SW Tour - Day 3

A day to explore Cape Le Grand NP! First on the agenda was climbing up Frenchman Peak or Mandooboomup as known by the Wudjari people, the traditional owners of Cape Le Grand NP. The carpark was surprisingly busy at 9am and there were plenty of people at various points on the short 3km trail.

Not the highest mountain in the park, Frenchman Peak (262m) was named by Alexander Forrest because its shape was said to resemble a man wearing a Frenchman cap. The ascent was up the eastern slope and Katy charged off an attempt to get this walk over and done as quickly as possible. We lost sight of her on several occasions! Near the top was an overhang and a natural arch.  

At the summit it was very windy but the views over the park, the coastline and islands in the Recherche Archipelago were sensational. We tucked in out of the wind and noticing the good mobile reception, we decided to call Ella. Turns out she was having a great time at at the Adelaide Zoo with Nana, Mia and Mia's mum. They wanted to see the pandas!

 

It was hot and sweaty work but luckily Hellfire Bay was only a few km's away. On arrival after a quick survey, we opted to walk the short trail to Little Hellfire Bay. A great choice - the beach was small, calm and considerably quieter. We swam in the chilly water before warming up on the rocks in the sunshine.

 

Wandering back, we grabbed food and had a picnic lunch on a granite slab overlooking the spectacular aqua and white colours of Hellfire Bay.

From there, we drove west to the not quite as stunning but still lovely Le Grand Beach. Andy abandoned us here to run the coastal trail back to Lucky Bay. With an estimated 12km run, we decided to intercept Andy between Thistle Cove and Lucky Bay. First though we drove back to Lucky Bay, quickly packed a bag and began on the trail.

The costal trail run turned out to be more like 13ish km and took Andy a little longer than expected. Katy and I therefore made it to Thistle Cove without any sign of Andy.

 

We explored the beach and decided to return to Lucky Bay for our swim. As we were investigating Whistling Rock which was not whistling all that much. we spied a lone figure running at the far end of Thistle Cove beach. Deciding it was Andy, we retraced our steps til we found a good hiding spot and patiently waited for his arrival to surprise him!

  

Andy was thankful for a drink before continuing eager to finish his run at Lucky Bay. Katy and I also continued on meeting up with him at Lucky Bay, where we all had a refreshing dip in the ocean. A nice conclusion to a long day of exploration.