Esperance to Hopetoun - 18 February 2010

We travelled from Esperance to Hopetoun via Ravensthorpe.

We had lunch at the Stuffed Cocky Cafe in Ravensthorpe, excellent fresh foood.

Hopetoun expanded greatly on the promise of a booming BHP Nickel mine at Ravensthorpe, constructed at a cost of over $3 billion and then abandoned as unlikely to ever be profitable.  BHP’s Managing Director acknowledged that Ravensthorpe was "not the company's finest investment decision".

Part of this expansion is a state of the art Truck Wash which was ideal for the Bushtracker. Happiness is a clean caravan and ours is bright and shiny.

The other amenities at Hopetoun are also excellent, again a legacy of the failed boom.

 

 

Hopetoun is the gateway to the Fitzgerald River National Park which is very beautiful.

We drove to Hammersley Inlet and had a walk the edge of the inlet, which was more like a struggle through the Ti Tree.  It gives you some idea of what the early explorers had to contend with, and eventually it became impassable and we reluctantly retraced our steps.