PEACEFUL ISOLATION

There’s no denying that Esperance is a long way from anywhere, a dot on the southern coastline of Western Australia, 720 kilometres east of Perth and 1,500 kilometres west of Adelaide. The closest major port is Albany, 400 kilometres to the west. But in its isolation, on a picturesque bay referred to in local Aboriginal language as 'a place where the water lies in the shape of a boomerang', the town is surrounded by some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the country. The granite peaks and sugar-white sand beaches of Cape Le Grand National Park are only 20 minutes from the city centre. Offshore, the unspoiled Recherche Archipelago is a haven for abundant marine life and a popular destination for classic blue-water recreation.

With a population of about 15,000, Esperance is the major service hub and administrative centre of a shire that spans some 42,000 square kilometres, stretching north to the goldfields and east along the Bight to the arid Nullarbor Plain. The region’s thriving economy is powered by agriculture, mining, light industry, commercial fishing, wind-generated electricity and tourism. One of its key strategic assets is the Port of Esperance, close to the town at the southern end of Esperance Bay. As the only port in Western Australia’s remote southeast that is serviced by both road