Esperance

21 – 25 November 2018

With less than 100 kilometres to Esperance we took the opportunity to call in and have a look at Stokes Inlet on the way. This had been on our list of possible camp stops so we thought it was worth a look. Again, this National Park has a park entry fee.  We drove down to the campground which looked quite nice. A couple of spots had views of the inlet, and most were surrounded by bush. There were even a couple suitable for a couple of caravans for those travelling together.

After a look at the campground we drove down to the day use area further along the inlet. This is also a nice area with picnic shelters and toilets. There also seems to be a couple of walking tracks although we didn’t investigate these. After a good look around we decided to press on to Esperance.

We arrived in Esperance well before lunch time and chose a caravan park not far from town, near the beach. We hadn’t decided how long to stay, waiting to see what the weather would do, but we were given a “pay 3, stay 4” offer so that sealed the deal. The weather forecast was for pretty awful weather until after the weekend so 4 nights looked like it would be perfect.

We didn’t find Esperance to be a particularly appealing town, but it does have lots of interest for the birdwatcher, and also has lots of beautiful beaches. As well as our usual “town jobs” we also did a couple of “touristy” things.

The Great Ocean Drive – is a 40 kilometre loop drive that passes many places of interest worth a stop. Driving through town, along the foreshore, the first stop is the Rotary Lookout. From there the drive takes in a number of gorgeous beaches including West Beach, Salmon Beach and Twilight Beach. The next highlight is Observatory Point, then Nine Mile, Ten Mile Lagoon and Eleven Mile Beach.

The road then heads inland to the famous Pink Lake. Except it’s not pink any more. The salinity has declined to such a point that the algae which produces the distinctive pink colouring can no longer survive. What had caused this? The road and railway built nearby have contributed to the conditions which prevent the regular flushing of the lake. From the Pink Lake Lookout the road winds back to town.

West Beach

West Beach

Museum Village - The Visitor Information Centre is located within this precinct of historical buildings. Unfortunately that is the only reason I would recommend going there. The buildings’ former uses are identified by signs outside but there is no more information about them. We were expecting to see the work of local artisans and craftspeople but were disappointed to find only a couple of photo galleries, and the rest of the shops stocking mass produced items.

Kepwari Trails – Part of the Lake Warden Wetlands, this walking trail consists of 1.5km of raised timber boardwalks and 2.1km of surfaced trail. The walk is not a loop so we didn’t walk all the way. We had a look at one end, off Windabout Way, then drove to the other end off Lake Road. There are a couple of bird hides so we drove back to a spot on Fisheries Road where we could park close to the hides. This turned out to be a good decision as almost straight away Mick found some candidates for photos. We walked as far as the second of the two bird hides, before returning to the car. Both hides are situated over the water and have reasonably well hidden (from the birds) entries. There are no toilets at either end of the trail.

Western Wattlebird

Juvenile Red-eared Firetail.

Sacred Kingfisher

Hoary-headed Grebe, you've gotta love bird names.

 We shouted ourselves breakfast out on our last morning. There is so much unreaslied potential to develop the Esplanade and encourage eateries and refurbishment of the existing dated pubs. The fantastic views would surely draw people to this part of town. Our next stop was just a short drive away so we didn't need to hurry.