It was almost the last day of summer when Sydney started to get day and night full of rain. I did not want to get myself locked up in my apartment thus decided to make a move to a place called La Perouse Beach.
La Perouse is a suburb located 14 km southeast of Sydney CBD in the area of Botany Bay National Park. Bus 394 runs directly from the city to La Perouse. It was an enjoyable 30-minute ride with a great destination.
The area was named after a French explorer Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de Laperouse. He landed on the northern shore of Botany Bay on 26 January 1788. He was only fifteen when he joined the Navy and got his first naval assignment in Canada after four months of training. He became the first European to explore many great things in this world.
France - Madeira (Portuguese) - Tenerife - Trinity - Brazil - Chile - Easter Island - Hawaii - Alaska - British Columbia - Monterey - Macao - China - Japan - Korea - Manila - Tartary Coast (Russia) - Samoa - Botany Bay.
His last assignment in 1785 to the Pacific landed him in Botany Bay in 1788 and that, sadly, was the last landing place of Laperouse. After a rough time in Samoa (many of the crews were brutally killed and hurt), Laperouse and his crews took two months recovery time in Botany Bay, encountering the first fleet too. In March 1788, he was seen off to Caledonia and never seen ever again.
In 1828, the shipwreck was found in the reefs of Vanikoro in Solomon Island. The second wreck was found in 1962 with continued search effort afterwards.
As a remembrance of Laperouse, the monument and the museum was built overlooking the beach. The museum is open every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no admission fee but gold coin donation is appreciated for the maintenance and operation of the museum.
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| Monument of Laperouse and the Laperouse Museum |
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| Museum Open |
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| The "old stuffs" of La Perouse |
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| The museum displays the timeline of La Perouse journey in relation to Botany Bay |
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| The photo of Laperouse |
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| His wife, whom he married in 1783 and never saw again after his expedition |
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| The anchor of the ship |
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| L'Astrobe |
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| The map outlining the expeditions taken by Laperouse around the world |
I love history and I love how this museum lets us flow into the time. It is so organised and informative. Although it is small, La Perouse museum holds a dear place in my heart.
From La Perouse Museum and monument, the visitors can choose either the Frenchmen Beach or the Bare Island. Of course, I wanted both.
The Frenchmen Beach is overlooking Frenchmen Bay at the west facing the industrial area at the other end of the bay. It is a strip of white sand beach with a clear water and many fish, I presume. I saw some fishermen during my short walk here. When I visited the beach, the area was quiet. Nobody's swimming or laying by the beach. Is this beach always so quiet?
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| The Frenchmen Beach |
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| The white sand overlooking the industrial area at the other end |
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| That's La Perouse Museum there |
After an enjoyable walk, I headed to the Bare Island which is the main attraction of this area. Bare Island got its name from Captain Cook who described it as "a small bare island" in 1770. A fort was then built on the island in 1877 as Botany Bay was so-called the back door to Sydney. However, the project was never completed. It started to collapse before completion due to the use of substandard concrete.
It became a retirement house for war veterans since 1912 and is currently one of the famous recreation areas of Sydney.
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| La Perouse Point |
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| Bare Island, viewed from La Perouse Point |
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| Glorious sandstone |
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| Magnificent view |
Bare Island is connected to the area with a foot bridge. As the most highlighted scuba diving spot in Sydney, this area is also a favourite for fishing activities. However, not only divers and fishers can enjoy Bare Island, everybody can!
There is a Bare Island tour inside the fort every Sunday and tickets can be purchased in the museum.
People can also walk alongside the Bare Island and simply enjoy the scenery, the wave, the thrill. Yes, the thrill. Apparently, some steps are quite steep and slippery. With the wind, the risk of falling is there. So, be extra careful.
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| Foot bridge leading to Bare Island |
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| Under the bridge, there's a path to somehow walk by the side of the island |
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| I am amazed by how the nature works |
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| Abrasion |
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| More abrasion |
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| Some steps are too high for me to climb |
Spending time in La Perouse and Bare Island can easily take half a day. There is a walking track towards Henry Head Lighthouse passing Congwong Beach, Little Congwong Beach and Brown Rocks. The walking track was quiet and there were too many spiders. I made my U-turn on the third spider.
I am not made for bushwalking for sure.
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| Love for La Perouse |
Love is in the air,
Little Feet
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