Since we received favouring tailwinds, we made it to Cape LeGrand National Park by afternoon on my tour with Nullarbor Traveller. Arriving after dark is not unusual and so we were indeed lucky and seized the beautiful day to relax on the beach. Donning our best beach wear we walked out of the camp and onto the beach, where we were nearly blown away. Turns out, wearing skimpy clothes on such a sunny day and a pretty hat were the stupidest idea I have had that day.
**** This post came to be through a sponsored trip with Nullarbor Traveller. ****
Gone with the Wind
It did not help that I also brought along my camera bag on this Nullarbor Traveller trip. Not only that, but also my book and water bottle. Not surprisingly I was nearly incapable of standing straight without either being hit by said bag or loosing something (i.e. my hat).
With all this struggling going on, I also tried to take selfies with a kangaroo idly lying on the beach. Call me a multitasker, but keep in mind that the theory of efficient juggling of simultaneously performed tasks is a myth. This was certainly proof of it. You wouldn’t want to see those photos.
Not being one to idly lounge about or having my property blown away, I soon dropped it all off at the camp.
Then I headed out with my camera only, on a solo discovery trip towards the hill tops and along the cliffs, all the while being taunted by the unrelenting winds. This was another proof, namely for this region being the most windy in Western Australia.
Mastering the Rocks
So I made my way along the tracks, which slowly turned to dust and finally to open rocks over which I scrambled and found my way through a tiny path across the sand dunes.
The view over the bays was splendid and even the wind that had picked up speed by now would not dampen my mood. I am embarrassed to admit, I fell down twice but apart from a few scratches everything was good.
Feeling on top of the world, it is a fun game to not only fight against the wind through your physical presence on beaten down rocks but also to sing you heart out, screaming at the wind.
As long as there is no one accidentally running into your performance. Luckily no one did. Might have blown them away as well. (I let you decide whether because I’m that good or terrible.)
Lazy Days are OK
The next day, waking up from a long sleep we instantly made our way towards the kitchen, where we anticipated lots of food.
Too bad our tour guide was not to be found and so we just helped ourselves to the boxes full of toast and cereals still dressed in our PJs (well, that didn’t include me since I bought the cheapest sleeping bag I could find and always have to sleep fully clothed and in my coat).
This was another lazy day, earned through the long and exhausting bus hikes. That’s what we thought at least but the two hikes we were given as options turned out to be quite the unanticipated challenge. Which we only realized after were already walked a fair bit. We took it upon us to hike in Cape LeGrand the coastal walk.
Best Coastal Walk Evers
Let me just say the following before I go into moaning mode. This has been the most beautiful hike I’ve done in Australia! Not just on this Nullarbor Traveller trip. Absolutely stunning and a must see for everyone! Ever. Now the less pleasant parts.
To get to each of the five beaches, you have to get your hiking shoes on. (Well three of them are accessible via road and car park but we still hiked. And you still need to hiking shoes.)
We climbed over hills with their smooth stone surface shaped by the ferocious winds and danced over rocks on paths and shores and beat our way through dense undergrowth that was claiming back the installed pathways and whipping at your legs. These are moments that make you wish for a machete.
Food in the Outback
Everyone on our Nullarbor Traveller tour group freely went at their own pace and sometimes we caught up at resting stops overlooking the bays or at the postcard ready beach with pure white sand and azure blue ocean waves inviting you for a swim. Or a rest on the smooth sand.
After about 3 hours we made it back to the camp, hungry as wolves and ready to pounce on our dinner. However, it seemed that most of the group had not made it back yet and so we had to wait. Luckily there was still some fruit and someone generously offered Tim Tams.
In that moment, a family of kangaroos hopped by and I thought about how cliche Australian that was. Tim Tams and roos. But that’s what you get by the kangaroo beach.
Sahara by the Beach
After the obligatory food feast and some more resting, we headed out again for the other direction to walk through the dune lands with thick bushes and beautiful flowering plants covering the slopes and crouching in on our tracks.
Didn’t I say I needed a bush knife? Yet again, the walk was absolutely beautiful and after we emerged from the hilly sides and down on the Whitehaven-like beach, we were literally quite blown away.
The winds had picked up again and the sand was shifting positions, squeaking like snow underneath our footsteps and cascading along the shore. Who needs desert dunes when you can have a stunning sand storm here as well?
It hurt terribly – like a thousand needles being poked into your exposed skin, trying to force their way through your clothes and preening into your camera, but putting that aside, the beauty was not lost on us. In fact, I had to stop and stare. And then hurry off because it still hurt.
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Don’t miss out on my other South and Western Australia adventures – read the full Nullarbor Traveller diary here: Part 1 (Flinders Ranges and Sand boarding), part 2 (tuna diving and koala spotting), part 3 (treeless plains), part 4 (THE kangaroo beach), part 5 (fleeing the bush fires) and part 6 (digeridoo lessons).
