Effort equals reward: Destination Esperance

Having travelled the length and breadth of Western Australia I’m often asked, “where should I go?” This is both visitors to the state and those who were raised here. I’ll quickly take a measure of them (their tolerance for long journeys and questionable service station fare) and if they pass the test I’ll immediately say, in slightly hushed tones, “Esperance.”

Invariably they may need to Google the existence of this coastal community 700km from Perth, a gloriously isolated place that once experienced will not be shaken from the mind, with its abundance of natural beauty and community spirit. They’ll go suddenly wide-eyed at images of Lucky Bay with its impossibly white sand, often said to be Australia’s whitest beach thanks to soft, fine sand that is close to pure silica. Kangaroos lounge on the beach, which in this modern age could have you wondering if someone at the tourist board got a little too handy with AI. But no, you can see them with your own eyes as they do frequent the beach, taking advantage of freshwater streams that run from Cape Le Grand National Park into the ocean.

Hikes of different grades can raise the heart rate along with the stationary moments, pausing on a coastal track looking to Hellfire Bay, its diminutive sibling Little Hellfire Bay, or Thistle Cove, marvelling at the changing colour contrasts of ocean to sky against the dark rocks. An iPhone snap can’t do it justice.

Although I live in the south west corner of Western Australia, amidst its vineyards and fair share of beautiful coastline, I have developed a theory over the years that along the state’s southern coast you are rewarded for effort, for every extra kilometre and hour spent travelling east, whether it’s from Margaret River, through the Southern Forests and the Great Southern region, or from Perth on an epic Wheatbelt road trip, taking in the rural towns and the contrast between swaying fields of wheat and barley, bushland and vast moon-like salt lakes. For lovers of a road trip, those enticed by the journey as much as the destination, it’s the perfect choice.

As much as flying low over the Recherche Archipelago is recalled regularly in a montage with those beach-loving roos - part mental health aid and part travel reminder - the aspect of Esperance that I talk about the most is actually the people. It’s not just a can-do spirit here, more, if not me then who? It’s a fact of country life, in towns on the up, that there are people who are there because they wanted to escape the city, and those who originally wanted to escape the country, achieved that dream, but have now gone full circle and returned to their roots. In Esperance that’s manifested itself in a returning generation who bring their experiences with them and a desire to add something new to their community.

Tiff Brown is part of a movement that stretches well beyond Esperance, valuing artisanal baking and returning a little soul to the thought of your daily bread. Brown first started home baking on a small scale. She got a local following and has been on the rise ever since. Visiting Esperance several years ago to write for a national magazine, people would ask me, “are you seeing Tiff at Bread Local?” It seemed as if leaving town without doing so would be something of a scandal. What I found was more than a baker working at home. It was a micro bakery separate from the house with a custom built woodfired oven, where Brown would produce excellent sourdough but also trays of the most magnificent cinnamon scrolls. Opening at weekends, Brown’s partner Tom would be tasked with directing the flow of traffic. While they still operate out of their home site, Little Local a small kiosk selling sandwiches and baked goods has opened on Dempsey Street in the town centre.

Brown isn’t the only one pushing the boundaries in food and drink. Esperance is a place that’s fully exploiting grape and grain. At Condingup Vineyard, 70 kilometres east of Esperance, Jim Creighton planted Western Australia’s eastern most vineyard in the 1990s. A sheep farmer and self-taught viticulturist and winemaker he established a local following that inspired daughter Aneeta to study oenology. Following a family illness the vineyard lay unproductive for a number of years before Aneeta took on the challenge, the second-generation winemaker reviving the label and steering it to her own tastes.

And far from being alone in the pursuit of good drinks Esperance also has Lucky Bay Brewing, who source raw barley from local farmers, almost unheard of in the industry. And starting with a tiny 30L pot still Esperance Distillery craft small-batch whisky, vodka, and gin using the regions unique botanicals.

First introduced to Tiff Brown’s partner simply as Tom (locally known as “Big Bear”), it was years later that I realised that Tom Smitheringale is known for many things beyond his traffic control abilities. Namely, attempting a solo unsupported expedition to the North Pole, a successful solo kayak the length of the Egyptian Nile, and other adventures. As a speaker at Esperance’s annual Grounded festival, audience members were enthralled by his polar expedition but also his life now in this remote corner of Western Australia. Esperance is home to actors, photographers, artists, and a myriad of people with a story. They’re perhaps drawn by a sense of both isolation and a strong community. Smitheringale founded Southpeak, promoting community training, group hikes and competition in their own outdoor events. The adventure continues albeit a little closer to home

If you’re a lover of social media or glossy magazines you may have spied Esperance Chalet Village, with its vintage A-Frame chalets, restored shacks and cabins. The work of Fiona Shillington and her husband Matt, their story is almost that of a dramedy. Having built a corporate career in Sydney, Shillington on a visit to her childhood home, saw the down-at-heel village in need of TLC. The rest is history; with several years of spit and polish a destination stay was born.

In a similar tale, winemaker Anna Martins and husband Alex, had spent years abroad and in Margaret River. As with many, the pandemic caused them to evaluate what they wanted from family life, returning to Anna’s childhood community. On the farm they now call home close to the Cape Le Grand national park they’ve built two adults only, off-grid, chalets. Design led; they they’re picture perfect, like much of Esperance. Images to be pinned on a cubicle wall, a fridge door, or held in the mind as a one day I’ll get there dream.