Day 343 | a fun day in Cape Le Grande National Park: now that’s long overdue
Esperance Day 45
Marius has the transportation, a gold Hiace van of uncertain vintage, his home on the road for the next year. He’s avoiding the expense of caravan parks but is starting to make the regular acquaintance of rangers employed by the local government to discourage travellers of his type sleeping in the town’s streets.
I’m bundled into the van along with Marion and Antonio, an Italian bike rider who is in his first month of a year across Australia on his 25 year old bike.
We take off for Cape Le Grand National Park for the day. First a warm up climb of Frenchman’s Peak, then a cool off at Hellfire Beach.
Marius goes snorkelling with his speargun around the rugged rocks. Tony takes off after him, or is he swimming over to the closest island some kilometres away?
Marius has a peculiar way of storing his catch: no string bag for him, he slides them up the (short) legs of his wetsuit. Strange habits the Dutch.
On the way back he spears a larger fish but is close to the rocks and is swept onto the barnacles by a rogue wave. The speargun and lunch main course are lost and some bark is scratched up. The two smaller fish huddled close to the groin area will have to suffice. Fortunately the spines point the right way. We cook them up for lunch.
Later we go to see the famous kangaroos on the beach at sunset at Lucky Beach but today they are reticent and fail to make their appointment.
We return feeling like we have known each other all our lives.
Life is fantastic.