Making the most of Esperance

ByAaron Schubert Posted: Updated:

In March, we headed off on a 3 week 4WDing trip, starting 200km east of Esperance, and heading right the way around the coast back up to Dunsborough. The photos below are from the first 11 days which we spent around Esperance. This is a place that will certainly not be forgotten, and hopefully these photos will inspire you to pack the fourby and head off on a trip of a lifetime!

Road to Esperance
Driving down to Esperance
Deflating the tyres
Airing down to start the 4WD trip to Israelite Bay
The track out to Israelite Bay
The start of the 4WD section to Israelite Bay
Israelite Bay corrugations
Corrugations on the 4WD track into Israelite Bay
Israelite Bay, Esperance
More of Fisheries Road on the way to Israelite
Stuck in a salt lake
Well and truly stuck
Getting bogged in a salt lake
Another shot of the stuck cruiser
Bogged in a salt lake
Seriously bogged in a salt lake near Israelite Bay
Salt lake 4wd recovery
4 snatch straps joined together and it only just reached off the salt lake
Stinky mud hole
The stinky hole. Want to read about it? Check out Bogged in a salt lake.
Mud from the salt lakes
Absolutely covered in stinky mud
Israelite Bay Ruins
Exploring the ruins at Israelite Bay
Boat at Israelite Bay
Found a huge boat washed up on the shore
The washed up boat at Israelite Bay
Full of sand
Boat at Israelite Bay
Taking photos inside the boat
Bullet hole in the window of the boat
A photo through a bullet hole in the window
Israelite Bay seaweed
Seaweed collected by my tail shaft
Israelite Bay off the rocks
Enjoying the crystal clear water at Israelite Bay
Rock work at Israelite Bay
A big 80 at Israelite Bay, navigating the rocks
Thomas River via Point Malcolm
Calling in at Point Malcolm on the way to Thomas River
Thomas River, Esperance
Next stop, Thomas River
Enjoying the beach at Thomas River
Spectacular beach that stretches for 29km
Cape Arid waves
Watching the waves near Cape Arid
Cape Arid view
The view from part way up Cape Arid
Salmon at Esperance
Catching a salmon from the beach just near Thomas River
Banjoy ray
Occasionally you get something bigger, which was caught by hand!
Awesome sunsets at Thomas River
The sunsets were magic
Watching the sun go down at Thomas River
What a way to end the day
Esperance beaches
We spent a lot of time on the beach, and why wouldn’t you when it looks like this?
Thomas River beaches
Little Tagon Bay at Thomas River
Plenty of wildlife around Esperance
Wild geese on the beach
Spearfishing Esperance
Spearfishing from a kayak; lots of fun
Spearfishing at Thomas River
When you can get fish like these, its all worth it!
A shark at Thomas River Esperance
Even if you do bring the sharks around!
Surfing seal at Esperance
Every now and again something else comes around – a surfing seal
A local seal at Esperance
Of course, there has to be a reason it hangs around!
Seal interaction at Esperance
Once it’s had a feed, you won’t get rid of it!
More fish from Esperance
The fish just kept rolling in
Cape Arid 4WD tracks
Exploring the 4WD tracks around Cape Arid
Solar shower bags
Enjoying a shower from the solar shower bags at the end of the day
Big Tagon Beach in Esperance
Getting hammered by the waves on the way out in the kayak at Big Tagon Beach
Racehourse Goanna
There were plenty of friendly animals around!
Telegraph Track in Esperance
Driving from Point Malcolm to Thomas River via the Telegraph Track
Telegraph Track, Esperance
A view from the top of the cruiser on the Telegraph Track
Cape Arid waves
Every now and again you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time!
Kayaking in Esperance
Sometimes it’s worse than others!
Orleans Bay Esperance
Next stop, Duke of Orleans Bay
Orleans Bay beaches
Where each beach is just as good as the one you’ve just come from!
Orleans Bay Esperance 4WDing
And the 4WDing opportunities are second to none for a coastal location
Beach driving at Orleans Bay
Every day, you can find your own little beach
Orleans Bay has plenty of 4WDing
Plenty of places to explore
4WD access at Esperance
A 4WD will open your access incredibly
Enjoying more of the beaches at Orleans
Walking from beach to beach
Orleans Bay 4WDing
Once you have driven as far as possible!
Orleans Bay Caravan Park
Plenty of cheeky birds at the Caravan Park
Orleans Bay Caravan Park
Relaxing back at the Caravan Park
Orleans Caravan Park, Esperance
Our camp site at Orleans Caravan Park
4WDing Esperance
What you drive up
Orleans Bay 4WD tracks
You must drive down!
Table Island, Orleans Bay
This looked like a challenge
Table Island at Orleans Bay
So we walked to the top
Rolled Hilux in Esperance
We bumped into a Hilux that had been rolled pretty badly
Rolled Hilux
I doubt that will be back on the road again
Uncontrolled boat at Le Grande Beach
This poor bloke learned a hard lesson: a kill switch that pulls out when you fall out of a boat is very useful!
Lucky Bay, Esperance
On the way to Esperance we called in at Lucky Bay
Lucky Bay in Esperance
The beach is incredible, and certainly lives up to it’s reputation
Kangaroos at Lucky Bay
Some of the Lucky Bay locals
80 Series car wash
The cruiser was begging for a wash, and about $30 later it was looking reasonably clean
Stokes national Park diving
On the way to our next camp site, we stopped in at a place I will be back to dive!
The inlet at Stokes National Park
Stokes Inlet
Stokes National Park inlet
The inlet was different to any water body I’ve been to before
DEC Camp site at Stokes
The DPAW have done a cracking job with awesome facilities
DEC work at Stokes
Well done to the DPAW
Friendly local kangaroos at stokes national park
The locals are friendly
Stokes National Park Bee Hive
Although, maybe I should take that back
Stokes National Park birds
Endangered birds at the inlet
Stokes National Park fishing
Catching a feed from another inlet in Stokes National Park
Torradup Inlet in Stokes National Park
Enjoying Torradup inlet with no one around for miles
Young River, Esperance
A quick 4WD track to Young River
Leaking differential on my Land Cruiser
Things don’t always go to plan, like the leaking differential
Repairing the land cruiser
Nothing a few tools can’t fix

