Cape Le Grand National Park

We visited Cape Le Grand National Park at the end of November 2023. Although we’re moving into summer season, by the time we made it to Esperance, it was a lot colder than expected and extremely windy. One of the locals told me WA also stands for Windy Always not just Western Australia which seemed to make a lot of sense. 

The weather didn’t dampen our plans (we are British after all and a little rain and wind could never stop us). We were also on Sydney time, so we were waking up at 4am each morning ready to start the day.

Lucky Bay Beach – Cape Le Grand National Park

Making our way to Cape Le Grand National Park, we were hopeful to see kangaroos at Lucky Bay Beach. Unfortunately, the windy weather, and arriving probably an hour or so too late, we didn’t see any roos on the beach. We did see one hopping across the road in the park as we were driving through so be careful and lookout for wildlife as you’re driving around. 

First stop of the day was Lucky Bay Beach. Despite the campsite being right next to the beach, the beach itself was empty at 8am. We walked along the whitest sand I’ve ever seen. So white it looks like snow. When we were two thirds of the way round, we decided it was definitely quiet enough for a skinny dip. The water was pretty bloody cold but it was definitely worth it to have the thrill of knowing we’d stripped off to our birthday suits and swam in the bay. 

Thistle Cove

Walking back to the car, we travelled a few minutes to the next bay – Thistle Cove. As it was less famous than Lucky Bay, we had the whole beach to ourselves. We swam again but didn’t linger long as it was quite cold especially after swimming. 

It was a little tricky to get down to the beach but we made it!

It’s worth noting that whilst we were at all three beaches, there were no lifeguards and there had been recent shark sightings (still worth at least a paddle in my opinion!)

Hellfire Beach

After Thistle Cove, we travelled a little further up the beach towards Hellfire Bay – mainly because of the Hellfire Club in Stranger Things. This beach had some great rock formations that we climbed up to find a very sheltered section where we could enjoy our lunch and have a little snooze. 

Again, Lucky Bay Beach is the most famous and is definitely one to see, but if you want a beach all to yourself, head to Thistle Cove or Hellfire Bay early in the morning and you’ll be the only ones there. 

What I loved about driving through Cape Le Grand National Park was the way the rocks see to almost buldge through the earth, bringing the trees with them as they protruded upwards. There is not shortage of strange rock formations in Australia and if that’s your vibe, then Cape Le Grand is deinitely a place to put on your list. 

Frenchman’s Peak – Cape Le Grand National Park

After having our fill of the beaches, we drove to Frenchman’s Peak. One of the shortest trails in the park, it only took 50 mins to get to the top and back. Not a particularly long hike but there are some great views from the top and – you guessed it! – some strange rock formations to see at the top. 

There are other trails which we didn’t have time for as they all seem to be an out-and-back trails rather than looped. You can find details for other trails here.

The beaches are some of the best in the world and there are an abundance. The great thing about Western Australia is that there is a lot of space. Space to roam and not be sitting on top of each other. Unlike the beaches back in Sydney which are crowded and often quite unenjoyable. The beaches here, people seem to take pride in. There was no litter, few people and crystal clear water which due to its location was exceptionally good for swimming. The waves weren’t too big and there were no sharks luckily. 

Aside from the odd shark, these beaches are pristine and frankly perfect. It should be on everyone’s list for WA. 

We managed to do all of the above in less than a day. We would have spent more time at the beach had the weather been better but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. 

Things to Remember:

• Suncream
• Appropriate clothing
• Be swim safe – there are no lifeguards at these beaches and shark sightings are common
• Water Water Water!

To read about what else we got up to on our WA road trip, click here.