Australia, the next chapter – Farewell Esperance
The start of this new year has been especially exciting because 2015 will be a year of big change for me. Having been living in Western Australia for almost four years, this year (next month, no less!) I’m moving to Queensland. Firstly, apologies to friends in Europe. I am are aware this is not the return to Europe you have been asking about! Those without much experience of Australia may think ‘big deal, moving within Australia. How different can it be?’ and having previously lived in other countries, I can understand this. It wasn’t until I had lived in Australia for a few months that I truly understood distance, from an Australian…
Things to do in Esperance
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…
Are Australia’s best beaches in Esperance?
Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is where I live at the moment. Living somewhere that my daily commute is a three-minute drive along the beach means (and I hate to admit it) I take the local coastline for granted sometimes. After a busy period at work, and while coming out of winter, I had sort of forgotten how spectacular Esperance can be. This weekend I rediscovered it. An article I read in a magazine last week said one of my local beaches was ‘stunning’. When great weather was forecast for the weekend I couldn’t resist heading to the beach to remind myself. Despite winning its fair share of awards…
Whale watching in Western Australia
Every so often life shows you something wonderful. Happening upon a whale and calf playing lazily in surf just off a local beach is one of those things. The coastline in south west Australia is spectacular and although the water is often cold enough that you are not tempted to swim, the sunshine keeps you warm whilst exploring and there is always something to photograph. Having driven 120 kilometres east out of Esperance to Thomas River, no sooner had we stepped onto the squeaky white sand, we spotted a whale and calf playing in the bay. To the western end of the beach is a gentle sloping rocky outcrop that…
Cape Le Grand Beaches
Esperance, on the south east coast of Western Australia, boasts that it has Australia’s best beaches. Town beach is pretty, but the beaches that really stick in your mind are those in the Cape Le Grand National Park. Le Grand Le Grand is the first beach you come across in the park. Le Grand lives up to its name. The beach is a wide flat expanse of, often very windy, sand. The beach looks across the Recherche Archipelago, or Bay of Isles and on a clear day you can make out Esperance behind the islands. This is one of the two areas in the park offering camping facilities. Hellfire Bay…
Australia’s Wild Wild West
Do you love old Westerns? Or maybe you find the idea of having a go at gold-prospecting exciting? Either way, you will love a trip to Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia. During the Australian gold rush (sparked in 1893) Kalgoorlie developed rapidly and soon became Australia’s third largest town. Its status is nowadays diminished somewhat, but the wealth with which the town was built is still evident in the now aged but still grand buildings. The architecture is splendid and quite unique to the town. Walking along Hannan Street is like walking onto a Wild West movie set, if you can ignore the traffic and mobile phone shops that is. Here…
Esperance – The Land of Sea lions and Beaches
Esperance is a quiet little town in rural Western Australia. It is home mainly to farmers and employees of it’s port, kept busy exporting Western Australia’s many natural resources. It is a small town where there is rarely a queue, but also an area of outstanding natural beauty and one to make sure you visit on your Western Australia roadtrip. Tanker Street Jetty Before the now busy port was built, ships came to the Tanker Street jetty which extends 842m out into Esperance bay. It is nice to walk along a jetty, taking in the sea breeze and the view of town on your return, but this jetty is special…
