The Great Ocean Drive, Skippy Rock, Starvation Bay and Masons Bay
After our unforgettable stay in untouched and lush Cape Arid, we headed along Western Australia’s windy south coast towards the Fitzgerald River National Park. En route, we enjoyed Esperance’s fabulous Great Ocean Drive, the remote campsite of Skippy Rock in the Stokes National Park as well as Starvation Bay and dreamy Masons Bay near Hopetoun in the shire of Ravensthorpe.
The Great Ocean Drive
Esperance is a relatively small town with a population of around 12,000 and aside from the Esperance Museum, the Esperance Bird and Animal Park as well as the Esperance Stonehenge (yes you heard right), the town is known first and foremost for its pristine, white beaches. If you google the top sights in Esperance, sites like Tripadvisor will point you to the nearby national parks of Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid and various beaches, as well the Great Ocean Drive. This is a 40-kilometre circular loop that features a vast range of stunning beaches, rocky headlands, small bays, steep cliffs and hidden ocean pools. See some impressions below.
Skippy Rock
Our next destination after this beautiful drive was Skippy Rock. The remote campsite can be accessed via a 7-km dirt track that is only manageable via four-wheel-drive (4WD). We almost missed the turning off the main road, which was signposted by a tire on a pole (welcome to remote Australia). The 4WD track to the campsite is quite rough, so I was glad when we got there, especially since the end of the day was nearing. We found a lovely camp spot next to a path that leads visitors to the beach. It was quite sheltered by the trees, but we were nevertheless heading for a rough and windy night.
The tire indicates the way to Skippy Rock 
Before the road became rough
The campsite only features nine camp spots which are allocated on a first come first serve basis. They cost 8 AUD (4.30 GBP / 5 EUR) per night and per adult. There’s a shelter as well as a bush loo in terms of facilities, and beach access from the site. The volunteer camp host, Roy, is chatty and very friendly. He came over and highly recommended going out to Fanny Cove, another campsite nearby, also located within the Stokes National Park. This tiny campground features only four spots and it’s right next to a beautiful bay as well as the Moir Homestead, a historic property dating back to 1873. We didn’t make it there this time around, but we’ll keep it on our radar.
Our set up in Skippy Rock 
All organised in the car thanks to the new 4WD pull out drawers and table 
Le Chef at work
We made sure to enjoy the beautiful beach for sunset as well as the next morning, for a swim. The beach is ideal for swimming as it’s very flat and the water was totally calm on this November morning. The water temperature at this time of the year wasn’t for the faint hearted, which made for a very refreshing dip.
Sunset at the beach in Skippy Rock 
Footsteps in the sand at Skippy Beach 
This sight with a beer in hand – what else do you need? 
Descending the steep path to the beach at Skippy Rock 
The beach at Skippy Rock in the morning
Starvation Bay and Masons Bay
As we continued our road trip, we did a quick stopover at Starvation Bay. We’d both heard that it’s lovely and in contrast to campsites that are in National Parks in Australia, it’s possible to bring dogs here (as long as they’re kept on a leash) – so we wanted to check it out for another trip with our dog. The campsites are spacious and there is a run-down toilet house that should be avoided, but also thankfully a brand new one just a bit further along where the boat ramp is. The bay seems quite sheltered, it spreads out wide in both directions, and the waters looked calm and inviting. There’s 4WD access onto the beach and cost is AUD 15 (8 GBP / 9.50 EUR) per person and per night, payable in cash.
Starvation bay views from the campsite 
Camp spots at Starvation Bay
Nevertheless, we moved on to Masons Bay, which turned out to be an even quainter little campground and bay with, just like Starvation Bay, 4WD access to the beach. Dogs are allowed here too, and there are even some beautiful camp spots overlooking the bay. Between the two, I’d definitely say Masons Bay was my favourite. Overnight charge is also AUD 15 (8 GBP / 9.50 EUR) per person, payable in cash.
Liam and I pulled the car onto the beach, set up the awning and spent a couple of hours of sheer bliss, having lunch, going for a snorkel and lazing around in the shade under the awning. Sting rays were gently gliding through the calm ocean, attracted by some fishermen that had left some bits of fish floating in the water.
Lunch break at Masons Bay 
Masons Bay
We’ll definitely be back here for an extended stay. For now though, we kept moving onto our next destination – the Fitzgerald National Park.
