Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Toun Beach Cafe
(19 Veal St; pizzas $18-25, burgers $12-14; 8.30am-2.30pm & 5.30-8pm Tue-Sat, 8.30am-2.30pm Sun)
Sit up-
stairs for excellent breakfasts and water views at this cool-looking cafe. Wood-fired pizzas
and good burgers seal the deal.
CAFE
$
Deck Treasures
(
www.gotothedeck.com.au
;
Veal St; 9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri & 9am-12.30pm Sat Sep-May; )
Part gift
shop, part cafe, and part visitor centre with its own Southern Ocean Discovery Centre
with lots of information on local wildlife. Free wi-fi and internet access too. Ask for its
free self-guide driving map to the surrounding area.
CAFE
$
TOP OF CHAPTER
Esperance
POP 9600
Esperance sits in solitary splendour on the Bay of Isles, a seascape of aquamarine waters
fringed with squeaky white beaches. There's no need to fight for space here, as the town's
isolation all but guarantees it. Yet Esperance has its share of devotees who will bundle up
the kids for the mammoth pilgrimage from Perth, just to plug into the low-key,
community-oriented vibe. In Kalgoorlie, nobody would question the wisdom of driving
390km to this, their nearest beach. For travellers taking the coastal route across the contin-
ent, it's the last sizeable town before hitting the Nullarbor wilderness.
Some of Australia's most picture-perfect beaches can be found in the even more remote
national parks to the town's southeast. Out in the bay, the pristine environment of the
Recherche Archipelago can be wild and windy, or turn on a calmly charming show. The
archipelago's 105 islands are home to fur seals, penguins and sea birds.
History
Esperance's Indigenous name, Kepa Kurl (water boomerang), refers to the shape of the
bay. Archaeological finds on Middle Island suggest that it was occupied before the last Ice
Age, when it was still part of the mainland.
Esperance received its current name in 1792 when the
Recherche
and
l'Espérance
sailed through the archipelago and into the bay to shelter from a storm. In the 1820s and
1830s the Recharge Archipelago was home to Black Jack Anderson - Australia's only pir-
