What is Esperance known for?
Esperance is a coastal town on Western Australia's south coast, known for dazzling white beaches, turquoise water, Cape Le Grand National Park and kangaroos on the sand at Lucky Bay.
The town is about 700 kilometres southeast of Perth. Its name comes from the French ship L'Esperance, which sheltered in the bay in 1792 during an expedition led by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.
The Great Ocean Drive, a loop of about 40 kilometres, passes beaches such as Twilight Beach, West Beach and Blue Haven, as well as lookouts and the Pink Lake, which has lost much of its colour in recent years.
Islands and parks
The Recherche Archipelago, made up of more than 100 islands, lies offshore. Woody Island is a popular nature retreat. Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid national parks protect granite peaks and pristine bays.
Esperance is a farming centre and port, exporting grain. Its Norfolk pine-lined foreshore has a long jetty.
In 1979, pieces of NASA's Skylab space station fell near Esperance. The local shire jokingly fined NASA 400 dollars for littering.
Did You Know?
The Skylab littering fine was paid in 2009 by an American radio host who raised the money from listeners.