Esperance Western Australia.   Having only recently moved to Esperance I have also only recently taken part in a great deal of touristy type activities, so I have a pretty good idea of what it's like for the visitor, I am not yet jaded by the familiar.   First of

all It is a small but undeniably beautiful place.  Small town with everything you need nestled  right on a picture perfect shore line. The water is as many shades of blue as you see on any Figi advertisement, it is crystal clear and it is presented to with a ribbon of almost snow white sand.  It is full of the most amazing of our sea creatures and you can see them in either the very well run and set out Aquarium on the Esplanade or just by walking past the Tea Rooms Restaurant (My personal fave) onto the marina Jetty and look down.  Last  time I did, I saw the most orange of star fish sitting on a rock that formed part of the jetty...I could have reached in and picked it up had the desire arisen.  You can there for beach comb and find these little treasures no longer living but interesting and an amazing find for child and adults a like.  You can find too sea horses who like to live amongst the sea weed which gets washed ashore regularly and where they meet there end only to be treasured still by a tourist or a local for ever after.  

The main Jetty is very long and is set up for fishermen/women of all ages and abilities.  You take your rod or hand line and bate and they supply the fish, the varieties are many and varied and are caught with amazing regularity.  Should it not be your lucky day you will more likely than not have a visit from a much loved local who goes by the name of Sammy the Seal.  I am amazed at the size of this seal.  There are statues dotted around town in his honor and you might think image, that is until you see him.  He is massive, I personally think he resembles more of a walrus (or what I imagine a walrus to look like) who has shaved off his MO.  There are signs about saying don't feed him, you wont have to because all the locals pretend to be illiterate and feed him for you, hence I imagine, his enormous size.    There are Adult sized Peddle cars in the shape of T-Model Fords that can be peddled in car parks and along the Esplanade walking/bike track on the shore front.  There is an Indoor Mini Golf course, there are some wonderful parks and Adventure Play Grounds that you can enjoy free of charge.  There is a miniature rail way for the little ones that runs during W.A.'s school holidays and most Long Weekends.    There is the Museum Village, which are original Esperance and region Houses used in the beginning that have been restored, moved into town and converted into a little specialty shop/park area, which is quite interesting and rather Arty.  That is where you will also find the very well equipped Tourist Info Centre, where you can even take some free tiny bottles of Esperance White sand. And free tourist Maps which you will want to get.  

There is the Long Ocean Drive, drive which is dotted with viewing area's and car parks for some of the most incredibly beautiful views you will ever turn your eye's to.  Words are a very poor substitute for the actual breath taking scenery that is along that drive.  Last month I took my cousin and we were lucky enough to see a pod of approximately 20 dolphins playing in the surf for about 45 magically wonderful, life enhancing minutes.  My cousin even incredibly had got a photo of 2 of them jumping out of the water back over the wave they had been riding just because he was taking scenic photo's, I pointed the dolphins out to him after he had already taken the shot.  An amazing experience, I must hunt him down to send me the photo;s   The one down side to Esperance is the weather.  Prior to moving here I lived 4 hours away and every time we planned to come it rained, so we put it off and put it off and never got around to going for 4 years, then my Mum made us go with her and brand new baby as all that time I had NEVER been.  What a shame, is all I can say now.  It does rain a fair bit here, however, rug up and enjoy it anyway.  There is an amazing  amount of indoor entertainment here, including a lovely recently refurbished multi cinema, many cafe's and excellent seafood (and other) restaurants. 

In Summer it is reportably terrific, you get a cooling sea breeze, great surf waves on the surf beaches and great kid and dog friendly beaches as well.  There are even beaches where you can drive your 4x4 for ever on the pristine sands.  Collect sea urchins and shells of all shapes and sizes, cuttlefish and more.   For a nice family day out there is a giant adventure garden not far out of town on the great ocean drive.  Some creative people have opened there expanse of garden and created a fun family environment.  There's Giant Chess, Giant Pick up Sticks, BBQ facilities (you can even buy BBQ packs of meat there if you're un prepared), there's an outdoor mini golf course, and myriad of other giant puzzles and games to do for one incredibly low entry fee price (something like $5 per adult, babies free children $3- or something like that), there's a coffee shop there and  what impressed me most ladies is that the toilets supplied sanitary pads and tampons just incase you found yourself in an embarrassing situation 20 minutes or so out of town FOR FREE. With clean real face washers also available, it was just so incredibly thoughtful.  There are even puzzles to do on the coffee tables if you want to test your skills even further.  

Then there are the off the beaten track but interesting places like The Mermaid Leather place.  They make things out of fish leather and it's quite remarkable, unusual and very interesting, you can buy their stuff in stores about town including the Tourist Info centre OR you can go to there factory and learn more about it and buy from there.  (The Info people will give you directions).    There are boat cruises, out to Woody Island...I'M yet to do this yet, but I am told it is great and we plan to do it in September when family comes to visit'/   Every month rain hail or shine there is a market day on a Sunday, I think it's the third Sunday in the month and you'll find all sorts from 2nd hand wares to home made lemon butter and apricot jams, to scenic paintings by local artists, and impressive recycled metal sculptures in varying sizes.  

There are some very stylish apartments to rent or cheaper but very comfortable motel rooms or caravan parks, what ever your budget, there will be something to suit.  Tourism is big business in Esperance, so everybody is very friendly, everything is done in the best possible way available from the food to the accommodations what ever time of year there will be something interesting to see, do and experience in Esperance W.A.  

I have probably left out a ton of great stuff as I haven't bothered to look anything up, this is all from personal experience or off the top of my head.   I'm almost converted to being a beach person instead of a Mountains girl.  Cross the Nullabour and turn left at Norseman or fly in from Perth on Sky West Airlines, or you can take the reportably long but scenic route through Margaret River & Bunbury and Albany etc, though there is a more direct route to Perth that takes about 7 hours through Ravensthorpe etc.  We are a 4 hour drive from Kalgoorlie.......Come for a visit, you wont be sorry.  See you soon