Esperance

Old buildings of various vintages which were formerly Police Sergeants quarters, a school house, a doctors surgery, a courthouse and a hospital and have been relocated and repurposed as cafes, Art galleries and retail shops. Oldest of the bunch is the tiny wood and iron Methodist Church built in 1895.

A rambling array of objects stacked almost up to the hefty timber rafters of the old goods warehouse that houses the collection. Nautical flotsam, domestic ephemera and antiquated machinery are intermingled with all kinds of social curios drawn from a lengthy timeline of Esperance history. The 99-tonne steam engine dominates, but debris from the 1979 crash of Skylab is the arguable highlight. There is a lot to see, so the short opening hours demand a second visit to fully explore every corner.

Not particularly pink nor lake-like, it's a large salt pan that is either white and crunchy or grey and muddy depending on how much it has rained recently. The northern side has built up dam structures used to harvest the salt that may exhibit a pinkish tinge caused by the concentration of algae.

Massive propellers slowly spinning in the breeze look attractive from afar but are quite intimidating up close as the blades slice through the air with a low growl.

On the wonderful coast road that heads west from town to the beaches is this lookout offering excellent views over the coast and the archipelago, particularly Observatory Island, where the French ships sheltered in 1792.

Beachside parks wind along Esperance's esplanade with views to the port, the old tanker jetty and the islands. There is a children's adventure park and a cafe towards the southern end and sculptures at various points, notably the whale tail near the museum.

At many of the fine beaches are located near town, like Twilight Beach.