It was a photo of Lucky Bay with its pure white sand, unreal blue water and kangaroos that made me want to plan a trip to this area of Australia so I was pretty excited to be heading there today. We booked two nights in the Lucky Bay campsite at a whopping $40 per night but it would put us in a fab location directly behind the beach and we could explore the surrounding area too. As we began our drive it was pouring with rain but the forecast looked hopeful that things would improve. Black clouds were still looming as we entered Cape Le Grand National Park but as we pulled into the campsite the sun popped out and shone on the bay which was as blue as Gatorade.

We did a couple laps of the large campsite to find the best available pitch. Because it’s the winter season I was able to book the campsite this morning as it’s only a third to half full at the moment but in summer people have to book a site months in advance and it’s full every single night. The pitches were large but not many of them offered views and the best ones were already taken, we ended up pitching in a humongous spot probably designed for a big RV but it was a quiet location away from everyone else and still offered a view of the bay.

After some lunch we set off on a hike to Thistle Cove, spotting some cute black and yellow birds and a lizard along the way. The sun popped behind a thick layer of cloud again but the beach still looked beautiful with striking white sand and milky blue water. It looked like the clouds were moving fairly fast so we walked along the pristine white sand beach to the other end and after clambering up some boulders the sun made an appearance and all the shades of blue popped.

Before heading back to the campsite we stopped at Lucky Bay which is famous for not only having the whitest sand in Australia, possibly in the world but also for the kangaroos who call the beach home. Apparently the sand is made from quartz and it’s so fine that it squeaks when you scuff your feet along it. We managed to spot our first kangaroos grazing on the bushes at the back of the beach. They were fairly small ones but so cute to witness. It wasn’t a great location for photos as I wanted to capture them with the beach so hopefully we get another chance tomorrow. While Craig was cooking in the sheltered picnic area he heard some huffing and puffing outside and shone his torch up to see two large kangaroos having a punch-up!

We woke early the next day to a soaking wet tent, not only was it covered in condensation on the inside but the outside was sopping from the morning dew. We headed straight out though as we wanted to catch the sunrise down at Lucky Bay. It was a lovely morning with a deep orange colour filling the horizon.

Today we planned to do a day trip to the Duke of Orleans, a peninsular with some fabulous beaches. The drive to get there was about 90km each way so a 180km roadtrip which was pretty crazy for us but rather normal for Australians who are used to such big distances. I tried to research all the roads we’d be taking beforehand, scanning google maps to check they weren’t dirt but one of the roads we took happened to suddenly change to gravel. Luckily it had been graded recently so was in good condition for our rental car and only about 7km before we rejoined tarmac. We passed emus and kangeroos on the drive and after about an hour we arrived at the carpark for Wharton Beach, said to be one of the best in Australia and comparable to Lucky Bay. It was a huge bay with white sand and turquoise water but it was best appreciated from above so we climbed up a rocky hill.

Unless you have a 4×4 that can handle extremely soft, deep sandy tracks then the only way to explore this area is on foot which I loved as it just keeps the place wilder and less visited. The walk we did around the peninsular took us past 7 idyllic beaches. They were absolutely beautiful and we only saw two other people and one couple in a 4×4 so it was lovely and quiet. We braved a swim in a nice section of water protected by rocks which kept the water calm and the sharks away.

After climbing up some white sand dunes we came across my favourite beach of the day, the blue water contrasted beautifully against the ivory white sand. We sat atop the dunes and had a picnic with one of the prettiest beaches in the world.

Then it was time for the long drive back to Lucky Bay. We made it back before sunset so headed down to the beach to try our luck at spotting any ‘Roos and we saw a couple, again nibbling the bushes at the back of the beach. If I wanted a view of the kangaroos with the beach I needed to be behind the bushes so we found an area that had a big gap and we crouched down and waited for the kangaroos to come our way. It worked perfectly, the ‘roo even stopped right in front of us to scratch it’s belly before continuing on its way. Now I need to hope for that opportunity again tomorrow when the suns fully out on the beach.

We woke early again, walking along the empty beach under the golden light before the sun rose and then I spotted dolphins! Only a few of them but they began riding the waves and we were frantically running along the shoreline trying to get closer but failing miserably as they seemed to vanish but it was such a lovely sight to witness. Once the sun was up we looked for kangaroos and spotted three hugging the bush-line. They were approaching a dirt road leading onto the beach for 4×4’s so we waited there until one of the kangaroos peeked around the corner and I finally managed to get some photos with the ultra blue water behind. What a great start to the day, that is until I left the toilet block and saw feathers flying all around me, they were coming from me and my beloved puffa jacket had just been ripped on nail.

It was such a perfect blue sky day so we did a nice long beach along Lucky Bay, soaking in the views before it was time to hit the road. But not before stopping at Hellfire Bay which was an absolutely jaw dropping beach with crystal clear water. The sea just seems extra blue and beautiful in Australia. Now it’s time to begin our journey west, along the coastline so we said goodbye to Cape Le Grand National Park, stopped in Esperance for some food and then drove the long, straight road west.

It was a monotonous road, I was getting sleepy so took a nap but I was awoken when the car swerved. Craig was clearly quite sleepy as well and they don’t have rumble strips on all the roads in Australia so the first we knew of it was when the tyres went over the gravel, Craig suddenly woke up, swerved right and thankfully we survived without hitting anything. It was a bit of a shock though, we were so unbelievably lucky that a) there weren’t any cars, let alone road-trains on the other side of the road when it happened as we would of hit them and b) that we didn’t crash into anything off the side of the road. We pulled over at the next lay-by, Craig closed his eyes for a bit while I made some coffee. Cor blimey, that was scary!