AGO Holiday Planner 2026

EFFORT EQUALS REWARD DESTINATION ESPERANCE

By Max Brearley

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

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.

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

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