Locum Location - Esperance, WA

How did you settle in? Any tips for new arrivals?

The process of settling in was easy. My flight arrived late and the car rental place had left the keys in a lock box and acquiring the keys was easy. Getting to the hotel was straightforward and the accommodation was easy to find and check - in process was seamless.

Tips for new arrivals: when you land in Perth you need to change terminals, so keep this in mind when flights are being booked. You get 15kg for your bag from Perth to Esperance so be careful of how much you pack. Communicate if your flights are late so Blugibbon can sort out changes if needed! They did a great job for me :) 

How was the travel, logistics and accommodation?

I missed my connecting flight due to a late flight from Brisbane. But Blugibbon sorted the details and were easy to contact and keep in touch with through the process. 

Accommodation was great. Laundry in the unit. It has an oven, stove and microwave and all utensils needed to cook. The accommodation does have a breakfast menu, and the hospital pays for the food purchased from the accommodation. They have a coffee machine, and great value for the meals. I often only ate half of my breakfast and had the other half later. The owners of the accommodation are lovely! My room was cleaned regularly with clean towels, they did any dishes that had not been cleaned yet. Felt so taken care of! 

What was the support for locum doctors like in the department?

Department is run a lot by locums so everyone is so friendly and willing to help! The regular staff are so nice and used to people that come for a short time. Good camaraderie among the staff and always felt supported. 

What specialists were on call? How was access to imaging etc.?

There is an on call GP- Anaesthetist, GP- obstetricians .

On average, how many presentations were there to the ED each day? How many were you dealing with?

This was variable but coming from a busy ED it was very manageable. I saw 6 patients one shift and then others I saw 15 or so. Everyone works hard and pulls their weight.

Any other comments on the set up of the hospital?

It’s a really nice ED. Good working resus areas. Telehealth video for calling in some help if needed. 7 beds, 2 consult areas and there was always good flow so it was never hard to find a spot to see someone. 

What were the best spots in town for food, coffee & shopping? Share with us your favourites!

Food: breakfast at the hotel was nice. And paid for! Good portion of eggs and bacon and often took some home for another meal. Lunch at bistro Louis! Very interesting food and locally sourced. Breakfast at cloud eleven. Again a very interesting menu of foods I don’t have often and food was good.  French Bread is the local bakery and got just try the hummingbird slice. Amazing. 33 degrees is good pub food. On Monday’s there is a local Sri Lankan family that makes authentic curries that are sold out of the fish and chip shop. Arguably the best curry I have ever had, and don’t forget garlic naan to go with it. 

Shopping: not much of a shopper myself. There is a lovely little book store which has some unique gifts and I enjoyed the Red Dot discount shop for a few things for my kids.

What did you get up to on your time off?

First day off I walked the esplanade, the jetty and looked around the town. In the afternoon I drove the ocean road drive and beach hopped. Many beaches along the stretch of road, all gorgeous! My favourite was West Beach but all so lovely! I stayed along the beaches until sunset and there was a sunshower as the sun went down and saw the most amazing full rainbow over the beach! Was an incredible moment. 

Second day off I went to Cap Le Grand national park. Again, spent the day seeing beaches. Lucky bay is a world famous beach at the national park. The whitest sand in Australia. It was gorgeous. Then went to whistling point and then hellfire beach (my personal favourite of the day), gorgeous teal water and you can sit high up and look down on the beach. Then Le Grand beach where I saw kangaroos on the beach. Then I went to lucky bay brewery for a little tour. Walked the esplanade, went to rotary lookout that looks over the town and then another sunset trip to west beach, twilight beach, 11 mile beach and blue haven. 

My morning off before my late shift, I spent two hours walking/ jogging the ocean side track on the ocean road. Incredible views and serenity. 

Any local inside information we should know about?  Best swimming spots, lookouts, bike or walk trails?

Best beach: West beach, Hellfire beach and 11 mile. Walking track along Ocean Road is amazing!  Loved the esplanade as well! 

Would you go back? If so, why? Would you recommend the location?

I can’t wait to go back! I spent some of my time off planning when I’ll be able to come back next time and hopefully bring my family. Lots of kid friendly things to do as well. 

Did you take any nice pictures of Esperance during your time there that you would like to share?