From Kalgoorlie we had about a four hour drive south to Esperance.  Not far out of town we got stuck behind a slow four-carriage road train and Emma was fretting about having to overtake such a long vehicle.  Fortunately it turned a different direction at the roundabout giving us a free run south bound.

At Norseman we stopped to get some fuel and were approached by a couple of German girls looking for a lift to Esperance. As we were heading in that direction anyway we agreed to give them a lift. They were very quiet passengers and two hours later we dropped them in the centre of town.  It was Sunday afternoon by the time we set up and headed into town ourselves.

First impressions of Esperance were pretty low. Everything in town was closed including the tourist information centre and Woolworths supermarket. We walked a couple of blocks checking things out before deciding to grab some fish ‘n’ chips for early dinner and heading back to camp.

The next day was Australia Day public holiday and we headed back into town. This time we were greeted with a much livelier atmosphere. The whole town had come out to celebrate. There were market stalls, the classic car exhibition, hole in one golf aiming at a floating green on the ocean ($1000 prize for hole in one), bands and carnival rides.

We enjoyed the festivities before taking a walk along the esplanade and a counter meal at the Pier Hotel.

 

 

 

Attractions

Coastal Drive

Scenic coastal drive takes in many of the beautiful beaches that Esperance is famous for. It wasn’t a great sunny day when we did the circuit, so while the beaches were nice, we weren’t overly enthusiastic.

 

Pink Lake

As we approached Esperance we glimpsed the pink lake from the highway, and it was a bright milky pink. Unfortunately when we went to view the lake up close, it had turned back to an unremarkable blue/grey colour.

Pier Hotel

We found ourselves in town on a Saturday night and decided to go out for a meal and a couple of drinks. We both opted for the Big Bay Burger meal as Craig had enjoyed it so much the first time around. This is definitely a value for money meal and highly recommended.

We thought the atmosphere was pretty slow for a weekend until a local advised us that the local basketball match was still to finish. Once the game had finished the pub filled up and the karaoke kicked off. We’re not normally fans of karaoke but most of the participants were pretty good and even Craig gave it a whirl.

Stonehenge

There is a life size replica of Stonehenge on the outskits of town. We glimpsed it from the highway but baulked at the $10 each entry fee. We’ve seen the real thing and don’t think this tourist ‘attaction’ is worth the bother. Furthermore we’re still at a loss as to why anyone would build it.