Day 202 Esperance (Pink Lakes Scenic Flight), WA

 Today we saw the south coast of Western Australia from a whole different perspective aboard a light plane.  I first stumbled across Lake Hillier (The Pink Lake) at Esperance when I was researching the best pink lakes in Western Australia.  I saved the website and kept it in the back of my mind for when we were in the area.  I booked the flight ten days ago when I could see what the weather would be like on the long range forecast.  We needed a day of full sunshine to appreciate the pink colour.

Our tour guide picked us up around 8.30 and took us and another couple to an airstrip just outside Esperance.  The day was looking very promising with full sunshine and even the strong winds that were forecast had not come to fruition.  I asked the pilot whether we would see a lot of pink at Lake Hillier and he responded "Lake Hillier is not pink at the moment due to very high rainfall".  That was disappointing but he also added that we were going to a much better area with dozens of lakes with every shade of pink imaginable.  I was elated.

Once we had the safety check we were quickly seated, buckled in and in no time at all we were soaring high into the sky.  This is our fourth flight his holiday and I have enjoyed every single one of them. You may recall us flying over Katherine, Kakadu, The Bungles and now The Pink Lakes.  They are certainly not cheap flights but you certainly get your moneys worth.

We headed first up towards the salt lakes - Pink Lakes - because they are relatively close to where we have taken off.  Oh....my.....goodness.  I was not expecting what lay before me.  There were literally dozens of these amazing lakes in varying shapes and sizes, and in every shade of the colour wheel. It was literally a kaleidoscope of colour and something I will remember for the rest of my life.  Beautiful.  Just Beautiful.  I took so many photos and had to whittle it down to a few, but here is a sample.....

After we had our fill of the lakes our pilot, Ben, turned the plane in an easterly direction so that we could follow the magnificent coastline.  I still stand by my words that the south coast of Western Australia is the most beautiful coastline in the whole of Australia.  The colour of the ocean fringed by the whitest of white sand is just stunning.

The road you see in this photo and the one below is the Great Ocean Drive that we drove along yesterday

Esperance

Ben took us quite low over Lucky Bay so that we could get a good look at where we are heading tomorrow.  I really don't think that two days is going to be enough time at this stunningly beautiful beach...

Lucky Bay Campsite is bottom right

The two hour flight passed remarkably fast and Ben brought our little plane down on the runway with barely a bump.  Well done!  Many thanks were given to him for being a very informed pilot who regaled us with a lot of useful information about the views that he showed us from the air.  This flight deserves a 5/5 and should not be missed if you are in the area.

Yesterday afternoon we walked from the caravan park to the jetty - a distance of around two kilometres.  The wind!  Oh my goodness - the wind.  I almost turned back but persevered.  Apparently Esperance is renowned for the strong wind that blows in from Antartica every afternoon.  Nonetheless the esplanade is lovely and the council have done a very good job of making it a place for all ages to enjoy.  There still seems to be a lot of work to be carried out so it will be interesting to see what it looks like when all the work is completed.

We head to Lucky Bay tomorrow and we will be totally off grid.  There is no Telstra coverage here only Optus.  This is the first time we have encountered this.  It is normally the other way around.  There is wi-fi but I have no idea how good it will be.  Anyway if you don't see me post anything for the next couple of days, don't fret.  I will certainly catch up when we are back in a Telstra coverage area.

Come and fly with us.....