WE EXPLORE THE ESPERANCE CBD (27 FEBRUARY 2015)

Well, now that we were settled, it was time to explore Esperance properly.  Late on the afternoon of our arrival we had had a quick taste. The need for a few critical grocery items saw us venture out to the Esperance Woolworths late on the Friday afternoon of a WA long weekend.  This was probably not the best way to gain a first impression of a new town.....it was utter traffic and car park chaos....just the shot after a long day of travel and setting up. Ye Gods, I thought this town only supported a population of 10,000. They must all be shopping at Woolies!  Then we realised that there had been a huge influx of long weekend visitors, mostly from the Kalgoorlie goldfields, a regular Esperance phenomenon. 

And just how did we know that I hear you ask. It's simple. In WA the prefix letters on vehicle number plates detail the local government area of residence. So, any vehicle bearing the initial letters 'KBC' is registered in the Kalgoorlie/Boulder area, and they were everywhere. Now, isn't that something you have always wanted to know!   

After that stunningly superfluous snippet, let's get back to the job at hand. Just what is Esperance all about?

Perhaps an overview to start with.  We have learnt that Esperance is a town of parts....the port, the seafront, the western beaches, the lakes, and, out to sea, the islands.

As this Internet photo shows, the seafront is a major feature of the town....old Esperance  is built right along it, and there is more to it that is shown here. But this does provide some perspective. 

At the base of the shot is the obvious and prominent line of the 'Tanker Jetty', well some of it at least.  Stretching away towards the top of the photo from here is the Esplanade, and parallel to it, the bitumen strip which is Dempster Street, lined as it is with huge Norfolk Island pines.  This is one of the two main streets of the Esperance CBD. 

Beyond the CBD the ridge of Dempster Head thrusts seawards. The port facility lies cradled in the lee of the head at that end of the seafront, whilst on the other side of the headland, the magnificent Esperance beaches continue for a considerable distance along the coast west of the main township. One of the many islands which give Esperance its other name, 'The Bay of Isles' can be seen at top of the photo.

Four large brackish lakes lie to the north of the town, but given the strictures of time and all else which was on offer here, we did not explore these at all notwithstanding my good intentions to paddle around them (and in any event, the Pink Lake was not pink!).

Well, after the traffic and shopping challenge of our arrival afternoon, a good night’s sleep and the dawning of a fine, sunny Saturday brought with it a whole new tourist perspective. It was time to get out and about.

The local market beckoned. I’m still not quite sure what it is about these country markets which draws us constantly to them. They are universally alike in the range of wares on offer and we never buy anything. I suspect we may be like weekend prospectors....we cannot resist the possibility of a real find.  And guess what?  Yep, same stuff on offer, none of which found its way into our bags, but this was a good jumping off point for our planned walk along Dempster Street through the main CBD of Esperance.

The market is set up in a park which is home to the Visitor Information Centre, a ‘Period Village’ (as opposed to ‘historical’....your guess is as good as mine..it's probably an unusual touch of honesty in that these buildings are but latterly built replicas rather than the real thing) and the local Museum.

On market day the stalls spring up between and around the permanent buildings

and on the expanses of surrounding lawns.

So after the obligatory shuffle past all the hopefuls in their various stalls, when we try to look politely interested, we  left yet another country market empty handed and made our way off past the museum building and on into the small but vibrant Esperance  CBD.

Opposite the museum, the local Memorial Park 











occupies a significant area of what must be pretty valuable real estate.












Beyond the open spaces of the park, the original Esperance school building is the home of the local RSL,

the members of which must have some national clout. The acquisition of a decommissioned Leopard tank was a prize highly sought after by RSL Sub-Branches throughout the country when these menacing looking battlefield leviathans reached their use-by date.

One thing had already really struck us about this town....the Norfolk Island pines. These are a feature of many coastal towns around Australia (they were planted in many cases to provide timber for ships’ masts). Esperance is no exception as this view south along Dempster Street shows.

But there is a difference here....these trees are the biggest we have ever seen. Liz and I have both grown up with these pines, which are abundant on the seafront of our home stamping ground of Glenelg, but never before have we seen such whoppers.