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Aaron Schubert is a 4WD and camping nut, who's a qualified Maintenance Planner and Mechanical Fitter, and has extensive Industrial Maintenance experience.

He's done hundreds of 4WD tracks all over Australia and more than a thousand nights camping with several different 4WD builds and camping setups.

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8 Comments

  1. Hey mate,

    Honestly, I probably wouldn’t go to Israelite Bay again. It’s a long way out to get to a beach that is covered in seaweed. If it was a toss up between Cape Arid and Israelite, I’d be going straight to Thomas River, where the camp sites are great and the beaches in the area are considerably better. Orleans Bay is also incredible, and both were much more enjoyed by everyone on our trip than Israelite Bay. There are much better 4WDing options and better choice for getting out of the wind.

    Aaron

  2. I’m hoping to be able to get out towards Isrelite Bay and Cape Arid but might have to scale it back a bit due to the age old problem of money 🙁 Will be in Esperance the ANZAC day weekend though to see friends and will do the long drive home Sunday.

  3. Hey Alex,

    We did well with the weather in Esperance. It rained and was a bit overcast on a number of days at Bremer/Albany/Denmark, but overall we were pretty lucky. More photos to come soon, of the rest of the trip!

    Aaron

  4. Cracker weather in a cracker place. Glad it went well – the adventures are just a good marinade really, making the whole thing more memorable. We will be going back down there as soon as

    Great photo’s

    Alex

  5. It was absolutely awesome mate; well and truly worth the visit. Where are you visiting down there?

    Aaron

  6. Hi Aaron! Looks like you guys had a blast (but who wouldn’t?!) . Looking forward to our few days down that way at Easter time/ANZAC day!

  7. Thanks! It truly is an awesome place. Maybe we will bump into you down there sometime!

    Aaron

  8. I agree, it is a wonderful area to explore and definitely on our ‘return to’ list as well.
    Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing and inspiring 😀