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The town of Esperance is located on the south coast of Western Australia. It is home to some of Australia’s most spectacular coastal scenery and provides a magnificent port facility that services the local agricultural industry as well as the giant mining operations to the north in places like Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. Esperance was first discovered by the French explorer, D’Entrecasteaux in 1792 when he sheltered in the harbour then from a southern ocean storm. The first settlers arrived here in 1863 and in 1876 the town really began to grow with the advent of the overland telegraph and the port being used by miners and the like in the Kalgoorlie mining boom.

Esperance is a great holiday town and is surrounded by fantastic, pure white sand beaches. The southern ocean waters here are perfectly clear and the surrounding area is a prolific fishery for many species and including the sought after Southern Rock Lobster. This region is the closest port to the Great Australian Bight and the Archipelago of the Recherche which are an isolated group of around 100 islands located to the east and covering some 4000 square kilometres. The town is a family holiday destination with little equal. The boating fraternity have great facilities with excellent launching facilities and the Esperance Yacht Club has a great marina. Nearby attractions include the Great Ocean Drive and the Pink Lake. The Cape Le Grande National Park has sensational views over the surrounding coastline. Woody Island can be accessed by ferry from Esperance and is a great place to see colonies of seals and sea lions. During the winter months you can take a whale watching trip to see the Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales that use these waters as a nursery. Mothers and calves are common and the numbers of whales is steadily increasing.

The Port of Esperance has had a $54 million upgrade completed in 2002. It can now cater for bulk carriers up to 200000 tonnes. As a result, iron ore exports, through the Esperance port facility now exceeds 10 million tonnes and the port is able to handle close to 200 vessels per year. The Port of Esperance also handles grain exports for the local wheat industry and imports of fertilizers and fuel. With this facility, Esperance is growing at a rapid rate and is the gateway for the production of the huge mining ventures to the north where rich reserves of iron ore, zinc, nickel, gold and many other minerals are being mined.

Esperance has everything the holiday maker needs. There is plenty of great accommodation including seaside resorts, hotels in Esperance, motels and self catering apartments. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes to relax in and the shopping is excellent. The local seafood industry provides plenty of fresh seafood to the markets so this is a speciality in the Esperance eateries. If you are looking for a fantastic holiday destination or another must visit destination on a trip around Australia, then Esperance must be on your travel itinerary.

Esperance