Virtuoso advisor and manager at Perchalla & Turner Travel Associates, Becky Kent-Perchalla was one of the advisors recently hosted on a WA famil prior to the 2025 Virtuoso Forum in Perth. Here, she explores why you should be recommending Esperance to your clients.
There is the old saying, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. Having grown up in country South Australia, the regional and far-flung parts of our country have always been close to my heart, so when the chance to visit Esperance fell into my inbox, I naturally jumped at the chance to explore a new part of our world.
In the weeks before the trip, when I was asked where I was off to by anyone in the know, my destination was met with a breathy, yet approving ‘ooh Esperance’, followed with either, ‘we used to go when we were kids’, or ‘we go every year’, and the consistent statement of approval, ‘you’re gonna love it’.
Flying into Esperance/Kepa Kurl, the little airport terminal reminded me that we were indeed not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Walking outside to collect our hire cars, and there was a sea of large, white AWD/4WD vehicles with various reddish tinges… nary a Yaris in sight!
On the road and in less than 30 minutes, we found ourselves at our lodgings for the next two nights – Esperance Chalet Village. Located just out of town, a short walk to the waterfront, it’s a cluster of chalets and rustic cottages that are nestled between mature gum trees, each with its own style and charm.
Between the group, we had cosy chalets draped in fairy lights with oversized beds with crisp white linen and large open bathrooms, while others enjoyed two-storey chalets with small kitchenettes, sweeping country views and a deck that just beckoned you to sit down with your tipple of choice and soak in the bush view.
Getting into the spirit of things
After settling into our comfy digs, we made our way to the very popular Lucky Bay Brewing for a well-deserved local meal and a beverage to wash down the proverbial dust.
Lucky Bay Brewing is a microbrewery with a difference – making the most genuinely local craft beer in Australia. It is part of the West Australian farming community in the heart of the Esperance region, which grows loads of premium barley for malt. It is the first and only brewery in Australia to get its barley direct from the local farmers.
We were greeted with live music and a hearty welcome from the staff, then the choice of sitting at picnic tables on the huge, grassed area (perfect for those with two- and four-legged kids, long tables under a vast verandah, or inside the brewery close to the action of the storage tanks (very cool!) and the main bar that pours the beers from said tanks (even cooler!).
Wood oven pizzas with their delicately charred thin crusts and local delicious toppings were the order of the day, and it seemed only fair to wash them down with a tasting paddle (or two) of the local brews. Happy to confirm they were all top-notch.
Biking, beaches and brekky treats
Dawn breaking on our first full day in Esperance saw some heading out by foot or bike, to the waterfront or for a cuppa, while others were enticed out of their comfy beds with the promise of what was on offer for breakfast in the central dining area of the lodging – freshly delivered hampers that you could smell, before you could see them.
There were cruffins with dustings of icing sugar, still warm to the touch and breakfast boxes full of local treats – fresh baguette with French butter, a hearty slice of ham and seeded mustard. Definitely worth getting out of bed for.
Tummies satiated and heads suitably caffeinated, we head off to start our adventure. As guests of Fly Esperance, we were treated to the best of the area, by air and land.
Travelling in luxury 4x4s across the beachfront at a rate of knots gave us the chance to see the pristine coastline, and when we arrived at what we thought was an unsurpassable rock face, you can imagine the squeals of delight (or was it fear?) when we started driving up, what we were advised, was Wylie Rock.
Slow and steady reaches the top, and we were rewarded with a 360-degree view of the area. Even on a cloudy day, the view was spectacular.
What goes up must come down, and after some fun on the sand dunes, we were driven to the breathtaking Lucky Bay, located in the heart of Cape Le Grand National Park.
I can see why this national park is high on every visitor’s ‘must-see’ list. A spectacular combination of calm turquoise water meeting squeaky, powder soft white sand… all fringed by native flora (and the hope for some local fauna!) Breathtaking!
Even with the water temperature more Southern Ocean than Indian Ocean, no one could resist the chance to have a dip while our morning tea was being prepared beachside.
After a lunch of freshly caught fish and chips at the authentically charming Condingup Tavern, we took to the skies in a Cessna 206 to explore by air, what can’t be seen from the ground… soaring over Lucky Bay, Thistle Cove, Hellfire Bay and more, the contrast of the water and land changed at every glance – certainly a spectacular (and time efficient!) way to explore the vast area that is Cape Le Grand National Park.
After a big day, a delicious dinner at the charming and romantic Taylor St Quarters was in order – located in the centre of town, the building was originally the Wellard Hospital south of Perth. It was dismantled and sent by boat around the Capes of Western Australia to start its new life in Esperance in 1931 as the local hospital, before transforming to its current form in the 1980s.
Our time in Esperance was short, but filled to the brim with local characters, scenery and experiences. The charm of regional Australia and the authenticity of Esperance and its locals is something special –something that I would strongly recommend everyone experience if they have the chance.
Stay a few extra days and get around to the hidden nooks and crannies of the region – we found the locals were happy to share their favourite places… which could well become our favourite places.
‘Ooh Esperance’ I can now nod knowingly when I hear the breathy yet approving comment. As the young ones would say – 10 out of 10.
For more information, visit Western Australia.