On south along Dempster Street we tramped into the heart of the CBD. Tramped, with its inherent connotation of a long, hard haul, is probably the wrong word to use....it doesn’t take long to traverse the Esperance CBD, even on foot.  








The roundabout at the intersection of Dempster and Andrew Streets is the real hub of the Esperance CBD, something which is not lost on anyone attempting to drive through this intersection during the busy times of the day (this photo is an aberration!)








As we looked east along Andrew Street at the second cluster of retail and commercial premises of the Esperance CBD, we realised something else at this point.....just how close the port facilities are to the business district.

I could not resist a quick gallop down towards the seafront  to have a closer look. I love ports....and Esperance, as we later discovered has a cracker.










But for now, it was back to Dempster Street. The hump of a large hill, which came into clearer view as we walked further south along it, overlooks the port, CBD and the seafront area of Esperance. The Rotary Lookout on the top of this hill is a great vantage spot of which I later took full advantage.

As is so often the case in towns such as this, reminders of the past can often be found tucked away between more modern buildings. These two, high on the northern slope of the street, are a good example. What the land on which they sit is now worth is anyone’s guess.

And then we came to one of Esperance’s real surprises....its very modern cinema, complete with three separate theatres all featuring recent releases, and excellent films at that. Despite our good intentions, we left Esperance without having graced any of the available seats with Marshie bums.

The entertainment theme is maintained on this side of the street. The wonderfully named ‘Bijou Theatre’ provides a venue for a very active local thespian group. To our great disappointment, they were 'inactive' at the time of our visit.  








In stark, and, for us, annoyingly intrusive contrast in this part of the town, stands the inevitable ‘Maccas’.  Surley there must have been more appropriate sites on offer, but of course, how silly of me. McDonalds demonstrate throughout the world that they couldn’t care less where they plonk one of their ‘fat factories’ as long as it can attract constant clusters of calorie carefree customers.







Across the road, the local bobbies are housed in a large looking police station with, as is usually the case, the Courthouse adjoining. (I'll bet they find Maccas very convenient, if my past experience is anything to go by!)

Here in Esperance, the normally functionally austere buildings which serve to provide a base for those who maintain law and order, have been really tarted up with an expansive mural. What a good idea. Apart from anything else, it reduces the appeal of this expanse of brick to the local graffiti artists, and let's face facts, hoon tags on the wall of a police station is definitely not a good look. We heartily approved of this initiative (much, I am sure, to the relief of those responsible!!)


From what we could see during this ramble, the good folk of Esperance are well served by the range of shops clustered in the relatively small confines of the central CBD. As are those seeking more robust industrial type goods, as we later discovered when on a quest for a new pressure reduction valve.  

And, given that our food stocks were severely dented after almost three weeks in the retail wilderness, the Treasurer was delighted to find that in addition to the ubiquitous Woolies, two completing Super IGA stores did provide alternative, and in a few instances, much better sources of supply. It was great to again have a choice, particularly when meat is involved. We have found that, with the general cost of meat being so high, ‘meat specials’ can provide more significant savings than any other.




Notwithstanding our preliminary sortie on the afternoon of our arrival, Liz was straining at the bit for a return visit to the local Woolworths. She was becoming increasingly concerned that she was about to become Mother Hubbard! Indeed, our fridge, freezer and food lockers were displaying many disturbing vacancies.



There is an almost comforting consistency about the layout and range of goods on offer in these stores throughout the country (with the possible exception of Carnarvon) and our trolley flashed up and down the aisles at a speed born of familiarity. The total on the eventual checkout tab rose at a similar, and alarming, speed. There are times when I am glad my role in these establishments is confined to that of trolley boy and bag donkey.






And, as we left, we noted that as members of the caravan community, we had not been alone in the store. It’s as well that ‘No Parking On Verge’ signs mean next to nothing in WA!

So with the necessary logistical demands met, our camp in order and a general feel for the town under our belts, it was time for some serious time planning.  Much touted beaches, the charms of the seafront parks, the interest of a formal Port Tour (highly recommended to us....with good reason as we discovered) and the allure of nearby Cape Le Grande with its fabled Lucky Bay all awaited our eager eyes. There was much to be done, and it was, as you will soon discover.