View over tea tree lake at Point Pearl, Cape Conran

Cape Conran was on our bucket list of spots that we wanted to spend some time in on this trip. It's location right at the bottom of the East Coast makes it too far to drive for a long weekend, yet during the longer, warm summer holidays, its National Park status means you cannot book a camp, which also puts it out of contention. At this time of year, however, we had no problems scoring a nice little spot across from the beach track, under the shade of a Fig Tree. There was a basic flush toilet and cold showers. The atmosphere was fantastically peaceful; the sort of place that engenders a yen to sketch, or write. We did a bit of both and some schoolwork and then went on a hike to find Diamond Gorge- apparently the "Jewel in the Cape Conran crown", so the guide book would have us believe. It was a warm day for a trek, about 30 degrees, but we slogged down the 2 km path expecting any moment to see a vista of soaring cliffs opening up before us, with the reward of a crystal fresh water pool at their base. Unfortunately, the guide book writer had indulged in the sort of hyperbole that clearly demonstrated he had never made the trek to visit the "jewel" but had perhaps relied upon the ravings of a sunstroked amateur geologist who had never seen a gorge before. What we found was an underwhelming trickle of muddy water at the bottom of a hill. The best part of the walk was an amusingly shaped fungus- see following pic. We swallowed our disappointment, however, and washed away our woes in the unexpectedly lovely, warm tea tree lake that we found down the end of Pearl Beach. Its blackness was quite unnerving and so we snorkelled around the edge where the water had a crimson hue. An unlooked for alternative jewel in Cape Conrans crown.