Every year huge amounts of people make the pilgrimage from Kalgoorlie, Esperance, the surrounding farms and other places, to be near these beautiful beaches.
And every year at Wharton Beach, they hold swimming lessons.
This year, in amongst the hum-drum of farming (of which so much is still happening), our two are doing the lessons and once again my inland-ness in coming out! Regular visitors to my site will know that I find things to do with sea rather difficult, having grown up in the mid north of SA and not a sea within sight.
I watched the kids swim in amongst the waves, diving in and out and having a ball. All the while I was cringing, imagining the seaweed wrapping around my legs and my feet touching something under the surface that I couldn’t see. Let alone what might be lurking in the deep. Nope: it’s swimming pools for me, unless I’m paddling only.
Not even this magic view of the bay where the lessons are held would entice me into the water! I’m happy to sit on the beach, chat to the other mums and maybe indulge in a glass of wine or two!
But I have to admit, when a little baby penguin came swimming over to the kids while they were having their lessons, I was tempted…