WA: 3 days in Esperance

By Cubie - July 12, 2024

Esperance is a town on the Southern Ocean coastline in Western Australia. It is approximately 720 km from the state capital, Perth and is famous for its pristine sandy stretches and turquoise waters.

Esperance Jetty

On arriving in Esperance, we stopped for lunch before checking in and setting up the camp. After that, all we did for the day was walking along The Esplanade. We started off from the Tanker Jetty towards the Whale Tail Sculpture.

The Esperance Jetty was opened in March 2021 and built to pay homage to the original Tanker Jetty which was closed following failed structural assessment.

Cape Le Grand National Park

Cape Le Grand National Park, located 50km east of Esperance by sealed road, features attractive bays with wide sandy beaches set between rocky headlands. As most of the sites that we wanted to go are within the national park, we got the 5-day holiday pass, $30 which provides unlimited entry for up to 5 days.

We visited Thistle Cove, Hellfire Bay and Little Hellfire Bay on our second day, and returned on day 3 for Lucky Bay and Frenchman's Peak.

Thistle Cove

Thistle Cove was named in 1802 after a ship's master. Natural features near this cove includes Whistling Rock.

I think these 2 rocks represent the children who cannot return

Hellfire Bay

Hellfire Bay is thought to have been named after a bluish flame-like electrical discharge that sometimes occurs above ship's mast. The sand at this bay was so fine that one doesn't even sink when walked.

Lucky Bay

So named by Matthew Flinders when his vessel HMS Investigator took shelter here from a summer storm. It is popular as the place to see wild kangaroo at the beach. We tried to picnic here but had to lay the mat in between 2 cars to take shelter from the strong wind.

I was almost convinced that these kangaroos were manually transported to the beach in the morning for photo opportunities. It could just be my own speculation but when we saw these kangaroos, they were hopping away. We followed and found them at the rest area.

Frenchman's Peak

The peak's shape was thought to resemble the hats worn by French troops in the 1800s. There is a large cave near the submit, thought to be formed by erosion. The Aboriginal name for the peak is Mandooboornup.

We attempted to hike this but turned back midway as the walk is not recommended in wet or windy weather. It was windy during our visit in Esperance, even more so on the day of our visit. The hike up to the summit was steep and exposed.

This was taken upright, no tilting of camera

Lake Hillier (Pink Lake)

This lake was originally named Lake Spencer in 1848, it was renamed to Pink Lake due to it's bubblegum pink in 1966. However, the lake has lost its pink colour due to decreased salt levels following commercial salt mining and freshwater entering the system. There is a board at site to explain as to 'Why is Pink Lake not pink?'

Great Ocean Drive

We did parts of the Great Ocean Drive covering Pink Lake, Eleven Mile Beach, Ten Mile Lagoon, Nine Mile Beach, and Twilight Cove on day 2. On day 3, we did Salmon Beach and Blue Haven Beach then stopping at Rotary Lookout before returned to the campsite to prepare dinner.