Frenchmans Peak
 |
Does this remind you of Gerard Depardieu's nose or is it just me?
|
The next day we decided to climb
Frenchman Peak. (We all call this Esperance icon Frenchmans Peak.) We climbed it as kids. It's just a tiny bit scary as an (um older) adult. But sooo satisfying. I never admitted to being fit, just up for it. And the view from the top is, of course, spectacular!
Three things you have to do
 |
| Are they gigantic whales or islands in the distance? |
When you visit Esperance there are three things you always have to do. Climbing Frenchmans Peak is optional. But:
- You have to go to at least one Op Shop. I can't get enough natural fibre white or light shirts for sun protection when I'm on my personal sailing adventures. I scored big time with a linen and a cotton number at $5 for both. Bargain.
- Coffee at the Taylor Street Tea Rooms. Going by different names these days it's still right there on the beach next to the port. The coffee is still good, and it's still one of the best spots to have it.
- Drive around the beaches. I traveled all the way to north Queensland as a teenager before I realised Esperance has some of the most spectacular coastline in Australia. And in my personal sailing adventures it still rates as totally magnificent next to Thailand's Phang Na Bay. Esperance just has the isolation advantage. It's not crowded or full of trash. We're talking about Southern Ocean water coming from Antarctica. Clean, achingly blue and cold.
A little bit spooky
So...driving back. (You gotta love a two way road trip.)
My niece had remarked Esperance looked like it had been flushed with money, now down on its luck.
In fact Esperance and the next town Ravensthorpe (only 185 km away, but not in a straight line. Not counting Munglinup - Google it) had the same feel. The last mining construction boom has run its course.
The big nickle mine there was built at the height of the cycle. The massive cost overruns, partly due to the skills and supply shortages of the boom, linked with falling commodity prices chimed the death knoll on the mega project.
Then Newdegate. Like a town with no people. Seriously. We drove through and didn't see a living soul. Didn't help having a particularly creepy bit of War of the Worlds as the soundtrack. Something about taking blood from the living... shiver.
I know I've mentioned this before, but my take on the Aussie outback is like in the remote desert. But the world is getting smaller, so maybe my road trip to Esperance was a bit Aussie outbacky after all?
