After what seemed like endless days on the road with short overnight stays as we ploughed our way across the Nullarbor, we decided it was time to park ourselves for a few weeks. Quagi beach came recommended and although it's about 70km west of Esperance, it proved to be the perfect place to relax and enjoy lazy days by the beach, cooking, reading...oh, and playing teacher!
My first glipse of the beach was a somewhat reserved "wow" but I think the kids reaction was probably more apt, "this is awesome". We were rewarded for our early visits to the pristine waters by the local pod of dolphins who regularly hunted and frolicked close to shore. Some days there seemed to be splinter groups of only 6 or 8 whilst other days had the full 30-strong pod dancing across the gentle turquoise waves of the inlet.
The protected beach was perfect for the kids to build confidence in the unpredictable ebb and flow of the ocean. They saw the tides come and go throughtout the day, witnessed the might and power of the water as it crashed over the ancient rocks, collected beautifully coloured shells, learnt when to ride a wave and when to dive into it, became 'expert' at catching the whitewash into shore on the boogie board and felt the pull of the water underfoot as the current moved the sands beneath them.
Regular visits to Esperance proved a popular addition to the daily routine. The kids enjoyed the recent upgrades to the forshore with fantastic playgrounds and fun sculptures to climb. They also loved learning about the history of Esperance, and were especially taken with the local museum. They were awed with the story of the 'Skylab'. Skylab was the USA's first manned scientific space station, launched in 1973. By the end of 1974 it was no longer in use and became 'space junk', orbiting the earth without purpose. It's important to Esperance because the town became the final resting place for large chunks of the space craft after it tumbled from the sky in mid 1979. The Yanks had hoped it would fall into the Atlantic Ocean but it was way off course! As it burned and broke up on impact with the Earth's atmosphere, it littered Esperance streets and farms with debris. Miraculously no one was killed or property damaged. As a typical Aussie piss-take, the Shire of Esperance sent the US Government a 'fine' for littering! The $400 cheque they promptly retuned is proudly displayed in the museum.
We got to experience another taste of Australia's regional health services during the Esperance leg of our journey. Jesse developed an angry rash over his body and arms one afternoon so i thought it best to have it assessed by a professional. Given it was a Saturday night, I reluctantly took him to the local Emergency Department. As expected, the waiting room was full and they had skeleton staff working. Needless to say, we waited for hours to be told it was a viral reaction and would clear up with some cream (provided by the public purse!) and a few good sleeps! They clearly didn't believe me when i told them Jesse sleeps like a bear in hybernation and wouldn't need sedation at night to stop him itching 'cause they gave me two doses of Phenergan! I thought they only gave that to babies who cried too much on airplanes - apparently it works a treat on allergies and itchiness. He didn't need the extra 'drugs' and all seems ok again now.
After sitting idle for a few weeks, it was time to get back on the road...well, that and the more regular sightings of large brown snakes in the camp area! We had seen many native as well as unwanted critters at Quagi Beach. There were the wet variety -dolphins, octopus, fish and crabs; the pest variety - cats and mice; and there were the local creepy types - frogs, spiders and snakes. Oh, and an owl! I was also keen to get to Kalgoorlie to witness the grotesquely large super pit and visit the bizarre Wave Rock along the way. We all enjoyed Quagi Beach and share fond memories of the beach visits and friendly procession of other campers who joined us throughout our stay.
From left to right
Quagi Beach at sunrise
the pod of dolphins
the beautiful inlet
Jesse contemplating another swim
frolicking
Dad heading out with the kids
the kids atop a sand dune ready to scoot down
Bodhi after a swim
happy Hailey
the road into Quagi beach from the highway. The sides were 'forrests' of banksia trees - beautiful
Esperance foreshore
Jesse climbing the huge whale tail sculpture on the foreshore
some of the space junk from 'Skylab' at the Esperance museum