Cruises to Esperance

Esperance is a long way from anywhere. It's a dot on the far south-eastern coastline of Western Australia, a state that itself is remote enough. It also has one of Australia's most stunning landscapes.

Esperance Bay was named by Frenchman Antione Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux while sheltering from a storm in 1792. He named it after his ship, Esperance, meaning 'hope'.

The town was gazetted in 1893. In the early days, the bays of Esperance were thronged with whalers, sealers and pirates. Then came pastoralists with huge land leases, and miners seeking treasure from the goldfields around Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie to the north.

Today's town, with a population of about 10,000, welcomes visitors lured by the pristine salt-white beaches that lead into gemstone-blue waters. Whether you come with a swimsuit or an SLR camera, Esperance delivers jaw-dropping scenery and ultimate seclusion.

Other highlights include whale spotting and wildflowers in season, island tours, diving, fishing, and several national parks ideal for hiking. The local museum has pieces of the US space station, Skylab, which crashed nearby in 1979, making the small town world-famous for a short while. Plus, the town even has its very own Stonehenge.

The mild Mediterranean-style climate is another bonus for Esperance.