{"id":47326,"date":"2022-01-07T09:59:41","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T23:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=47326"},"modified":"2022-11-04T13:30:44","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T03:00:44","slug":"esperance-the-best-beaches-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/esperance-the-best-beaches-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Esperance – The Best Beaches in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Western Australia has a reputation for world-class beaches and some are even touted to be among the best in Australia! Thousands of locals and tourists flock to the coastal town of Kepa Kurl\/Esperance every year to enjoy the kangaroos and pristine white sand of Lucky Bay – one of the more well-known destinations within Cape Le Grand National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got a little secret to tell you though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kepa Kurl is the Nyungar people’s Wudjari name for Esperance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost every single beach within 150km along the coast in either direction of Kepa Kurl\/Esperance is equally as breathtaking. You really can\u2019t go wrong picking any of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, Lucky Bay is stunning and is absolutely worth a visit. Instead of making it the sole purpose of your holiday though, why not explore the other beaches nearby? They are just as good but with half the crowds, they are arguably even better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The whole coastline around Kepa Kurl<\/em>\/Esperance is worth exploring<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is Kepa Kurl\/Esperance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kepa Kurl\/Esperance is located on the south coast of WA, near the Great Australian Bight, and roughly 7.5 hours drive from Perth. It\u2019s 4 hours south of Kalgoorlie and is considered to be WA’s most eastern coastal town before heading back out to the Eyre Highway and across the Nullarbor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nyungar and Ngadju people are the Traditional Custodians of the Land in and around Kepa Kurl\/Esperance. The Ngadju people are connected to the inland country between Kalgoorlie and Esperance, while the Nyungar ancestral lands span over 30,000 square kilometres across southern Western Australia. This area is governed by the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation<\/a>, who are the Native Title Body Corporate\u00a0for the Wudjari Nyungar people. Named Kepa Kurl in Wudjari language, the coastline features a series of bays and Kepa (water) Kurl (boomerang) aptly describes the two bays closest to the town,\u00a0where the waters lie like boomerangs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the scheme of things, it’s rather an isolated town with the next major hub being Albany – nearly 500km away. Hopetoun is only 200km away and is located in the middle of the two. Despite being smaller and having limited services, Hopetoun doesn’t disappoint on beaches!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A secret beach in near Kepa Kurl<\/em>\/Esperance!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kepa Kurl\/Esperance is significant enough to have car yards, multiple grocery stores, and all the essential services you need when travelling through. If you have mechanical or electrical issues, or you need to buy spare parts, there’s a pretty good chance of getting them sorted in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With local industries of agriculture, tourism, and fishing (including charters), the town also supports a significant trade port that manages more than 11 million tonnes of import and export every single year! It’s a beautiful town built along the stunning coastline and has loads of activities on offer. Whether you choose to stay within the town, or on the outskirts, there are plenty of camping and accommodation options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seriously, look at that water!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is the best time to visit? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being on the southern coast of Western Australia, with no other significant landmass to protect it from the arctic, Esperance can get cold! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warmer months of the year from October through to April, are considered the best and are also the most popular. During these months, the daytime temps are around 20\u00b0c \u2013 25\u00b0c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A friendly local at Thomas River in Cape Arid National Park.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are making the effort to visit Kepa Kurl\/Esperance you should stay a few nights at least, especially if you are coming down from the north on a big lap<\/a> of Oz, or heading westbound across the iconic Nullarbor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asides from the caravan<\/a> parks, Airbnb\u2019s, hotels and motels, you have a variety of DPAW campsites in both directions, with Lucky Bay<\/a> and Le Grand Beach<\/a> both being very popular campsites right in the middle of the national park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cape<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s easy to see why Cape Le Grand Beach is so popular.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking down upon the spectacular turquoise ocean from the clifftops the crystal clear water is so inviting, and having a dip is refreshingly worth it despite the frigid temperature!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the beaches are seaweed free and the white sand is so clean and silky that it literally squeaks if you scuff your feet. It’s entertaining to create the sound and if you are driving over it, your tyres do exactly the same thing. The squeaks from the sand are really quite unusual – like a group of puppies squealing for your attention!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the beaches in and around Kepa Kurl\/Esperance are quick and easy to access. Many are situated within the national parks with incredible hiking trails along the coast or through the surrounding bush. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Duke of Orleans Bay offers a choice of excellent 4WD tracks, but is also great for fishing and diving.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need a 4WD?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes and no! A 4WD gives you access to almost all of the beaches surrounding Kepa Kurl\/Esperance, but if you’re not wishing to seek out the lesser-known areas, then a 2WD is fine. Some of the more popular beaches feature compact and smooth sand that makes it quite safe to drive onto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please know that some of the beaches are so soft that even 4WD\u2019s struggle to drive on them. Taking any vehicle onto the sand is not something you should be doing without understanding<\/a> how to manage sandy terrain and how to keep yourself safe<\/a> when going off-road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For us, a 4WD<\/a> means that we can get to beaches<\/a> where no one is! Lucky Bay is beautiful and still worthy of a visit, but it’s even better when you don’t have to share a place with dozens of other vehicles and people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan on using a 4WD in Kepa Kurl\/Esperance, make sure you take the right gear<\/a> with you including a shovel<\/a>, tyre gauge<\/a>, tyre deflators<\/a> and compressor<\/a>, traction boards<\/a>, and have a good understanding of how to recover yourself<\/a>. We\u2019ve come across some incredibly soft beaches and had quite a hard time getting out of them in the past!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lower your tyre pressures when driving on sand, especially soft sand.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need a park pass?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of these beaches are located within one of the three national parks along this stretch of coastline – Stokes National Park<\/a>, Cape Le Grand National Park<\/a>, and Cape Arid National Park<\/a>. These all have entry fees and require you to have a park pass<\/a>. Individual passes are available, but the more economical option is to get a longer park pass that covers a number of parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of publication, fees are $15 per vehicle, $8 per motorcycle and $8 concession per vehicle. Alternatively, you can buy an annual parks pass for $120, a 4-week pass for $60, a 2-week pass for $40, or a 5-day pass for $25. If you are with RAC you get 50% off the annual and 4 week passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wharton Beach is slightly west of Duke of Orleans Bay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the best beach?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, as I said from the outset, all the beaches along the coast around Kepa Kurl\/Esperance are incredible. Each is unique and well worth a visit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n