Things to Do in Esperance: The Turquoise Paradise of Western Australia

Why Is Esperance Worth It?

It’s hard to put into words, but we’ll give it a shot anyway:

• Beaches unlike anything we’ve ever seen anywhere in the world
• Kangaroos living wild right on the beach
• True wilderness right along the coast
• Turquoise overload: Caribbean vibes in Australia, and pretty much everywhere you look
• The most laid-back Aussie vibe imaginable
• The feeling of being at the end of the world

Yes, the drive from Perth is quite a haul. But if you’re up for that road trip feeling, secluded bays, and the brightest beach of your life, then Esperance is simply where you need to go.

Highlights and Attractions in Esperance

Esperance isn’t a place for classic sightseeing with museums or old churches. The real highlight is the nature surrounding Esperance. And we’re not exaggerating when we say that the coastline near Esperance is among the best we’ve ever seen anywhere on the planet.

So you don’t get overwhelmed, we’ve put together our personal favorites. Whether you’re just stopping by for a quick visit or you have a few days to spare — these are the places you should put on your list when planning things to do in Esperance:

Kangaroos on the Beach at Lucky Bay

Lucky Bay is located in Cape Le Grand National Park, which we’ll also introduce separately in just a moment. But we want to highlight Lucky Bay right here at the beginning, because it’s probably the most well-known attraction in the Esperance area.

If you’ve done any research on Western Australia, you’ve already seen the photos of the kangaroos that live on the beach there.

An almost absurdly white beach, turquoise water, barely any other people — but plenty of kangaroos hopping along the sand.

We had seen the photos beforehand too. But when you’re actually there in person, it’s a whole different experience. A truly special place we’ll never forget.

How can you visit Lucky Bay? If you’ve rented a camper or RV, you can stay overnight at the Lucky Bay Campground. More on that in the accommodations section.

Important: The animals are used to people, but they’re still wild — and should stay that way! Please keep your distance and don’t feed them.

Cape Le Grand National Park

Cape Le Grand National Park is located about 50 km east of Esperance and is known for its white beaches and turquoise water. And honestly — Western Australia feels like it has millions of beautiful beaches, but the ones in Cape Le Grand National Park are on another level. Seriously!

And because they’re so incredibly beautiful, we checked out a whole lot of them and photographed them for you.

Fair warning though: if you haven’t already decided to include Esperance on your Australia itinerary, we’ve probably just changed your mind.

National park entry fee: You pay around 17 AUD per car at the park entrance for a day pass. If you’re staying overnight in the park, you won’t need to pay again the next day.

Our tip: Get a Holiday Pass

With the Holiday Pass, you can visit all national parks in Western Australia at no additional cost (available for 5, 14, and 30 days).

If you’re planning to visit more than one national park, or if you’ll be visiting the same park on two or more consecutive days, a 4-week Holiday Pass for around 80 dollars is absolutely worth it. You can apply for the pass online here.

One thing to note: you absolutely must have it printed out and placed somewhere clearly visible in your rental car or camper. If you’re driving a rental vehicle and don’t know the registration number, enter “HIRE VEHICLE” in the Registration Number field.

One more tip: If you’ve visited a national park within the last 7 days and paid for a day pass, you can take your receipt to a Parks and Wildlife office (found in almost every town) and have it credited toward a Holiday Pass.

The Great Ocean Drive

We just said that the beaches in Cape Le Grand National Park are on another level — and now we’re telling you that the beaches along the Great Ocean Drive are from another universe entirely. Yes, we actually found them even more impressive than the national park beaches.

The Great Ocean Drive is a 40 km scenic road that heads west from Esperance.

Here’s a list of all the beaches and lookouts — starting from Esperance.

The ones in bold are the beaches we liked best and will tell you more about in a moment.

• Rotary Lookout
• Westbeach
• Blue Haven
• Salmon Beach
• Fourth Beach
• Twilight Beach
• Observatory Beach
• 9 Mile Beach + Lagoon
• 10 Mile Lagoon
• 11 Mile Beach + Lagoon

Our 5 Favorite Beaches Along the Great Ocean Drive

Fun Fact: The sand in Esperance has such a high quartz content that it squeaks pretty loudly under your feet with every step.

