#rndtheworldn44 - Day 18 - Norseman to Esperance

We got up a little earlier than normal on December 8, 2017 so that we could drive up to Beacon Hill because our hosts recommended we take in the view.  It was only a few miles from our hotel.  As we drove over, we encountered this massive, obviously man-made pile of rock and guessed pretty quickly that it was a tailings mound. 

As we drove further, signs completed the story.  Beacon Hill is the site of the Norseman Gold Mine, Australia’s longest continuously running gold mining operation. Gold was first discovered in nearby Dundas, 13 miles south of the town of Norseman, followed in August 1894 by the gold discovery in Norseman itself, by Laurie Sinclair his brother George Sinclair & Jack Alsopp.  The deposit was named the Norseman Reward after Sinclair's horse, Hardy Norseman, about whom you learned in our prior blog entry.  The mine is the single biggest employer in the region, and is nearly the sole reason, other than tourism, that the town of Norseman exists.

The mine permits the public to drive up Beacon Hill to the top, where a lookout has been built with markers explaining the history, geology and geography of the immediate area.  While the view from the top was expansive, it was so obscured by trees that we weren't able to get a useful photograph.  All we can show you is the lookout itself:

As we headed out of Norseman and south toward Esperance, we made another short stop at the (locally) famous Dundas Rocks. Over 500 million years old, these black volcanic rocks were formed by a complex process involving extrusion of lava, followed by fracturing and weathering.  The rocks sit at the former townsite of Dundas, where gold was originally discovered in the region.  While Dundas was a very large town during its day, nothing remains but a plaque noting the location.  Its structures, all wooden, have decayed and disappeared with the years.

Esperance, our destination this day, is a popular seaside tourist destination for people on holiday from Perth and Adelaide particularly.  Our BnB was located in town, but we had scouted the area on the internet and knew that we wanted to spend time in Cape Le Grand National Park, about an hour's drive west of Esperance.  So we drove right out and got advice from the park rangers about which coves or bays would be the most interesting.  Lucky Bay it was, and so we started the 12 mile drive out to Lucky Bay.  On the way, however, we spotted this gorgeous inlet, Thistle Cove, and had to stop for a view and photos:

Leaving Thistle Cove and driving over the ridge to Lucky Bay, we were starting to wonder if we should have stopped right at Thistle Cove, when our breath was taken away with this view of Lucky Bay!

We parked, had a picnic lunch, and decided we'd get the best of both worlds by hiking out and back on the trail between Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove.  We weren't disappointed.  We had gorgeous views the entire hike.  As we climbed to the top of the ridge between the bays, we were treated to this view of the Great Australian Bight, past the many islands guarding the shoreline of Cape Le Grand.  Somewhere out there, too, lay the beaches of Esperance:

Reaching a point to look over Thistle Cove, we decided that would be our turnaround so that we could spend what time we had walking the entire beach at Lucky Bay.  Here is the 360 degree view we had at Thistle Cove:

We hiked back to our starting point at Lucky Bay and decided to change out of our hiking boots into something more comfortable on the beach.  As we walked back to the car, we ran into some kangaroos making friends with the humans:

However, even kangaroos couldn't keep us from the beach.  As soon as we got onto the sand, we took a selfy:

Then we stretched out a bit to rest from the hike:

The water was impossibly clear where it hit the pure white sand, and as it deepened it went to lime green, then emerald, then forest green, then aquamarine and teal, and finally to a beautiful cobalt blue.

On one of the signs at the beach, we learned that the gypsum sand is so fine and pure, that it will compress and SQUEAK if you scrape your feet across it.  We didn't believe it, and you probably don't either, but here we submit our proof:

We walked much further around the full crescent of Lucky Bay than we intended, but we just couldn't stop until the boulders at the end of the beach stood in our way.  Our feet were pretty sore for a day or so afterward, but it was well worth the most beautiful beach we've seen in our lives.

We got back to Esperance in time to walk into the center of town for dinner.  The beachfront has been improved and landscaped into a beautiful park, which the locals enjoy for walks, skateboarding, bicycling, running, and what have you:

The old harbor is now developed for pedestrians and has some minor public art.  We thought this sculpture of a whale's tail was striking:

As we were researching our trip, we found Lucky Bay Brewery.  It just seemed fitting to try some Lucky Bay beer, having spent the afternoon at Lucky Bay.  Unfortunately, the brewery was not open on Fridays, so we had to content ourselves with hunting down the one pub that served it.  Even the tap for that craft beer had character:

The town was lively, it being a Friday night, and all the restaurants and dives emitted laughter and exotic aromas as we strolled back to our BnB through town.  Esperance had definitely been worth the stop.