One of the iconic photographs of Western Australia is that of kangaroos hanging out on a pristine white sand beach against a blue sky and glistening blue waters. The spot for this dream scenario is Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park, 65 km east of Esperance.
Obviously, there is no guarantee that they will show up, but it would be the icing on the cake of our road trip from Perth if they did. Find out what happened when we headed out to Lucky Bay…
Lucky bay sits in Cape Le Grand National Park, 65km east of Esperance, and is regularly called the whitest sand in Australia. The kangaroos are real but they are not on a timetable. Early morning gives you the best chance, and by late morning they’re in the shade.
The town of Esperance faces the Southern Ocean on the bottom coast of Australia, 720 km (450 miles) east southeast from Perth and 243 miles south of Kalgoorlie. Its position on the coast, directly below Kalgoorlie, helped it become the gateway to the Goldfields in the 1890s, but now Esperance relies on tourism, agriculture, and fishing.
Esperance (meaning ‘hope’) was named after a French Ship which made landfall in 1792. However, it’s indigenous Noongar name is Kepa Kurl (‘where the water lies like a boomerang’) because of the shape of the beautiful bay it sits on.
We were travelling from Bremer Bay to Esperance, which was a four-hour drive, with not very much to see in between, however, we planned a pit-stop at Ravensthorpe which is roughly at the halfway point. Ravensthorpe has some gain silos painted with Banksia flowers and decent facilities allowing us to grab coffee and use the toilets.
Ravensthorpe also has the ‘World’s tallest lollipop’ standing outside a sweet shop called Yummylicious on the High Street – which was a great place to pick up some surprises for our ‘What’s in the Glove Box?’ game.
Esperance is full of low-rise clapboard houses clustered around the boomerang shaped bay. You can wander along the foreshore and view the Whale Tail sculpture by local artists, representing the Southern Right Whale population of the offshore waters.
Alternatively, wander through the shops and restaurants of town and look for the many murals decorating the sides of buildings, including one for the Flying Doctors.
You can also admire a replica of Skylab, America’s first space station, which was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, in 1972. Skylab completed over 30,000 orbits of the Earth before crashing on its return, sending some debris over Esperance. A teenage boy found the debris of Skylab and was flown out to America to collect a reward. Later, the town of Esperance tried to charge NASA for littering – love that Aussie humour!
The Great Ocean Drive is a 40 km (25 mile) loop which you pick up from the western edge of Esperance town. The route follows Twilight Beach Road which hugs the coast and takes you past endless stunning beaches. Then, the route turns inland onto Eleven Mile Beach Road towards Pink Lake (which is no longer pink), before returning to town on Pink Lake Road.
We packed a picnic and headed out to explore the beaches along the Great Ocean Drive, but our problem was knowing which beach to stop at as there were so many options. The closest beach to our AirBnB was Blue Haven Beach, accessed down a winding staircase.
We thought Blue Haven Beach was great until we made it to Twilight Beach and could not believe how stunning that one was – a long white beach with interesting rock formations (‘a rock with a hole’) that people were jumping off into the clear blue water. Twilight Beach has lifeguard patrols at certain times of the year and has a shark alert siren due to fatal shark attacks in the vicinity in 2020.
We then followed Great Ocean Drive along the coast to Observatory Point to check out the ocean views. Observatory Point has a memorial to two French ships, the Esperance and the Recherche, which had to shelter here from a fierce storm in 1792.
There is much more to explore, such as the Rotary Lookout, numerous beaches (West Beach, Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach, Dolphin Cove), the Pink Lake and Lookout, Cindy Pool’s Glass Gallery. We ended up spending too much time on Twilight Beach to be able to finish the complete Great Ocean Drive Loop – we just couldn’t tear ourselves away.
As mentioned earlier, Lucky Bay was a priority for us and so we booked a morning’s 4WD Beach Adventure to Cape Le Grand National Park via Get Your Guide to look for kangaroos, and to enjoy the views along the way.
We met our tour guide and driver at the Visitor Centre in Esperance, and then headed off in his Land Rover Discovery where, on reaching the first beach, our driver wasted no time and drove the Discovery ‘up’ some very steep rocks – thank goodness for safety belts.
Our driver then headed off over the Wylie Bay Sand Dunes, a sea of white sand dunes for more off-roading fun. The views were gorgeous, and it felt like we had been transported to the desert.
