ESPERANCE historian Karli Florisson is publishing a new book based on the regular column she wrote for the Esperance Tide.
“Since the Tide has closed I have been working on collecting those columns into a book,” she said.
“I have got over 50 history columns and gone back in and expanded them a bit and given an overview of Esperance History for those time periods.
The title East of 121: 5 Minute Histories from Esperance refers to the approximate longitude of present-day Munglinup townsite.
“In the 1860s the WA Government offered land leases east of 121 to attract some European settlers into the area,” Florisson said.
“They were very favourable leases which attracted the first settlers into the area.
“The Dempsters, Campbell Taylor and Brooks families, Moir family, many of those early pastoralists took advantage of those really favourable leases.”
The opening of the Bijou Theatre, 1896. McCarthy’s store is visible on the other side of the Bijou. Photo: State Library of Western Australia.
Florisson said the book would focus on the area “east of 121”.
“The stories we know and love, Esperance people love their history and we are rightly proud of our stories because we have so many really fascinating stories and characters and things that are part of our past here,” she said.
“The book covers such stories as Black Jack Anderson and the wreck of the Mountaineer, through to stories of some of the early pastoralists that came here.
“And events like the building of the telegraph line, the goldrush era, building the jetties and the early expansion of Esperance as a town.
“Through to more modern stories such as Skylab, the wreck of the Sanko Harvest, and lots of shipwrecks — I do love a good shipwreck story.”
The book is due for release at the end of this month.
