Esperance: Great Ocean Drive

Not to be confused with the Great Ocean Road in the State of Victoria.

This drive is much shorter … only about 25 miles. It is also a circuit, so the start and end is in Esperance. It follows the coast for half the loop and then returns via an inland route.

When we set out for the drive, we were disappointed that the overcast from yesterday was still lingering. In hindsight, so glad to have had the natural shade for much of the day. By 3:00p, the temperature gauge was reading 106F. Yes, you read that right … 1-0-6! If we’d had sunshine all day, the temperature would have far exceeded that number.

The good news is that by 5:00p, it was cool enough to sit in the shade of the motorhome … with a light breeze aiding our comfort level. Cooler weather is in the forecast starting tomorrow. Who knew that I’d be happy for temps in the 85-90F range!

Anyway, we were lucky that when we set out it hadn’t warmed up yet. Thus, we managed to do a short clamber over the rocks for views of West Beach from the Dempster Head Lookout. Fantastic colors … even with the sun in hiding. From there, we continued the loop road, making frequent stops to enjoy the scenery.

When we got to Twilight Cove, it was time to don our bathers and head to the beach. I was happy to just dip my toes … the water was frigid. Mui went all in. He had not one, but two swimming opportunities today before we got to the section of beaches that required negotiating some steep steps to get down to the sand & surf. It was too hot to even think about going down since none of these beaches had any shade … no relief from the increasing temps.

A lovely day on the Great Ocean Drive today.

By the way, just read that Carnarvon, up on the west coast of Western Australia, was the hottest place on the planet yesterday … 121F or 49.9C!!! So glad we are nowhere near there.Read more