Cape Le Grand National Park

Cape Le Grand runs along the south coast of Western Australia east of Esperance, where granite headlands drop into bays of very white quartz sand and water that turns an improbable pale blue in sunlight. Lucky Bay is the name most people know, partly for the sand and partly for the kangaroos that lie in the shade at the top of the beach, unbothered by visitors. Hellfire Bay and Thistle Cove are quieter versions of the same thing, reached by short side roads. Behind the beaches, Frenchman Peak rises as a bare granite dome with a large opening near its summit, a short but steep scramble with the whole coastline and the offshore islands laid out below.

What you actually see

• Lucky Bay - the white quartz beach and the kangaroos that rest along its edge.
• Frenchman Peak - a steep granite climb to a summit cave and a view over the archipelago.
• Thistle Cove and Hellfire Bay - smaller bays with granite boulders and clear water.
• Le Grand Coastal Trail - a linked walking route joining the bays along the headlands.

When to go

The warmer months from October to April suit swimming, though the water stays cold by Australian standards all year. Spring adds coastal wildflowers. Wind is the deciding factor on any given day, and afternoons are usually stronger than mornings. Campsites at Lucky Bay book out over school holidays and the Christmas period.

Honest expectations

Esperance is remote enough that most people arrive after a long drive or a flight, and the weather on this coast changes fast, with strong wind and cloud able to flatten the colours the photographs promise. The water is genuinely cold. Kangaroos are wild animals that should not be fed, and the beach car park is small and often full.

Nearby

Esperance and its Great Ocean Drive sit just west, with Cape Arid National Park further east.