About

The area of the Esperance townsite was first settled by a Scottish pioneering family, the Dempsters, in the 1870s. A telegraph station was opened in 1876 and the town was gazetted in 1893.

The town jetty was built during the 1890s following the discovery of gold in the eastern goldfields region. Today the jetty is a popular fishing spot and Sammy, the resident sea lion can often be seen waiting for scraps of fish, beneath the fish cleaning station on the jetty.

There are numerous beaches within and close to the town, offering surfing, scuba diving, and swimming. Also nearby are a number of salt lakes, including Pink Lake, which gains its rosy hue from red algae living within its waters. Esperance is most noted for its coastline and has been voted Australia's best beaches, Australia's whitest sand and Western Australia's most popular beach.

There are five major national parks near the town. A major nearby tourist attraction, 20 minutes away from the town centre, is the Cape Le Grand National Park, which offers a picturesque coast of largely granite terrain and sheltered white sand beaches. The park is a popular spot for recreational fishing, as well as four wheel drive enthusiasts and hikers.

The Shire has an area of 44,336 square kilometres and has one of the lowest population densities in any urban centre in Australia. It extends from Munglinup to Israelite Bay and north to the Daniell rail siding. It includes over 400 kilometres of coastline, ranging from gently undulating bays and the picturesque islands of the Recherche Archipelago to the spectacular cliffs of the Great Australian Bight.