Travel Guide: Esperance, Western Australia
Real family travel, that’s what I’m all about over here at Smør Home. Since becoming parents, one of the biggest lessons Jason and I have learned is to have no expectations or set plans when we travel together as a family (other than travel days). Instead, we create a hit list of things we’d like to see and do, and then we take each day as it comes. We’re all about real family travel - we take the good with the bad, and this is the exact reason why we found Esperance one of the best kid friendly destinations. We spent a week in Esperance and we haven't been able to stop talking about it since. It’s just so relaxing but there's lots to do. But not too much to make you feel like you can't see and do it all. Read on to find out why we loved Esperance so much, and why I think you will too.
About Esperance
For those of you who haven't heard of Esperance before, it's a small beachside community in Western Australia. It’s located just over 700 kilometres southeast of Perth, on the Bay of Isles. Renowned for its turquoise water, pure white sand, wildlife and dramatic coastline, it's home to the most beautiful beaches in Australia - I am not kidding. It’s accessible by road, of course, with lots of people stopping by on their long road trip adventures. If that’s not your style, you can also fly in and out from Perth, but you will need to organise car hire in order to get around. While Esperance town itself if quite small, the area is vast and you want to make sure you have the freedom to explore the Great Ocean Drive and Cape Le Grand.
Where To Stay
If Esperance has already peaked your interest and you’re starting to look for somewhere to stay, look no further than Esperance Chalet Village. Surrounded by nature, Esperance Chalet Village is a collection of rustic chalets, cabins and shacks tucked away in idyllic bushland. Surrounded by nature, each cabin is individually styled and exudes a sense of old school charm. Don't expect anything modern or ornate - exactly the way I like my accommodation. Finding kid friendly accommodation is not always easy; they love to explore and experience new things all the time, so being cooped up in a hotel doesn’t allow for much space or interest, for anyone. But you don’t have to worry about that at Esperance Chalet Village. It’s perfect for couples, families and friends travelling together. For more information about Esperance Chalet Village, take a look at my blog post here.
Where To Eat
The beauty of Esperance is you can do as little or as much as you want in a day. There’s no rushing around here. The centre of town is located on the water, just a short five minute drive from Esperance Chalet Village and there are some seriously cute shops. We loved having our daily coffee at Downtown Espresso Bar, we loved stocking up on groceries at Bob and Jim’s General Store, and we stocked up on salad sandwiches from the French Hot Bread Shop every day, who make a really good Banh Mi. I also did a spot of shopping at Luna & Sage and the local surf shop, Inner Tube. We also enjoyed a meal at Taylor St Quarters (the cocktails are really good) and Fish Face.
Things To See & Do
There are a couple of kid’s parks in town, but just outside of town is the Great Ocean Drive and along here you can find some of the best kids friendly beaches Esperance has to offer including West Beach, 11 Mile Lagoon and Twilight Beach. The best surprise of all is that Cape Le Grand National Park is only 45 minutes east of Esperance, which is perfect for travelling with kids. No long drives, hurrah! The airport is only 20 minutes out of town, and this is where you can jump on a small plane and explore Esperance, Cape Le Grand National Park and Lake Hillier from above. Read on for more details about these idyllic locations.
- West Beach, Great Ocean Drive
West Beach is the first beach on the Great Ocean Drive when you approach from the centre of town. You come over a hill and the view of this beach hits you with unimaginable beauty. You could easily spend a day here and not even look at the other beaches nestled along Great Ocean Drive. The surf here is also pretty good for those who want to catch a wave.
- Blue Haven, Great Ocean Drive
Just down the road is Blue Haven. It’s a smaller beach tucked down a hill and shrouded in wild native bushland. Blue Haven is a favourite amongst locals as it’s more quiet than West Beach. You can go climbing on the rocks here and slid into the water when the water is calm.
- 11 Mile Lagoon, Great Ocean Drive
We loved 11 Mile Lagoon. It’s along the Great Ocean Drive and one of the last beaches before driving inland. On high tide, a natural lagoon is formed and is the perfect spot to swim. It’s Mother Nature’s version of a swimming pool and absolutely perfect for kids. Do be mindful though, the water does move around a lot so keep an eye out for this.
- Twilight Beach, Great Ocean Drive
Twilight Beach is located along the Great Ocean Drive between Blue Haven and 11 Mile Lagoon. It has a huge carpark and a short flight of timber steps, which attracts a lot of families. There are also two huge rocks sitting up in the ocean in front of the beach, which helps protects the bay from winds and wildlife. Dusty particularly loved this beach and we saw lots of kids rocking jumping into the salty water.
- Cape Le Grand National Park
Cape Le Grand National Park, where to start! Cape Le Grand National Park is a 63km drive south east of Esperance on sealed roads, which approximately 45 minutes from town. This was such a surprise as we were expecting a much longer drive than that. Esperance is so lucky to have this incredible national park right on their doorstep! You’ve seen the pictures of unbelievably white sand and clear blue waters and this is where you’ll find it. It’s perfect for swimming, surfing, fishing and boating in these picture-perfect bays. You can also camp so close to the beach you’ll hear the waves lapping the shore. Please not that dogs are not allowed, you have to pay the enter and always be mindful of sharks in the water.
- Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park
Lucky Bay is definitely the main attraction here and for good reasons. It has the softest and whitest sand in the world (it feels like flour!) and the very friendly local kangaroos who like to come down to the beach during the warmer months. Most visitors visit Lucky Bay because it’s so pristine, but I think the great amenities (toilets, BBQs, camping) also appeal to people. And the fact that you can drive onto the beach doesn’t hurt.
- Thistle Cove, Cape Le Grand National Park
Last, but not least, is my absolute favourite beach in Esperance - Thistle Cove. I have a hot tip from me to you; no one ever comes here, so go here! Everyone flocks to Lucky Bay but on the two separate days we went to Cape Le Grand National Park, there was not a single sole on the beach at Thistle Cove. Each time, in peak season might I add, we enjoyed the blissful dreams of all holidayers - to stow away at a stunning beach without anyone else around. So yes, definitely visit Lucky Bay and Hellfire of course. But make sure you spend the most amount of time at Thistle Cove, you won’t regret it.
That Pink Lake
Ask anyone who knows me well and they'll tell you Lake Hillier has long been on my bucket list. And I got to see this renowned natural pink lake with my very own eyes thanks to Australia’s Golden Outback and Goldfields Air Services. Lake Hillier is located on Middle Island, the largest island in the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia. This spectacular land locked pink lake is only accessible by sea or air, and its colour is due to the presence of dunaliella salina (a micro-algae) especially found in highly saline water. And best of all, the vibrant colour of Lake Hillier is permanent. To find about more about Lake Hillier, make sure you check out my travel guide.
