Secret Gem of Australia - Esperance

By Lydia C. Lee

We drove for roughly nine hours over 2 days to get to this town. As we drove through the port to find our accommodation, my husband said "Why the hell did we come here?". I replied that the beaches are meant to be good. The sullen response "After that drive, they better be!"
I was slightly nervous, as I often choose destinations after seeing a single photo, and I don't always follow through on my research once I get an idea into my head...however, after unloading at the Island View Apartments, we drove into town to find the beach. We drove past the cranes of a working port, and I started to feel so nervous I'd made a mistake that I felt physically sick. We rounded a corner, and there it was. Blue Haven Beach.

It was deserted and we spent a wonderful afternoon there, so I relaxed knowing that we'd made the right choice for the next three days.
The next morning, we headed off to the busier and even more spectacular, Twilight Cove, another town beach.

This beach was more popular, but we also hit it on a Saturday morning. The kids adored it, for it has a 'dinosaur' which you can swim out to - the huge rock formation is a stunning centerpiece to the swimming cove.

However there's more than just beaches in Esperance. There's a pink lake - a massive salt lake where the Dunalella Sailina algae makes the water pink, or even purple. There's Woody Island, for animal lovers, and plenty of cruises available to see seals and sea lions in the wild, as well as dolphins, sea eagles and even whales, if the season is right.
The highlight, is about 50 kms out of town, in the Cape Le Grand National Park. There you will find the beach voted the most beautiful beach in Australia, and the whitest.

The sand is a fine powdery quartz-based sand, that squeaks when you walk, and the water is as many shades of blue as you can imagine. When swimming, I'd have to pause to take it all in, as my mind just couldn't fully comprehend the water colour for the first half hour.

Stepping onto this beach, and the amazing brightness of the sand and water on a sunny day is difficult to describe - these photos are just taken with a point&click, no photoshop - just nature at it's best. When you are standing in the water, the blue is still that bright. The beach again was almost deserted - we had to share the many kilometres of sand with 3 other people...

But now I'll let you into a little secret. Lucky Bay is not the most beautiful beach in Australia. Just a few minutes up the road from it is the true gem. Hellfire Bay. A smaller beach but perfection created. If there is heaven on earth, this secluded spot is truly it.

Now the good news is, you don't have to drive to Esperance. You can fly from Perth if time is minimal, you will need a hire car, however, to get to the National Parks. We drove as part of our three weeks touring Margaret River, and visited Denmark and Walpole to break the drive up.
While Esperance is named after a ship that sought shelter in a storm, the word means, fittingly, hope and expectation. This wonderful town met both.

Practicalities:
Island View Apartments http://www.esperanceapartments.com.au/
Woody Island http://www.visitesperance.com/accom_result1/esperance-island-cruises-woody-island-ecostays/
Cape Le Grand National Park http://www.visitesperance.com/pages/national-parks/

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