Esperance 

Esperance is 8 hours' drive south of Perth in an area blessed with a temperate climate, spectacular coastal scenery, extensive national parks and magnificent beaches. The only port in the south east of WA, Esperance is an important agricultural town, exporting around a million tonnes of grain each year. Some of the world’s most spectacular white, sandy beaches are found in and around Esperance. Southern right whales are sighted regularly along the coast from June to October.

Located on the south eastern edge of the state’s wheatbelt, the old gold mining town of Ravensthorpe is the gateway to the Fitzgerald River National Park, a unique and spectacular wilderness area on the south coast. The national park and the Ravensthorpe Range are home to 20 percent of Western Australia’s floral species including some that have yet to be documented. Each spring the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Festival celebrates the unique biodiversity of the area with a world-class display of local wildflowers that can be viewed by the public at the town’s herbarium. On average approximately 700 different species are on show.

This group of more than 100 islands of the southern coast of WA stretches 230km from its eastern group at Israelite Bay to Esperance at its western end. The islands are mostly comprised of granite outcrops with steep faces and underwater reefs. Many of them have no beaches. Charter and cruise operators can take you to view the area for memorable fishing, diving, snorkelling and birdwatching. The waters around the islands support a variety of marine life including scallops, seals, sea lions and dolphins.