We have been on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and today we went on the Great Ocean Drive in Esperance. Reported as being 40km in length, I think we must have taken a few short cuts, as I think we travelled less than 20km. But it definitely confirmed the claim that this place has amazing beaches.
Esperance is named after a French ship that visited the area, along with a second vessel, La Recherche in 1792. The ships sheltered in the bay for two weeks in December of that year while repairs to the Esperance were undertaken. During those two weeks, much of the area was explored, and obviously named by the captains of these vessels.
We stopped probably a dozen times at different beaches on this drive. We spotted only one swimmer, and none of these beaches had lifeguards or flags, but we did spot a few of these strategically located on the rocks. I really doubt whether they would be of much use.
One of the beaches was a Free Beach, where clothing was optional. We went to explore if there were any brave nudist swimmers or sunbathers, but the beach and the lagoon were empty.
Mick pretended to get his kit off!
Just off the coast of Esperance is a group of more than 100 islands. Known locally as the Bay of Isles (courtesy of a visit by Matthew Flinders in 1802), it was originally named as Recherche Arhipelago. It is an area that is responsible for a number of well known ship wrecks.
We found the perfect spot for a cuppa or a picnic, but one thing Esperance has a shortage of is cafes. Despite all these beautiful spots, very little advantage has been taken to have visitors stop awhile. Perhaps that is a good thing – keeping the beauty of the place untouched. But that still doesn’t explain the lack of cafes in the centre of the town.
We went to see (The-No-Longer) Pink Lake (previously known as Lake Spencer) on our Great Ocean Drive, just a few kilometres outside Esperance. It has not been pink since 2017 when the salinity changed following more than a hundred years of salt extraction in the area. Apparently the council is considering adding salt back to the lack in the hope the colour returns.
There is another (Apparently-Still) Pink Lake (Hillier Lake on Middle Island) nearby – but it is only able to be seen from an aeroplane. So, we gave that one a miss. The online photos looked amazing.
An interesting fact we learnt during our stay was that Esperance was the location where Australia’s only known pirate operated his scallywagging and skulduggery in the 1830s. Known as Black Jack Anderson, he was a former whaler who was eventually murdered by his crew. A fitting end for a pirate!!
And one more interesting fact about Esperance: fragments from Skylab came down in Esperance in July 1979 after the space station broke up over the Indian Ocean. The municipality fined the United States $400 for littering!
Now on to our next adventure and our biggest day driving so far. We are heading to Hyden tomorrow to see something spectacular.
Jane and Mick's Holiday Adventures 