Perched on the edge of Australia, Esperance walks to its own beat, as former resident and long-time visitor Fleur Bainger can attest. Find out the striking qualities of Esperance that landed it at no.13 on your list of Top 50 Aussie towns.
When I moved to Western Australia nearly two decades ago, Esperance was my first stop. I still wonder if I should’ve stayed there. I spent six weeks working at the local ABC, and with every dawn drive past tourmaline-blue ocean polka-dotted with islands, I fell a little more in love.
Watching giant waves thunder to shore at North Point. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
A painting I bought capturing the transfixing coastline and its long row of Norfolk pines still hangs on my wall, reminding me every day of this isolated town clutching on tight to the far southern rim of Western Australia.
Astonishing white beaches and glass-clear waters
It’s close to nothing, and yet I’ve returned many times. Each visit, I’m drawn to the Great Ocean Drive, a 34-kilometre strip of bitumen that goes past so many flour-white beaches that it aches to keep on driving. I resist flicking the indicator until I reach Blue Haven, a cove of flat, glass-clear water that nibbles at rounded granite borders.
Esperance has breathtaking white sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Luckily, the water temperature is so bracing, an up-to-the-knees frolic suffices, leaving me enough time for nearby Twilight Beach. Here, my camera focuses on a sculpted rock islet, which rises from the water with a circular scoop taken from its face. The erosion transforms it into a sentient being; it feels like a protective presence watching over the handful of swimmers before it.
An illusive and undefined beauty like no other
I could go on forever about Esperance’s singular beauty – and I haven’t even mentioned Lucky Bay and those sunbathing roos – but it’s actually the locals that make the town special.
Overwhelmingly friendly, they bear a perceptible zest for life – perhaps a result of being so far-flung – leading them to go all-in on quirky ideas and fun activities. Their spirit is seen in shop windows, with colourful displays gracing the bike shop and the general store.
A booming industry for entrepreneurs
It extends to activities: a flying-pub crawl from beach to bush, run by Fly Esperance , is typical. It means that big ideas, like Lucky Bay Brewery, which brews beers with locally grown barley, rainwater and zero preservatives, come to fruition.
Enjoy a few amber ales at Lucky Bay Brewing. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
There’s enthusiasm for garage entrepreneurs, like Bread Local , which opens only on Friday afternoons. There’s a celebration of personable characters, like Fiona Shillington, who runs Esperance Chalet Village, a curated collection of white-on-white A-frames strung with fairy lights.
From your unique A-frame accommodation at Esperance Chalet Village. (Image: Marnie Hawson)
Perhaps most of all, they welcome out-of-towners, embracing the 24-year-old interstate reporter as warmly then as they do when she returns, at 43.
Fleur Bainger is a freelance travel writer and journalism mentor who has been contributing to Australian Traveller since 2009! The thrill of discovering new, hidden and surprising things is what ignites her. She gets a buzz from sharing these adventures with readers, so their travels can be equally transformative.
Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.
Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.
In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.
Day 1
Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.
There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.
Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.
Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.
Day 2
After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.
Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.
Day 3
Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.
With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.
Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.
Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.
For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.
Day 4
Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.
Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.
Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.
If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.
Day 5
Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)
Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.
Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.
Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.
Day 6
Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)
After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.
Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.
Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.
Day 7
Farewell the Margaret River.
Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.
