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| Esperance foreshore (Dave) |
The storm front
passed over us through the night of 27 September, peaking between 3-4am with
wind gusts up to 100kph. We had very little sleep in our prime position on the Esperance oceanfront, being battered by hail and rocked by the gale. By 3.30am we decided
to batten down the hatches - literally - by pulling down the caravan’s pop-up
canvas-sided roof lest it be ripped off. The caravan is designed to withstand
strong winds as it travels, but we weren’t inclined to test that with the roof
up!
Esperance is
described as the jewel of the south, with the whitest sand and most beautiful
beaches (though I think this claim is also made by other places up north). On
28 September, with the wind still howling and the residue of the storm still
bringing rain and icy winds, we saw little more than the tasteful decor of the
inside of our caravan (the souvenir tea towels have really added something). We halted our travel plans and decided to sit tight for
24 hours to let the storm front get well ahead of us, as there was also a
severe wind warning for the Nullarbor plains to the east.
Esperance has another claim to fame. In 1979 the NASA Skylab crashed, debris landing in Esperance and across the Nullarbor. The town council promptly fined NASA $400 for littering, an incident the council continues to boast about on public billboards as a draw-card for the local museum. Seriously, guys, such exploits fall under the category of “stupid things I did in my youth”, and perhaps should not be bragged about. NASA never paid the fine, but it was eventually paid on their behalf by funds raised by a breakfast radio show host via his listeners in 2009. Seriously, you couldn't make this stuff up. But wait, there's more. Back in the day, a San Francisco newspaper offered $10,000 for the first piece of Skylab to be delivered to their offices. A 17 year old by the name of Stan retrieved some from his roof and took the first flight to San Francisco, claiming the prize. It probably cost him that much in travelling expenses, but let's not rain on his parade. The only lingering question I have is whether the Esperance Council, on receiving payment 30 years late, charged accrued interest on the fine.
Thursday morning dawned bright and still,
so we couldn’t resist putting in a quick trip down to Cape Le Grand to visit
the renowned beaches and the friendly kangaroos that sunbathe and swim there. It
was truly beautiful, but unfortunately no ’roos in sight that morning – they must
have all been blown away. We had to resist the strong urge to linger longer at
the beach camp, and start the long trek homewards.
We parted from Esperance greatly grieved that we were unable to get the characteristic 'petting a kangaroo on the beach' photo. I suspect my happiest memories of Esperance will be the slip-on uggs I purchased there.
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