Imagine clear turquoise water, pristine white sand, clear blue skies and nothing to do but enjoy the day. Welcome to Lucky Bay! Set in the beautiful Cape Le Grand National Park, situated around 62kms from Esperance on Western Australia’s south coast, this small bay is simply incredible. As we continue Travelling Western Australia, this one was high on the bucket list.
Cape Le Grand
Our first visit to Lucky Bay was a day trip from Esperance. It is an easy 45 min. drive on sealed roads with beautiful scenery. Driving down the hill into the bay was breathtaking and we were amazed by the beauty of the beaches. At that moment we decided we needed to camp here for a few days. We jumped onto the WA Parkstay website and found their camps booking site, but realised very quickly that it is a highly sought-after destination. There are two options, Lucky Bay Campground and Cape Le Grand Campground. Both are beautiful, but we wanted to stay at Lucky Bay. We extended our stay in Esperance so we could get two consecutive days at the campsite.
Lucky Bay Campground
Lucky Bay Campground is a well-structured organised park. There are only 56 sites and they are spread across the hill overlooking the bay. All sites are unpowered, spacious, level, gravel and surrounded by plants and bushes to ensure privacy. The amenities included solar-heated showers and toilets, which were clean and tidy. The upper-level facilities are drop toilets however the lower section has flush toilets. There are gas barbecues, picnic tables and a camp kitchen with washing up facilities Generators are permitted between 8am-1pm and 5pm-9pm, although we didn’t need to use ours.
Camp hosts oversee the campsite and we found both couples to be welcoming and friendly. Sites cannot be reserved although every site has a view of the bay. On arriving, we were advised to drive in and find a site. Roads are one-way and we chose a left hand site so our awning would face the bay.
Lucky Bay
The bay is beautifully sheltered allowing for swimming, snorkelling, fishing, paddle boarding, surfing or any beach activities. There is access to four-wheel drives on the beach, which makes it a popular spot. The sand was particularly hard in some areas and we were able to drive onto the beach without engaging 4WD or letting our tyres down. It was pretty quiet when we were there, however, I can imagine it gets very busy when the weather is warmer.
Wildlife
Many people visit Lucky Bay specifically to see the kangaroos on the beach. Social media is full of beautiful images of encounters with these friendly creatures. We, however, only needed to open our caravan door to say hello to a friendly visitor. There are a lot of kangaroos in the park and although cautious, they are not too worried about people. We were able to get up relatively close to a female kangaroo and her Joey without disturbing them. There are signs warning visitors to not feed the kangaroos.
Things to do at Lucky Bay
There is plenty to do once you are set up at Lucky Bay. You can explore the walking tracks from the campsite or drive down to one of the nearby bays to take these trails.
Hellfire Bay is a short drive and a very pretty secluded beach. We watched a pod of dolphins frolicking in the crystal clear waters as we sat on the rocks. Just amazing!
Cape Le Grand Beach has a beautiful beach, paid campground and access to the start of the 22km 4WD beach drive back to Wylie Bay.
Thistle Cove is also beautiful and has the Whistling Rock, reflecting the sound of the waves breaking.
Rossiter Bay is accessible on an unsealed road just up from Lucky Bay. It was very corrugated so we didn’t attempt this drive.
Frenchman Peak is a class 5 climb if you are feeling adventurous! Read our blog about the steep climb to the top of Frenchman Peak.
Cafe
Lucky Bean Café sets up on the beach from Thursday – Monday. The mobile café serves delicious food and beverages setting up chairs to sit and enjoy the view while you drink your coffee. It was a pleasant surprise and the coffee was very good.
WA National Park
Cape Le Grand is a National Park with entry through the pay station. Day entry is only $15 per car or $9 with a concession. We would recommend purchasing a Parks Pass if you intend to visit National Parks throughout Western Australia.
Our visit to Lucky Bay was lovely. Even though it was too cold to swim and at times very windy, we were still able to enjoy the beach with walks and a fish, as well as visit the surrounding beaches and climb Frenchman Peak. It is possible to see this beautiful location on a day trip, but we would recommend staying at the campsite for a few days. We would love to return when the weather is warmer to swim and snorkel in the pristine waters of the bay.
Travelling Oz Our Way
As we are travelling Western Australia, we continue to be amazed at its beauty. We can understand why Lucky Bay is a sought-after destination for many visitors, we will return to this amazing location. Will you come back to Lucky Bay?
