25^th September: Esperance

Boy! Have I had a difficult time with the internet! It has taken me 3 hours to post the last blog with added photos!! I have just about thrown in the towel!!

500 kms from Albany to Esperance. It is over a month since we have travelled that far in a day! But the skies cleared as we came east although Glen tells me he heard that another front is passing over SW WA next Sunday. Hopefully we will be in front of it!

We stopped for lunch at Ravensthorpe, a smallish town in the wheat belt that we drove through down here. Road trains carrying half sized containers lumbered through the town while we were there, obviously very heavy loads. I asked as we wondered: there is the now – closed Galaxy spogine mine just west of the town. (Spogine is the mother ore of lithium apparently. I will check!) The view of the Visitor Centre lady was the stockpile is being transported to Esperance for export. There is also a large nickle mine on the western side.

We drove past very large wheat fields, sometimes with sheep eating the stubble. It seems to be country that has to be carefully farmed with a three year rotation and awareness of the fragility of the soils. We saw evidence of sand and salt break-outs. However, lots of huge silos and fields of canola as well.

Interesting getting to this park. I selected it because it was easy to get to, protected and close to town. Well! There has been a road redirection and a huge overpass built in the recent 12 months! (Not even the Garmin showed it – we checkedd later!) Fortunately, I guessed what was happening and, using my well-honed sense of direction, we arrived here. It is now down a little side street and hard to find! But it is protected – by the very large overpass!!

I am looking forward to exploring the beaches here, especially as the weather has cleared.