Arriving in
Esperance, in the south-east corner of Western Australia, feels like you have
arrived at the end of the earth. Lying over 700 kilometres from Perth, and a
two-hour drive from the next established town, Esperance sits in isolated
splendour on the spectacular south coast and has several unique attractions for
visitors to enjoy.
Esperance Waterfront
Over the past two
years the foreshore by Esperance town centre has been transformed from a
scrappy shoreline of grass and beach to a chic new waterfront featuring walking
and cycle paths, planted areas, benches, picnic shelters, public barbecues,
pieces of public art and, of course, beach access. It makes a great place to
take a seaside stroll or pause for a picnic lunch with an ocean view.
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| James Street Precinct, Esperance Waterfront, Australia |
Tanker Jetty
Constructed in
1934, the historic Tanker Jetty still stands proudly extending about 1.5
kilometres into Esperance Bay. Popular with locals and visitors for fishing,
strolling and befriending the local sea lions that hang around in the hope of
fish scraps. (UPDATE: The Tanker Jetty has been closed to the public for safety reasons and is due for replacement. Contact Shire of Esperance for more information).
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| Sealion feeding at Esperance Tanker Jetty, Australia |
Woody Island
The only island
of the Recherche Archipelago on which it is possible to stay
overnight, during the summer months Woody Island is run as an eco-camping
destination. Informative cruises transport visitors to the island where they
can spend the day, or pitch their tents and stay the night. The island offers a
real escape, with few facilities and no phone signal. Visitors must bring
enough supplies for their stay. The island is home to skinks, sea eagles,
kangaroos and sometimes penguins. Dolphins and sealions are often seen on the
journey to and from the island. If you fancy a few weeks of island-living, apply to be a volunteer camp manager through Esperance Island Cruises.
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| Shearwater Bay, Woody Island, Esperance, Australia |
Incredible Coastline
Esperance boasts
some spectacular beaches that never get crowded, although during summer the
locals might disagree as they are used to having the beaches to
themselves. For squeaky-clean
white sand head east to the Duke of Orleans and the beaches in Cape Le Grand National Park. If you want to meet kangaroos, head to Lucky Bay, where it is
also possible to camp right by the beach. Some great shore-fishing can be had
all along this coast but there are some especially athletic salmon along the
beaches to the west of Esperance, beyond Twilight Cove, and the sunsets are
good here too.
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| Beach between Lucky Bay and Rossiter Bay, Esperance, Australia |
4x4 driving on
beach
Exploring the
coast in four-wheel-drive vehicles is a popular pastime around Esperance. One
of the best stretches is the trip from town to Cape Le Grand National Park. To
complete this drive hit the beach on the East side of Bandy Creek Harbour and
you can drive along the beach all the way to Cape Le Grand Beach. To access the
other beaches in the park you need to follow the road network through the park.
Dogs are not permitted in the national park, so if you have your dog with you
watch out for the sign marking the point at which the beach becomes part of the
park. To drive on the sand it is important to let some air out of your tyres,
so it’s also a good idea to take a compressor with you to re-inflate your
tyres.
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| 4 Wheel Driving on the beach, Esperance, WA, Australia |
Fishing
The waters around
Esperance are teeming with fish. Fishing charters are operated locally, but
great fishing can also be had from the various jetties in town, the Bandy Creek
groynes and from the local beaches. Fishing from the rocks on this coastline is
extremely dangerous. If you plan to go rockfishing seek local advice and follow
the guidance on signage at the beaches. There are several bait shops in town
where gear can be rented and bait purchased.
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| Beach fishing, Esperance, WA, Australia |
Whales
Winter, while not being peak tourist season, is when whales
visit Esperance. Humpbacks and, more commonly, Southern Right Whales frequent the local water during July and August each year where they nurture their calves in the
shallow waters before heading back to Antarctica. They are commonly seen along
the eastern beaches at Thomas River, the Cape Le Grand beaches, off Wylie Bay
and have even been seen in Esperance Bay. They are frequently seen close to shore, apparently because they enjoy scratching their bellies on the sea floor! Read more about whale watching in Western Australia here.
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| Southern Right Whale in Esperance Bay, Australia |
Mermaid Leather
Do you fancy a
purse made out of fish leather, or perhaps a belt, coin purse or jewellery box?
