It's a long way to Esperance
So how do I get even more remote than the remotest city on earth? Hire a car and drive 750km south of it!
That’s like doing, say, Portsmouth to Edinburgh, in one day but with only a handful of services between the two, single track roads, barely a car in sight and no phone signal for most of it. On a Sunday.
The trepidation I felt before I set out this morning is hard to convey!
My concerns were largely unfounded. For the first half, the scenery was lush and abundant; the road signs were clear (to be fair, it would be hard to take a wrong turning…); the road even bent round occasionally; and there was some exotic roadkill (I’d prefer my first Roo sighting to be a live one, but you can’t have everything).
And I had a great soundtrack to keep me company, ccourtesy of Toby’s CD collection and some last minute internet downloads:
- Evensong, randomly from St Paul’s, K St, Washington DC
- Les Mis (yes I sang along to every word, even those which hurt: “Who am I? 2-4-6-0-WUUURRN!!”)
- I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue vol 4
- the new Get Cape Wear Cape Fly album
I stopped half wayish in Kattanning and thought I’d gone back in time to 1955. I wandered round open-mouthed like Marty McFly in Back to the Future when he’s done just that.
The next leg of the journey was decidedly Straight. I ‘hooned’ it at about 140 k/h for much of it and found, yes, driving is less stressful when there isn’t a single other car on the road.
And now I’m here and seriously don’t know what to make of Esperance.
Sheer beauty is one description. A coastline that spawls for miles into the distance, islands off shore, including the Recherche Archipelago (whose name alone gives me barely-restrained joy) and a calmness that vindicates its remoteness.
And yet I feel underwhelemed and, well, sad. There’s no one around (again) and the place feels like a ghost town. I’m drafting this in a bar and I’m the only customer and I passed only ten or so people (all smiling and cheerful!) on the 45-minute walk here.
It’s Sunday and off-season. I’ll see it that way.
***
Evening meal at tacky Bistro round the corner — (pictured shortly) I took 3 plates’ worth in one go — just in case it’s not a ‘go back up’ arrangement. 80s tastic music. China in Your hand!
Comments
Glad you made it to Esperance! And well done for doing it the hardcore way – we wussed out and took a plane. It is gorgeous. I took photos: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=esperance&w=35034348783%40N01.
And the Gower was pretty sad off-season last week, as well. Don’t think Esperance is ever particularly busy, unless you’re a minerals importer.
On a different note, thought you’d be pleased to learn that my first meal out in Singapore was at Monster Mash: proper champ, onion gravy, pork & sage and duck sausages. Nearly as good as the Grain Barge =] and even more English than your night out.
anyway, enjoy the rest of the trip – see you soon!
dammit, thought flickr urls were cleverer than that. Here’re mine, not just everybody’s: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokeshi/tags/esperance
right, time for the pool…
It sounds a bit like the drive we did in the Californian Desert!