We then enjoyed the novelty of driving along a 22 km stretch of beach (something we can’t do at home), all the way to Cape Le Grand National Park. The driver made some beach stops along the way, including to the perfectly sheltered Hellfire Bay where the sand was so white, fine, and compacted that it was squeaky – it felt as smooth as marble.
Finally, we arrived at Lucky Bay beach, voted ‘Best Beach in the World’ in 2023 and which claims to have ‘the whitest sand in Australia’. Lucky Bay certainly is a stunner, but I couldn’t help but notice the lack of kangaroos on the beach. I guess you are more likely to see them early in the morning, but by the time we arrived it was late morning, and the sun was in full swing.
In a way, the lack of kangaroos didn’t really matter because of the sheer beauty of the Cape Le Grand National Park. The colours of the white sand and turquoise waters in Lucky Bay and Hellfire Bay will stay with me, as will the chill of the Southern Ocean waters – very different to the Mediterranean!
I loved watching the Australians unpack their huge SUVs on the beaches and set up camp for the day. They really have all the gear jam packed into cars, trailers, and roof boxes. We have a few things to learn from them about how to enjoy outdoor adventures.
If you have more time, then continue east to Wharton Beach on the Duke of Orleans Bay which is often referred to as the local’s favourite. It is one hour’s drive from Esperance.
We took a small plane flight with Fly Esperance from the small terminal of Esperance airport, to admire the stunning coastline around Esperance and Cape Le Grand National Park from above. It turned out that our pilot was also our driver from the morning’s trip – we kept our fingers crossed that he flew the plane as well as he had driven the Disco!
Unsurprisingly the views from above were out of this world and allowed us to see the patterns and colours of miles and miles of coastline.
The plane also headed inland to fly over the naturally occurring salt lakes, which appeared as coloured blobs in a patchwork of fields. Some had pink hues however, the lakes were quite dry after a hot Australian summer and so the pilot explained that they were not as colourful as they would normally be.
If you can stomach a flight in a very small plane, then I would recommend this special trip.
We booked Airbnbs on this trip because it worked out more economical for the five of us, and in Esperance we stayed at a property on Twilight Beach Road with fabulous views of the ocean. Blue Haven Beach was the closest one to our door, down a winding staircase, which tells you how good the position was.
If you are travelling as a family, the thing to know about Esperance is that a self-contained place beats a hotel almost every time. A kitchen and a laundry make a real difference when you have been in the car for two weeks. The beaches here are spectacular but the swimming is not always reliable for smaller children, because the wind and swell can be quite dangerous, so it’s great if your accommodation has a pool.
Here is what we found when we looked into other options:
On Goldfields Road in Castletown, across from Esperance Bay and about a 15 minute walk from the town centre. There is a heated pool, a nature playground, a games room, a modern camp kitchen, BBQs and a small store, and the accommodation runs from studios up to two and three bedroom self-contained villas, some with pool or bay views.
Larger groups look at the Azure Lodge. It has been redeveloped fairly recently and some cabins and sites take pets.
At 162 Dempster Street, so closer in, with the beach about 5 minutes on foot. Self-contained cabins and units, a playground, BBQ areas and a camp kitchen. An easy mid-range choice for families that praise spaces for being clean.
Further out towards Twilight Beach, with a pool and a playground. This is the one to look at if you would rather be near the better swimming beaches and the run out to Cape Le Grand than in the middle of town.
At 15 The Esplanade, and the pick of the bunch for anyone who wants a lovely space rather than just a room. One to three bedroom apartments with full kitchens, laundry, and BBQ, and many of them look out over the foreshore or the ocean.
You are walking distance from the shops, the restaurants, the jetty and the main beach. The layouts often put the living space upstairs and the bedrooms below, and some have stair gates already fitted, which is a thoughtful touch if you are travelling with a toddler.
Modern self-contained units in a range of sizes, some big enough for larger groups, with kitchens, laundry, outdoor space, BBQs, parking and a playground for the children. A short walk into town and the visitor centre.
At 2 Dempster Street, opposite the main beach, with an outdoor pool, a playground and a choice of self-contained apartments or family rooms. Handy if you want to leave the car parked for a couple of days.
There are also a few Esplanade hotels with family rooms and a pool, including the Comfort Inn Bay of Isles and Hospitality Esperance, if you would prefer somewhere with a reception desk and easy beach access.
