Discover The Bright Blue Waters Of Esperance
Esperance
Esperance is a coastal town 700kms south of Perth and 800kms West of the South Australian border, both are about a 7 to 8-hour drive. Even though it is a long drive, the scenery is well worth the drive!
Esperance has a population of just over 13000 people and is famous for its crystal clear beaches and white sand dunes. Although during the tourist season the population doubles and becomes a very busy little town.
Yes, the water is that blue and the sand is that white!
Let’s get back to those beaches, everyone comes for the beaches, they are known for having the whitest sand in Australia, the sand that squeaks as you walk on it and is nearly as white as snow. Would you drive 7 to 8 hours to visit that? We would!
When we arrived in Esperance it marked our seventh month on the road. What better way to celebrate than to soak up the sun on some of the best beaches in Australia. It was great that we were also here during the summer months, it made those beach visits all the more enjoyable. Check out our 10 Must-See Places In Esperance
Accommodation In Esperance
Esperance is usually a quiet town with the usual travellers passing through the town often staying for a night or 10 but we were here during the summer school holidays and this usually quiet town was filled with tourists. We tried to book months in advance to stay at the famous Lucky Bay Campground or Cape Le Grand Campground but they were both booked out. While staying here we were at the RAC Caravan Park. Usually, the RAC would have cost us an arm and leg for a family to stay here but as they had just taken over from the previous owners we were only paying $55 a night!
The RAC Caravan Park is due to have upgrades mid 2020, all amenities will be upgraded, a jumping pillow will be installed along with a pool. Plus loads of extras and all those big trees are going to be pulled down and replaced with safer trees. What I mean by that is, that while we were there we had some windy days. One day was so windy it snapped a tree branch and landed on our van. Luckily there was no damage, the old girl came through unharmed (thank god!!!!!)
Even though it was summer, be prepared for all sorts of weather. We went from days of 42 degrees to then having the next day cloudy, windy and cold. The days were hot and the nights were cold. Sometimes it was four seasons all in one day. We kept jumpers in the car just in case. These were the times when you would love to sit around a nice toasty fire.
What To Do In Esperance
Esperance was filled with so many family-friendly things to do that we were busy every day doing different things. Our favourite place was Twilight Cove Beach, yes Lucky Bay has the kangaroos and the squeaky sand but Twilight Cove Beach was a winner for us. Here are some of the things we did while in Esperance-
- Visit the kangaroos at Lucky Bay Beach
- Hire the Jalopy Bikes and ride along the foreshore
- Indoor Mini Golf
- Foreshore playground and the iconic whale tail
- Great Ocean Drive
- Twilight Cove
- Lucky Bay and Cape Le Grand
- Animal Bird Park
- Stonehenge Replica
- Woody Island
- Pump Track and skatepark
- Port Tours
- Museum Park
- Miniature Train Rides
Check out our top 10 things to do in Esperance here
Twilight Cove is a calm beach with the best views. A bonus is that it is close to the town of Esperance.
If you are planning on heading to Lucky Bay for a day trip from Esperance then be prepared for a drive that is going to take you about an hour.
****Tip- drive along the Cape Le Grand beach and it will cut 30 minutes off your drive. The sand is hard and you won’t need to let your tyres down. Check for tides so you don’t get stranded and make sure you know and understand your car.
The best thing about Lucky Bay is that you can drive onto the beach no worries, we seen a little Hyundai i30 drive on the beach so after seeing that I am going to say anyone can get on there.
Sunbathe with Kangaroos
The kangaroos like to hang around the entry from the beach and the coffee vans. You are not meant to feed the kangaroos but I am sure over time they have been fed and that is why they keep coming back. They like to sit under your car canopy and will happily let everyone pat them. We put some water out for them to have a drink and they loved it.
Also, don’t forget your board, any board will do whether that be for surf, sand or boogie. You can do all three here!! We loved taking the board down the sand dune then running into the water and catching a wave back into shore. As I said, you can do it all.
Where To Eat In Esperance
There are plenty of places to eat in Esperance, we spent many afternoons at the Pier Hotel and lots of lunches at the bakery. The bakery is amazing!!! One of the best bakeries we have been to!!! As always we grabbed some fish and chips and headed down to the foreshore for dinner. The foreshore doesn’t get the sunset but is still a great place for a picnic dinner, play at the park and lay on the grass with a cold bevvie. All of the above are our favourite type of evenings.
So if you are heading through Esperance make sure you stop in and do some exploring. I promise you will not regret it. Lucky Bay is where you will find the squeaky sand so grab your ‘instashot’ while you are there!
Kylie and Dan
Fearlessly Living and Exploring