Feature by Fleur Bainger
This incredible road trip from Perth to Esperance offers ample rewards, with stunning coastal scenery, awe-inspiring mural art and close-up sightings of killer whales and kangaroos.
Years ago, I worked in Esperance for six weeks. Its beauty has never left me. Each morning I’d drive to the office along the Great Ocean Drive, mouth agape as I marvelled at the scatter of islands and the swimming pool-blue ocean. I felt lucky just being there, and I still think it could be WA’s most stunning coastal stretch. Within weeks, locals had invited me to crew in sailing races, come over for dinner and go 4-wheel-driving in Cape le Grand National Park; people there are incredibly friendly.
Esperance is the prize at the end of this incredible road trip (and yes, it’s also where you find kangaroos sunbathing on the beach). On the way, you might get so close to the ocean’s apex predator, the killer whale, that you hear one puff air as it threads through the ocean. You’ll also see some of the largest scale mural art in Australia, painted on wheat silos between 2015 and 2018. And you’ll spy beaches so pristine, you won’t be able to look away.
There are long stretches of road to travel in this trip, parts where people are few and phone reception is patchy. Make sure you’re well prepared, carry plenty of water and check that your vehicle is in top nick so your journey – all 1700km of it - is as dreamy as that island-dotted horizon line.
Mt Barker
Turn the tunes up loud and settle in for a four hour journey to Mt Barker, which rewards you with owner-run wineries and weathered, rocky ranges. From here you’ll gaze over the faded blue mountain peaks of Stirling Range, one of WA’s highest points, home to bushwalks and wildflowers. Go to the Porongurups, an outcrop just outside Mt Barker, and drink in the countryside from the pinnacle of the Granite Skywalk, a man-made walking platform that curls around boulders that rise 670m up and are aged at 1,100 million years old.
Stirling Range National Park
Albany
The historic buildings in Albany hark back to colonial times – where the city stands today is where the first Europeans settled in Western Australia. Stroll along the main street to the harbour where you’ll see your first painted grain silo – a 35m-tall, leafy sea dragon (a sea horse), which artists Yok & Sheryo completed in 2018. Glimpse it again as you drive around the base of Mount Clarence to Middleton Beach, a 5km long, white sandy stretch. Grab coffee at Three Anchors then retrace the road to the Albany Heritage Park for lookouts over Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound and a wander through the National Anzac Centre. Just beside is the polished Garrison restaurant. Finish by heading out of town for an organic tasting at Oranje Tractor Wine.
The Gap, Albany
Bremer Bay
This is killer whale central. Each year, from January to April, an estimated 200 orcas turn up to a dot on the oceanic map called Bremer Canyon. Join one of two expedition cruises to find out why scientists think they come, and see a pod up close, patrolling the seas in search of prey. The tiny hamlet of Bremer Bay is a two hour drive from Albany, so you’ll need to stay overnight ahead of the boat’s morning departure.
Orcas in Bremer Canyon
Ravensthorpe
A bit over two hours away is Ravensthorpe, a farming and resources town that is now characterised by three grain silos, covered with enormous, native banksia flowers and their spiky leaves. Painted by Fremantle-based artist Amok Island in 2016, it took 31 days and 338 litres of paint to complete. If you visit between August and November, you’ll see many more of the outback region’s wildflowers – except the real ones are far smaller than the 25m mural. There are also walking trails, scenic drives and lookouts revealing the rangeland country.
Ravensthorpe
Esperance
The sand on Esperance’s beaches is so white and so clean, it actually squeaks - I’m not bluffing. Slide your feet along the fine grains and you’ll hear it.
The town is lovely, especially Taylor St Quarters, but you’re eager to see those roos on the beach, so head to the aptly named Lucky Bay in Cape le Grand National Park, a 45minute drive east. They often relax up the far end of the beach, while others hop around the campground by the car park. No matter where you are, you’ll be able to see many of the 110 islands of the Recherche Archipelago along the turquoise coast.
Once back in town, continue motoring to the western side, to supermodel-stunning Twilight Cove. It’s on the Great Ocean Drive, a 40km loop that you may want to do twice - it’s that beautiful. Esperance is about two hours’ drive from Ravensthorpe.
Kangaroo at Lucky Bay, Esperance
Perth
The drive back to Perth is hefty – some 715km – so break it up with a detour to either Newdegate or Pingrup (or both!), where more silos have been artfully transformed.