Hopetoun
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Location: Southern Ocean Coast - West Australia
More detail of how to get there? - well, fly to Esperance (don't forget to put the lights out at the airport if you're the last plane in) then drive a few hours down the coast towards Albany. When you see a signpost indicating you have arrived in Ravensthorpe turn left and drive for about another hour to the coast (avoiding Kangaroos if driving at night - remember their eyes don't glow in the dark like cats!) - and Mallefowl at all other times. If you do see a Mallefowl then wonder at this magnificent example of birdlife which like most of Australian Fauna is increasingly rare due to cats, foxes, rats, goats, and anything else that was introduced for food, sport, or plain bloody-mindedness when faced with the concept of common sense. Do not run the Mallefowl down (particular note this to English drivers who might consider the Mallefowl similar to a Pheasant.
Why go there? Nice beaches (not that that is particularly unusual in Australia), opportunities to watch Dolphins and Southern Right Whales without the now common-place tourist management add-ons (gift shops, boat tours, etc), wonderful climb up the Mount Barren range, access to the Fitzgerald National Park whenever the road hasn't been washed away by the Philips River (which hasn't got used to the idea that it should only travel to the sea by the prescribed culverts, and a decent bit of nosh at Barnacles Cafe.
Do watch the sunset over the barrens.
Don't go swimming out to sea beyond the Jetty unless you have a special interest in ensuring a Shark gets a good meal.
More information - http://www.wt.com.au/~hopetel/
More detail of how to get there? - well, fly to Esperance (don't forget to put the lights out at the airport if you're the last plane in) then drive a few hours down the coast towards Albany. When you see a signpost indicating you have arrived in Ravensthorpe turn left and drive for about another hour to the coast (avoiding Kangaroos if driving at night - remember their eyes don't glow in the dark like cats!) - and Mallefowl at all other times. If you do see a Mallefowl then wonder at this magnificent example of birdlife which like most of Australian Fauna is increasingly rare due to cats, foxes, rats, goats, and anything else that was introduced for food, sport, or plain bloody-mindedness when faced with the concept of common sense. Do not run the Mallefowl down (particular note this to English drivers who might consider the Mallefowl similar to a Pheasant.
Why go there? Nice beaches (not that that is particularly unusual in Australia), opportunities to watch Dolphins and Southern Right Whales without the now common-place tourist management add-ons (gift shops, boat tours, etc), wonderful climb up the Mount Barren range, access to the Fitzgerald National Park whenever the road hasn't been washed away by the Philips River (which hasn't got used to the idea that it should only travel to the sea by the prescribed culverts, and a decent bit of nosh at Barnacles Cafe.
Do watch the sunset over the barrens.
Don't go swimming out to sea beyond the Jetty unless you have a special interest in ensuring a Shark gets a good meal.
More information - http://www.wt.com.au/~hopetel/
