A little town on the south-coast of Western Australia known for its beautiful beaches and pristine coastal landscapes. Imagine the clearest, turquoise waters against snow-white sand, fiery rocks and the friendliest locals i.e. kangaroos. Esperance has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It is a long 8-hour drive from Perth so, be sure to pack some lunch, your favourite snacks and lots of good tunes. We traveled from the 11th til 14th April.
R O A D T R I P
We stopped over twice on our way to Esperance. Our first stop, 3h 40 into the trip was the amazing natural Wave Rock and Hippo's Yawn in Hyden. Parking is $12 for the day. Surprisingly, the Wave Rock was only a 2 minute walk from the carpark - it was simply beautiful - especially as it wasn't too crowded when we visited. You could easily spend an hour or two climbing on top of the wave rock or exploring the many trails, one of which leads to Hippo's Yawn (50 minute walk there and back or you can drive down which, takes 2 minutes). After stretching our legs and using the loo, we were on our way again. About 1hr 20 later, we stopped by Lake King's Causeway, the longest road built on a salt lake which, crosses 10km of salt lakes. We highly recommend stopping at both.
The Wave Rock
Hippo's Yawn
Lake King
S T A Y
We stayed at Esperance Chalet Village for two nights - a stylish A-framed chalet with a fully equipped, open kitchen + dining area, bathroom with Appelles amenities, free wi-fi and a king bed upstairs with a balcony. They also provide complimentary kayaks and bicycles for you to explore the area which, is very thoughtful. We paid about $225 per night which, was on the more expensive side but, it was one of the best options (I usually take into account aesthetics, price compared to other options, cleanliness, white or beige bed linen, reviews and amenities) available in Esperance. We definitely enjoyed staying at this space as we could make breakfast and cook dinner in the evening plus it was in between town and Cape Le Grand which, were the two main places we were visiting. Tip: Book through their website, as the Chalet is more expensive through Airbnb.
We also stayed one night at a lovely little private ensuite on a farm located between Metricup and Cowaramup which, was just under $100 a night. We literally just needed a place to shower and rest after traveling from Esperance to Albany, to Denmark then through Margaret River so, this room was perfect. Pat, one of the owners was so lovely - she greeted us when we arrived around 9pm and said goodbye to us when we left in the morning which, was super sweet. The private room was stocked with everything anyone could possibly need for a comfortable stay. Click here for the link.
E X P L O R E
We made it our days mission to explore as many beautiful Esperance beaches possible.
Hellfire Bay
Lucky Bay
Blue Haven
Twilight Beach
Observatory Point & Lookout
C O F F E E
After breakfast, we checked out of the beautiful Esperance Chalet Village and stopped by Downtown Espresso Bar in town before heading west. Coffee is amazing here.
W E S T
Now that we had our daily dose of coffee, we headed west at around 8.30am. We arrived at Albany's The Gap and Natural Bridge around 2pm (after driving for just over 5 hours). I wanted to visit this landmark as it was under construction when we were in Albany in 2015. We only stopped by to take a few photos - note that this spot also has a $12 parking fee. As we were about to pay at the pay station, a gentleman offered us their parking ticket which, was super nice. It was quite funny actually as we had offered our Wave Rock parking ticket to a stranger the previous day so, this felt like the best example of good karma. Of course, I passed on the ticket again before we left. After checking out The Gap and Natural Bridge, we decided to stop in town for a quick toilet break and had lunch, then continued to one of my favourite spots - Denmark's beautiful Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks. We spent about an hour in Denmark then drove another 3hr 30 to Margaret River. We picked some some delicious Thai food from Chang Thai Kitchen for dinner just before 9pm and stayed one night in a lovely little Airbnb in Cowaramup.
The Gap & Natural Bridge, Albany
Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks, Denmark
H E A D I N G H O M E
That morning, we had cereal for breakfast and checked-out around 10am. As we headed towards another one of my favourite spots, Injidup Beach in Yallingup - we stopped by Gabriel Chocolate for the first time as we were desperate for coffee and as you can probably guess.. we ended up leaving with our coffee and a few blocks of chocolate. We arrived at Injidup Beach around 11am and spent about an hour exploring the area again. By 12pm we were ready for lunch and after a quick search on Tripadvisor and a 15-minute drive, we arrived at Goanna Gallery and Bush Café in Quindalup. The food was absolutely delicious - Wils ordered the Gnocchi and I had the Arancini with salad and a Banana smoothie. This was our first time at the café and we loved everything about it - the atmosphere, setting, food and service were all top notch. We will definitely be visiting Goanna again. Our last stop before heading home was for more coffee (of course) at The Hummingbird in Busselton.
Injidup Beach, Yallingup
We hope you all enjoyed our mini Esperance Travel Guide. If you loved it, let us know by clicking on the heart below or by leaving a comment.
Love,
W & E