Monday March 3

Quick update before we decamp tomorrow, but I must start with a wonderful statement by Graham, the camp host at Stokes National Park, which I unfortunately forgot to include in that post:

“They talk about 5 Star accommodation, well look at this - this is million star accommodation!”

All those who have, like us, spent many hours staring in wonder at the star-filled skies of outback Australia will know just what he means. At Lucky Bay we stood with Sal, Scott and the girls and Julia and Selgai,watching for shooting stars, over-awed as we contemplated the vastness of our own galaxy and however many more there are out there.

Anyway, back to the job at hand, which is to attempt a brief (???) account of our trip from Stokes National Park to Hopetoun and our couple of days here. 

Happily we were able to get off the highway not too far from Stokes and travel along the coast – very dusty roads, but some great views. At Fence Road (appropriately!) we spied the start of the No. 1 Rabbit Proof Fence (does this mean that there is more than one fence?), which runs from Starvation Bay to Eighty Mile Beach in the north west of WA. 

Morning coffee at Starvation Bay was a very pleasant stop – as it is the Labour Day weekend in WA, there were lots of people camped here.

The dust turned from red to white as the road went from sandstone to limestone, so by the time we arrived in Hopetoun Murray’s bike was looking very interesting indeed!

Hopetoun was once the port for the Phillips River Goldfield, which reached its peak in 1911 and had previously served sealers, whalers and early settlers. Murray has taken the opportunity to fish from Flathead Point (the name is no guarantee of success), the jetty and Five Mile Beach, after herring, garfish and squid – this hunter-gathering is getting serious!

Early morning fishing at Flathead Point, looking across to Fitzgerald River NP

Even the kelp looks beautiful in the early morning light!

Amazing limestone cliffs at Five Mile Beach

We also took the opportunity of other ways of stocking up on seafood, as there were a couple of fishing boats tied up at the jetty.

Our reason for coming to Hopetoun, however, had nothing to do with any of these things – it was so that we could visit the eastern part of the Fitzgerald River National Park which covers 330,000 hectares and is one of the largest and most botanically significant national parks in Australia. It is the Core Zone of the Fitzgerald Biosphere, recognised for its rich and unique biodiversity.

This incredible botanical diversity - 2,500 plant species, including some 50 endemic species, exists because of the complexity of landforms and soils and this mosaic of soils has brought about woodlands, shrublands and kwongan heathlands. In 1989, the then UNESCO Assistant Director General said,

“The Fitzgerald River National Park is without doubt the most important Mediterranean ecosystem reserve in the world. It stands out for its scientific, conservation and educational values in the same way that the Galapagos Islands do.”

I must say that it seems pretty special to be able to stand in a place like this!

The very small part we spent yesterday visiting boasts a (should I say ‘another’) magnificent coastline, with rocky headlands and white sandy beaches, inlets and striking ranges.

Culham Inlet and the Southern Ocean from Barren lookout

East Mt Barren and its white quartzite rocks

West Beach from Cave Point

Looking east towards East Mt Barren from Cave Point

Because the vegetation where we were is predominantly heathland, the views across the ranges seem never-ending as there were no tall trees. Happily, a 78,000 hectare area of this park is designated as Wilderness and Special Conservation protection.

Heathland with Royal Hakeas 'poking' up (more about these soon)

Happily also, because it is such a special area I have been able to get my hands on lots of interpretive material, so I have been able to find answers to questions I didn’t even know I had until I started reading! But . . . relax – I am not about to start repeating any of it and will let the descriptions of the photos tell some of those stories.

Hamersley Inlet - more beautiful paperbarks and another fishing opportunity

Across Hamersley Inlet towards Woogarup Range

Mylies Beach - and we had it all to ourselves!

Whilst spring is the peak wildflower season (and we will just have to come back again one spring time), there are still many flowers to be seen and the foliage of the Royal Hakea is so spectacular who needs flowers!

Royal Hakea (Hakea victoria)

Oak-leaved Dryandra (Dryandra quercifolia)

Barrens Clawflower (Calothamnus validus)

As in the other heathland parks we have visited, Phytophthora dieback disease, a soil-borne pathogen, is a very real threat to 40% of the flora species, especially after rain and substantial measures are in place to try and control the spread of infected soil. Some areas in the south west are already affected, which often leads to catastrophic decline and the thought of further infestation is really horrendous.

Tomorrow morning will see us on our way to Bremer Bay (shock, horror – it is about 240km away!) so that we can marvel at the western side of the park. Hopefully we will be able to stay in the park for at least some of our time here.

Will leave you with the first sunset photo of our trip – just enough cloud last night for this lovely shot looking across Flathead Point towards Fitzgerald River National Park.