About 7 minutes from town, a three bedroom cottage on a small farm where the children can meet the cows, emus, goats and chickens. It reviews beautifully with families who want something other than a motel or a holiday park, and it is a lovely way to break up a long stretch of driving.
There are private holiday homes on Stayz too, with West Beach Getaway, Urchin Beach Cottage and High Tide among the names that came up, if you would rather have a whole house near a beach.
The Esplanada and the foreshore: The most walkable, with the shops, cafes, jetty walks and the playground all on your doorstep.
Castletown, around the RAC park: More room to spread out and better facilities, still close to town, still on the beach.
West Beach: Quieter and nearer some of the good swimming beaches, but you will do more driving.
For a town of its size, Esperance does well in its food scene. These are the four we tried, with what we thought of each:
At 48 Dempster Street in Museum Village, a French inspired cafe by day and a bistro at night. This was our best dinner in Esperance and everything we ordered was good.
Dinner runs Wednesday or Thursday through to Saturday from around 5:30pm and they do breakfast, brunch and lunch at the weekend, usually 8:30am to 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, with booking being a good idea.
An artisan bakery at 167 Pink Lake Road, out in the Pink Lake suburb, with a garden and lawn seating. It brings the locals flooding in and there were serious queues when we arrived, with a parking attendant managing the traffic – totally worth it. We picked up coffees, pastries, salads and quiche and made a picnic of it for our day on the beach.
Open Thursday & Saturday 8am to 2pm, and Friday 8am to 4pm. If you cannot get out to Pink Lake, they run a smaller shop in town called Little Local on Dempster Street, which keeps more weekday hours.
At 1 James Street. The decor is nothing to get excited about, but the seafood is amazing. Fresh local fish cooked however you want it, served with chips, rice or salad. Simple and effective, as long as you like fish.
Dinner from around 4:30pm, most often Tuesday to Saturday, with takeaway some days and a Sri Lankan takeaway menu on the odd Monday.
At 1 Taylor Street on the Taylor St Jetty, and still signed as Taylor St Quarters in places. On paper this should have been the best meal of the trip, but unfortunately Bistro Louis took its place. However, they did make an excellent grapefruit margarita, and the waterfront setting is hard to beat for brunch and a drink.
Closed Monday, then Tuesday to Friday from 10am until late, Saturday from 8am until late and Sunday 8am to 5pm. Book if you want a table with a view.
Esperance kitchens close early and shuffle their hours with the seasons, so give the place a ring or check Google on the day, particularly if you are visiting outside the summer peak.
As mentioned in my blog about travel planning our road trip from Perth, we chose to complete the long drive from Esperance back to Perth in one hit, with a pit-stop at the iconic Wave Rock. So, our itinerary for this travel day was:
2-hour drive back to Ravensthorpe – grab coffee and use the facilities.
2-hour drive to Wave Rock.
3.5-hour drive back to Perth, where we stayed at the Swan River Hotel to be close to the airport for our flight home the following day.
Wave Rock is an icon of Western Australia and is often seen featured in advertising for the state. Wave Rock was formed 60 million years ago from weathering and water erosion – the result is a long stripey rock, streaked by colours from mineral run-off over the years. Wave Rock is 15 meters high and 100 meters long and appears to pop up out of nowhere.
Once you’ve parked up, Wave Rock is just a 5-minute walk away along a path through the trees.
What my photos don’t show are the flies – there were so many of them – I had to wrap my scarf around my head and neck to try and fend them away. Despite this annoyance, it was still good to discover the unusual rock formation, Wave Rock.
Once you’ve admired Wave Rock then you can follow a shady path around the left-hand side of the rock for 1 km (along with the flies), until you reach the Hippo’s Yawn rock formation. You will know it when you see it as it looks exactly like a hippo yawning.
In closing
After picking up some ice-cream from the small shop on-site we then headed off on the final leg of the journey back to Perth where our road trip around the South West region of amazing Western Australia was to come to an end.
We had driven a long way but had fallen in love with a part of Australia that I never knew that I wanted to visit until recently. The experience has left me wanting to return and explore the northern part of the state, namely Broome and the Kimberley. I think that’s a good sign if you leave a place with plans to return.
I hope my blogs might inspire you to put Western Australia on your travel Wishlist!
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