Blue Haven

• What makes it special: A sheltered cove with turquoise water, often protected from the wind
• Access: Via a steep wooden staircase
• Parking: Small parking lot directly above the staircase
• Best for: Swimming and snorkeling

Salmon Beach

• What makes it special: A wild stretch of beach. Known for fishing (hence the name).
• Access: Well-maintained path from the parking lot to the beach
• Parking: Large parking lot at the lookout
• Best for: Fishing, walking. Not for swimming.

Twilight Beach

• What makes it special: One of the most beautiful beaches in the region + a Jump Rock you can swim out to
• Access: Very easy and accessible directly from the parking lot
• Parking: Large parking lot, showers, and restrooms
• Best for: Families, as it’s the safest beach for swimming

Heads up: Don’t jump from the highest point on the Jump Rock. Depending on the water level, you could easily hit the ocean floor. Just watch what the locals do.

Observatory Beach

• What makes it special: A great vantage point with sweeping views.
• Access: Via a steep wooden staircase
• Parking: Parking lot at the lookout
• Best for: Windsurfing and kitesurfing, whale watching (June through October)

9 Mile Beach and Lagoon

• What makes it special: A mix of rugged coastline and a calm turquoise lagoon
• Access: Short, easy walk from the parking lot, via a path to the lagoon
• Parking: Right along the road
• Best for: Swimming in the lagoon and enjoying nature

Even More Beaches

It’s not that the other beaches aren’t beautiful.

But the chances of you spending two weeks in Esperance are pretty slim. So if you can’t make it to all of them and have to choose, we’ve already done the sorting for you here.

Esplanade Park in Esperance

We already mentioned that the town itself isn’t the reason you’re coming to Esperance. But one thing you should definitely check out is the waterfront promenade, the Esplanade.

Especially if you’re traveling with kids, there’s plenty to do here.

• Jetty: The old jetty was replaced a few years ago with a modern structure — great for a stroll, fishing, and taking in the ocean views.
• Multiple Playgrounds: Various play areas along the Esplanade
• Skatepark: For beginners and more advanced riders
• Pumptrack: For kids on bikes or scooters
• Adventureland Park: The standout for families. A huge wooden castle for climbing, complete with a slide and a zip line.
• Miniature train rides for kids: Usually only on weekends or during school holidays, as it’s mostly run by volunteers.
• Protected beach with shark nets: At the western end of the Esplanade.

Our tip: Along the Esplanade you’ll find several food trucks, such as Coffee Cat, which serves snacks, coffee, and delicious muffins.

Pink Lake, Which Isn't Pink Anymore

Pretty much everyone heading to Esperance has heard somewhere about the pink lake that’s supposed to be there.

Small spoiler: The Pink Lake isn’t actually pink anymore.

Due to past salt mining and too much rainwater, it essentially lost its color. We drove out there anyway to see it with our own eyes, and it’s unfortunately true.

If you want to see a genuinely, vividly pink lake, you’ll need to head to Lake Hillier on the fairly remote Middle Island. The only way to get there is by boat, small plane, or helicopter. These tours are offered by Fly Esperance and Helispirit.

Esperance Stonehenge

In Esperance, there’s an exact 1:1 replica of the original in southern England — though it’s nowhere near as old as the famous original. On top of that, it was built to look the way the original is thought to have appeared about 4,000 years ago, without the missing pieces.

A local couple had the Esperance Stonehenge built from local granite after an original project intended for another town fell through. In total, 137 stones were used, weighing over 2,000 tons.

Is it worth it? We didn’t go ourselves. Admission is around 15 AUD. It’s definitely a quirky spot for some fun photos if that’s your thing.

Cape Arid National Park

There’s another national park worth exploring if you have the time and the right vehicle. We didn’t manage to get there ourselves, but the locals were very clear: if we thought Esperance’s beaches were remote, Cape Arid National Park would blow our minds. They described it as the wild, untamed sibling of Cape Le Grand.

There are no paved roads here — just adventure tracks for real 4WD vehicles. But the beaches, like Little Tagon Bay, are supposedly absolutely incredible — deserted, snow-white, and with unbelievably turquoise water.

So if you’re traveling in a 4WD and want to get truly off the beaten path into coastal wilderness, Cape Arid is a must. You can find more information on the official Explore Parks WA website.

