Lucky Bay

We are currently in Phase Two of restrictions easing here, which means we can go camping within our region. So, of course, we packed up the Kombi and headed to the nearest national park to hang out with Mother Nature. And, boy, did we find an absolute gem of a place!

Lucky Bay is in the Cape Le Grand National Park. And we could see why it was named so. We sure did feel lucky to be there. We only went for one night, a kind of reconnaissance mission, not knowing if the amenities or the hiking trails would be open because of COVID. They were. Oh well, we will just have to go back. What a shame.

Chatting to the caretakers of the campsite, we discovered they were from the same town as Daph and Ern, and they lived in the same street! Ten doors down! Small world.

The campsite was pretty empty. And we got to choose the prime position with the best views. But unfortunately, there were plenty of people out for day trips, four-wheel-driving on the beach, which kept the kangaroos away. Though we did see wild emus. Bonus. Ern forgot his hiking shoes and wasn’t game to tackle the rocky ledges in his thongs, so the hikes and mountain climbing will have to wait until next time.

Listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach is the most soothing way to fall asleep. Unfortunately, they didn’t drown out the sound of Ern’s snoring, which woke Daph in the dead of the night. This inevitably led to Daph needing the loo before she could fall back to sleep. There was no light. It was pitch black. So there followed a solo mission for Daph to reach the amenity block, walking as fast as humanly possible, her imagination running wild. Frantically whipping around with a torch held deftly in hand, ready to use it as a bludgeoning weapon in case the wind rustling through the bushes was a predator. A trip to the loo in the middle of the night is not a relaxing process for Daph. So, heart rate up, and with Ern snoring, Daph wasn’t confident about getting back to sleep anytime soon. A swift nudge to Ern’s ribs sorted the snoring, but then Ern was awake too. And so began Ern’s dead-of-the-night struggle.

The mosquitoes ramped up, attracted to the sound of our hearts thumping. Mmmmmm, delicious blood. Ern was then on a raging mission to kill every one of the mosquitoes that always manage to find Ern’s backside, earlobe, or any other annoying place to have an itch. Mosquitoes destroyed, heart rates restored, we settled down to sleep. Aaahhhhhh.

Snuggling in, the wind picked up. We have these “ears” on the engine air intake grill of the Kombi. They increase the air-cooling capacity of the engine when we are driving. But when a gusty breeze blows at exactly the right angle, it causes a very loud scratching noise, like nails down a blackboard. Not conducive to sleep.

Ern: *Pinches his forehead with a huge sigh.