Mermaid Leather is the only commercial fish tannery in Australia. Run by two locals, the
tannery creates beautiful pieces of ‘fish leather’, which are then dyed and
turned into beautiful items that make great souvenirs. Visitors can watch a
video explaining production and it is also possible to tour the tannery. Watch
out for the friendly tannery cat that enjoys a pat!
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| Mermaid Leather, Esperance, Western Australia |
Camping
Being so remote,
Esperance offers endless wilderness exploration opportunities. There are several
local government-operated campsites along the coastline, as well as those
operated by the Department of Parks and Wildlife, in the national parks. Most
sites have a toilet block, but some also have showers and public barbecues and
picnic facilities. Campers need to take their own drinking water and food
supplies. There are no free-camping sites in Esperance town centre, but there
is a black water dump site on Shelden Road and parallel parking spaces are
available just across the street from the main supermarket, on Windich Street.
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| Camping, Esperance, Western Australia |
National parks
Esperance is
surrounded by three national parks. About 60 kilometres to the east is Cape Le Grand National Park, near Condingup, and beyond that is Cape Arid. The journey
to Cape Le Grand is especially spectacular in December and January as the road
is lined with yellow-flowering Christmas Trees. Cape Arid is a vast park and
home to the endangered Western Ground Parrot. Fitzgerald River National Park is
about 150 kilometres to the west of Esperance, near Hopetoun and comes into its
element during the Wildflower season in September.
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| Yellow Christmas trees in front of Frenchman Peak, Cape Le Grand National Park, Esperance, Australia |
Stonehenge
Yes, you read
that correctly, Esperance has its own Stonehenge. An eccentric couple admired
the local pink granite and decided to build an exact replica of Stonehenge on a
rural lot on Merivale Road. To those familiar with the
original structure, the crisp, straight-edged stones will look strangely new.
Events are held to mark the solstices but visitors are asked not to perform any worship rituals.
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| Stonehenge, Esperance, Australia |
Condingup
Along with Gibson, Scaddan, Grass Patch and Salmon Gums, Condingup is
one of the satellite towns surrounding Esperance. Condingup is fantastic to visit as it combines vast open spaces, beautiful beaches and tasty burgers! It is easy to visit and drive around the townsite
that has a small local school, a few residential properties, a pub (including a
small general store), and a winery. Visitors pass Condingup on the way to the beaches
at the Duke of Orleans, or heading out towards Thomas River or Cape Arid. The
wise ones stop at the Condingup Tavern for a ‘Condi Burger’. The burgers are
enormous and warrant a special mention because they are very tasty, and packed
with treats like bacon, beetroot, cheese and an egg. Yum!
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| Burgers at the Condingup Tavern, Esperance, Western Australia |
Agricultural Show
Agriculture
drives the Esperance economy and the vast area farms, amongst other things,
canola, wheat and beef cattle. The highlight of the Esperance year is the
Esperance and District Agricultural Show, when the town sports grounds are
taken over. Livestock is shown, local community groups, schools and companies
have stalls, fairground rides appear, and food and drink merchants run a lively
trade. ‘The Show’ as it is known locally, takes place on the third or fourth
Friday and Saturday in October. Local schoolchildren are given the Friday off
school to attend.
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| Fairground ride at Esperance Agricultural Show, Australia |
Esperance Museum
If you’re
interested in history and intrigued about how Esperance was founded and the
lives of the original settlers you’ll enjoy a trip to the Esperance Museum. The
Museum houses a large collection of artifacts ranging from general household
items, artwork, historic photographs and an old pilot boat that used to guide
ships into the port to chunks of Skylab that fell to earth (over Esperance) in
1979. A video guides visitors through the years, and there is lots of signage.
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| Esperance Museum, Western Australia |
Esperance Museum
Village Markets are held frequently on Sunday mornings (but not every Sunday
morning) near the Visitor Centre, and the local art centres show local and
visiting exhibits. Esperance loves sport and several sports facilities are
available to visitors, such as tennis, the gym and swimming pool. Some local
sports clubs also welcome visitors, such as the Sailing Club, where it is often
possible to join a crew for a Saturday afternoon sail around the Bay of Isles.
Esperance
provides a fantastic opportunity to get back to basics and enjoy the great
outdoors. It is worth a visit for the incredible beaches alone, but beyond the
beaches there are also lots of other unique adventures to be had.
Have you been to
Esperance? What would you add to this list?
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