Activities in Esperance

Esperance Island Cruises: Off the coast of Esperance lie over 100 islands — the Collection of Islands. There’s a boat tour that gives you a real feel for the islands and lets you spot wildlife in the water. Seals, sea lions, dolphins, white-bellied sea eagles, ospreys, and Cape Barren geese can be seen year-round, while whales are visible from June through October.

Hike to Frenchman Peak: The hike takes about two to three hours round trip and is very challenging. At the top, you’re rewarded with a massive natural rock cave called the Eye of the Peak, which looks truly spectacular and offers a 360-degree panorama over the coast and the islands. Read more about it on Komoot.

Helicopter or plane flight to the real pink lake: The flight takes you to Lake Hillier on Middle Island. Boats do visit the island as well, but only from the air can you really appreciate — and photograph — the stunning contrast between the bright pink lake, the white sandy beach, and the deep blue ocean. A helicopter can usually fly lower and slower, which is perfect for photos. Compare the options between the helicopter tour (Helispirit) and the plane tour (Fly Esperance).

Hotels, Camping, and Unique Accommodations

Hotels

Clearwater Motel Apartments: Excellent value for money. Nothing fancy, but totally solid — reliable, clean, spacious, modern, and centrally located. You can easily walk to the restaurants and the Esplanade. Especially handy: there’s a small kitchenette.

Camping

Esperance Bay Holiday Park: A small, very well-kept park almost right in the middle of town. We booked it last-minute over the phone when we couldn’t get a spot at the Lucky Bay Campground right away. The campground itself is nothing special, but the location is great and it has everything you need — and you’re just a 5-minute walk from the beach. More info can be found on their website.

Lucky Bay Campground: The famous campground everyone wants to stay at in order to have breakfast on the beach with kangaroos. You’ll need to book well in advance here. There’s no electricity (it’s a national park, unpowered) and the facilities are basic, but this is a genuine Australian experience.

Unique Accommodations

Esperance Chalet Villages: A little mini-village of stylish A-frame cabins and cozy chalets tucked into nature behind the dunes. Super cool! It feels remote, but it’s just a short drive from town.

Folktales Rest – Tiny House Unique Stay: A gorgeous tiny house decorated with so much attention to detail — complete with a freestanding bathtub and a cozy loft bed. Very close to Castletown Beach, which is right in Esperance. You can walk to the jetty in about 15 minutes.

Restaurants and Cafés in Esperance

Lucky Bay Brewing: Picture a huge, modern barn where the air smells of fresh pizza and great burgers, and you can sample delicious local craft beers. Sounds good, right? If you’ve got kids with you, they can run off their energy outside on the lawn or play one of the board games available. There’s often live music too.

Cloud Eleven: A hip café with excellent coffee and excellent food. They serve great breakfast and lunch, and kids are well looked after too. Highly recommended.

Break Away Café: A very unpretentious spot with colorful chairs where the locals meet up for breakfast or coffee. You can get a classic hearty breakfast or a quick lunch here.

The Quarters: A wooden house with a huge veranda overlooking the water and the harbor. Compared to the other three, it’s a slightly more upscale spot — but still with that relaxed Aussie vibe, which meant we felt very welcome even with a toddler in tow. They serve modern Australian cuisine with lots of fresh fish. We recommend making a reservation in advance.

Getting to Esperance

Esperance is pretty isolated on the southern coast — it’s not exactly on the way to anywhere. But the long journey is absolutely worth it, even if you only have one or two days there. Most people rent a camper for their Australia trip, but you can of course also just fly from Perth to Esperance. Here’s a breakdown of your options.

Camper Road Trip from Perth to Esperance

The classic option is a camper road trip through the southwest of Western Australia. We drove from Perth all the way to Esperance in our camper.

One route goes along the South Coast Highway near the coast with plenty of time to spare, and another goes via the faster, shorter inland road with just one stop at Wave Rock.

The inland road trip: 8 hours (approx. 720 km)
The scenic coastal route: 12 hours (approx. 900 km)

Good to know: If you’re traveling by camper or car, make sure to fill up your tank before leaving Perth, or at the latest in Albany along the South Coast Highway. And be sure to have enough water with you. The distances between gas stations can sometimes be quite large.

Flying to Esperance

In just 90 minutes, REX (Regional Express Airlines) can fly you from Perth to Esperance.

The tiny Esperance airport is about a 20-minute drive outside of town. From there, you can take a taxi or rent a car.

FAQ: Common Questions About Esperance