Esperance

Esperance sits on the Southern Ocean with a coastline that is genuinely exceptional: the sand is quartz, fine and blindingly white, and the water over it reads as an improbable turquoise even under cloud. The Great Ocean Drive loops west of town past Twilight Beach and Observatory Point, while Cape Le Grand National Park to the east holds Lucky Bay, a curve of white sand where kangaroos come down to lie on the beach, and Hellfire Bay and Thistle Cove nearby. Frenchman Peak in the same park is a granite dome with a cave near its summit and a steep climb. The Recherche Archipelago lies offshore with more than a hundred islands.

History

The Dutch ship Gulden Zeepaert under François Thijssen passed this coast in 1627, French explorers sheltering from a storm in 1792 made the first landing near the present town and named it, and Matthew Flinders named Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove in 1802; whalers, sealers, pastoralists and miners followed. The Dempster brothers, of Scottish descent, took up 123,000 hectares here from 1864, bringing stock overland from Northam and by sea from South Australia in 1866, and built the first landing, and the small settlement that grew up became a link in the overland telegraph and a port for the goldfields to the north (Wikipedia, Esperance, Western Australia).

What to look for

• Lucky Bay - white sand and turquoise water with kangaroos on the beach.
• The Great Ocean Drive - the coastal loop past Twilight Beach and the windfarm.
• Frenchman Peak - the granite dome with a summit cave and wide views.
• The Recherche Archipelago - islands offshore, seen on cruises.

When to go

October to April for the warmest water and calmest days; the south coast is windy year-round and winter is cold and rough. School holidays fill Cape Le Grand's campground, which books out months ahead.

Practical notes

Esperance is a long way from anywhere, eight hours from Perth by road. The water is cold even in summer. Wind is persistent. Kangaroos on the beach are wild and should not be fed, though many visitors do.

Nearby

Cape Le Grand lies east; Cape Arid and Israelite Bay are further along the coast.

Key facts