Around Australia 2026 Part 9 – Esperance & Cape Arid

Southern Right Whale - female & calf (foreground)

Following our visit to Cheynes Beach, we continued eastward for a three-day stay in the delightful South Coast town of Esperance. Near our van in the Bushlands Caravan Park on the town's outskirts was a pond with loads of calling frogs, chief among them Spotted-thighed Frog and Western Banjo Frog. The first Western Wattlebirds for the trip put in an appearance. 

Western Wattlebird

We had a look at Pink Lake and Lake Warden, with a flock of 30 Cape Barren Geese seen among large numbers of Australian Shelduck in a flooded paddock between the two lakes.

Cape Barren Goose

Here also was the trip's first Western Spinebill. 

Western Spinebill

We continued eastwards to Cape Arid National Park for a two-day camp (a planned third day was cut short due to weather). This was one of our favourite spots from the 2014 lap around Oz and it didn't disappoint this time. The coastal scenery is mind-blowing (images below) and the campsite, Yokinup Mia Mia, is beautifully positioned among sweeping heath plains ablaze with wildflowers. 

This has to be one of the best sites in Australia for Southern Right Whale. Yes they can be seen in numbers elsewhere (eg Great Australian Bight) but as with our last visit, you get extremely close to the whales along the park's rocky coastline, not far from where the Thomas River meets the sea. 

Southern Right Whale breeching

We had six whales – three adult females with calves in toe, in view in relatively close proximity whenever we went down to the rocks. One adult with calf seemed to change direction and head towards us when we arrived and settled on the rocks on a couple of occasions. The animals could be seen rubbing up against the rocks underwater, evidently trying to remove barnacles. We saw them often playing – with one animal breaching occasionally - and although not as lively as Humpbacks, they were something to behold.

Emu was a frequent visitor to the beach and camp tracks, with an adult male and six chicks among those present. 

Emu male with chick

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo was common, feeding on the seeds of old banksia cones but also tearing up some of the many cones in flower. 

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo

A beachwalk in Yokinup Bay failed to turn up Hooded Plover but a pair of Sanderlings were nice.

Sanderling

Pacific Gull (below) was common on the beach. Cape Arid has the last surviving population of Western Ground Parrot, now relumped with Eastern Ground Parrot. The areas where they occur were not accessible on this trip, with main access roads closed due to wet weather.