Five towns to stop by on WA's Coolgardie-Esperance Highway

Getting in the car and heading off on a weekend away or a day trip to small and medium-sized towns down the highway can be a fulfilling experience with hidden gems and great local hospitality. Here are a few highlights down Western Australia's Coolgardie-Esperance Highway.

From: Coolgardie in the Western Australia Goldfields south to Esperance on the southern coast.
Named after: The towns it runs between. Coolgardie is thought to be a version of the local dialect for a mulga tree and Esperance is named for a French ship from the late 1700s.
Route numbers: NH94, NH1.
Length: 370km
Best bit: There’s a lot of open space in Western Australia but the dried lake beds around Norseman make for some eerie landscapes.

Hard to believe now, but Coolgardie was once WA’s third-biggest city. That was in the 1890s when alluvial gold was discovered in the area and hopeful diggers flocked in. The riches of the period are evident in the imposing Victorian buildings that still exist – although the population has dwindled somewhat. Most famously, the town gave its name to the Coolgardie safe, a food storage unit invented in the 1890s by Arthur McCormick and you’ll see more about it at the town’s museum.

You could skip the first bit of this highway altogether and detour via Kalgoorlie, a thriving town with a gold mining history that has extended to the present day. Visit the viewing area for the Super Pit open-cut mine, maybe see the daily blast (from afar) and check out the shops, pubs and goldrush-era architecture.

Further south on the highway you’ll pass the lakes Lefroy and Cowan which are usually salty expanses of waterless waste. Heading into Norseman (and the junction with the Nullarbor road) stop for a bite to eat along the main street of a town named for a horse, not the ancient Scandinavians. Check out Phoenix Park for a short walk in the inevitable heat along a trail tracing the town’s history.

15 minutes south of Norseman, is the abandoned ghost mining town of Dundas. There’s not much left, but a stop to see the Dundas Rocks and lone grave is an eerie and picturesque break – all the more so during Spring when the wildflowers are at their glorious best.

Heading further south, you’ll pass by more blindingly white salt lakes around Salmon Gums. Definitely worth stopping for some photos, especially against the stark red soil and brilliant blue sky.

It’s still a long road down to Esperance on the coast but the trip is worth it. Esperance has the vibe of a seaside resort and the clear, blue waters of the Great Australian Bight are welcoming. Whales pass by during the migration season and boat tours can take you out to see them. Don’t miss the Great Ocean Drive, visiting sparkling bays among granite outcrops, one of Australia’s most beautiful road trips.

For something completely different, head a little way out of Esperance to see Stonehenge. You read it right, while the original in England is looking a tad ruined these days, this recently built full-scale replica was erected by an enthusiastic (some would kindly say eccentric) local using two thousand tonnes of granite shipped from a kilometre away.

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