Little Hellfire Bay

I think this is a dugite – any herpetologists that can confirm this please let me know. Dugites are a member of the Australian brown snake family that are highly venomous with a potentially lethal bite.

Common South-west Ctenotus (Ctenotus labillardieri) were enjoying the afternoon warmth on the rocks.

Creeping banksia (Banksia repens) with the unusual growth habit of flowers emerging from an underground stem.

Hellfire Bay from the Little Hellfire Bay trail

Due to a recovering leg, we went to the Frenchmans Peak trail late in the day just to do a part around its base.

The cave is believed to have been formed by wave action when the sea level was much higher in geological history.

Banksia

Boronia

More Purple enamel orchids scattered beside the trail.

Pea

Another botanical curiosity.

The subtle colours of fading light at Cape Le Grand before another late drive back to Esperance.

Sunset at Frenchmans Peak

Esperance Bay and islands of the Recherche Archipelago