Cape Riche

Cape Riche. Aaaaah. Inhale deeply and then let the breath back out nice and slow. That's how we felt upon finally setting up here. 

I was still homesick. A bit tired.  Also slightly premenstrual. So it's amazing that we even managed to set up at all given these factors coupled with Fiela gagging at the bit to get out and FISH (it'd been 4 days).

Beautiful sunset at Cape Riche over looking Cheyne Island.

Cape Riche is located 100 kms east along the coast from Albany and is a little protected bay with blinding white sand and azure blue water. It was incredibly popular around 150 years ago, when cluey settlers and even smarter merchants used this as an impromptu store front to avoid the King's tax man back over in Albany. Now there's nothing much but a Council campground with toilets, cold bore water showers and some gas barbecues, all looked after by caretakers who were possibly there to unload the boats in the 1800s.

Cape Riche.

Shame,  this couple were lovely, but she showed us the two worst sites in the campground because she couldn't face the extra 150 metre walk to The Most Amazing Camp Site we'd been in yet. Of course we'd already half set up in one of the crap areas before we discovered our camping mecca, so it was even more wondrous that the Uyshuis managed to end the day on speaking terms, what with the decision to move: 
("But do you want to move?" 
"I don't care." 
"Well that's not really a f#$@ing answer is it?" 
"Yeah alright if you want to, let's just hurry up and do it!" 
"Geez you're frustrating at times."), 

backing into the awkward though wonderful new site: 
("It's very simple! Do I go left or right?!" 
"Right! I said right! I didn't say 'Right at high speed please'!! Now you're too far over." 
Exasperated sigh.  
"F#@$ it's easier just to do it myself!" 
"Well wish f$#@ing granted!!"), 

and then the general tedium of making sure the kids don't kill each other or are killed by us during this process:
("Get out of the way the car is reversing!" 
"No you can't eat anything." 
"Because I said so."
"Stop hitting! " 
"Don't touch that." 
"Get out of it!"
"Because I SAID SO!!"). 

Aah, love those wonderful setting up times...

Finally set up...

So after what was a fairly frustrating day (which began back in the Stirling Ranges with our failed walk, I mean climb), we ended on a high.  With a fire going, the almost full moon rising and the water gently lapping the sand we looked down the barrel of four nights of excellent camping.

In the summer months the local kids come down for their swimming lessons right in the bay, and just five degrees extra would have allowed us to as well. A few extra degrees and I would've got in and had a snorkel right out the front of the campsite, but alas.  Fiela did go fishing and caught some King George whiting, squid and unidentified reef fish.  It all tasted pretty awesome. We waited for the full moon to rise and realised we were in the prime position for a lunar eclipse we had no idea was happening. The rocky parts of the bay were perfect for hours of rock climbing and crab catching, and the campground was populated by only three other groups of campers.

Fire, sundowners and happy campers.

The weather played along for the most part though we were definitely here too early for any kind of water sports besides fishing. As the wind picked up and the rain clouds gathered, we rallied ourselves for the first leg of our great push east. First stop Esperance.