Wedding Venues · Esperance, Western Australia · Visit in person

Esperance Bay Turf Club

Esperance Bay Turf Club — photo 10 of 11

Esperance Bay Turf Club — photo 11 of 11

About

Overview & Vibe

The racecourse sits on Fisheries Road at Bandy Creek, just out of Esperance, and its Dr Chris Friend Pavilion is comfortably the largest wedding room in the region — 350 seated or 500 standing, several times anything else on this coast. Racing has been part of Esperance for over a century; the club’s own line is “Where the Surf Meets the Turf”.

Setting & Style

A big, plain, high-ceilinged pavilion above a 1,900-metre grass track, with the coastal scrub behind it. It dresses well — the club’s own photographs show it with navy linen, ceiling draping and chandeliers, and again in white with round tables. Full commercial kitchen, bar, AV, and disabled access and toilets.

Ideal For

Large Esperance weddings that simply will not fit anywhere else — and couples happy to bring in their own caterer.

The Need-to-Knows

350 seated, 500 standing in the Dr Chris Friend Pavilion — the only capacity the club publishes, and the largest in the region by a wide margin.
Rates are not published. “Charges vary and are negotiable” is the whole of it. Everything runs through the club directly.
Facilities are listed and they are substantial: a full commercial kitchen, bar facilities, an audio and visual system, and disabled access and toilets.
It is out of town. Lot 202 Fisheries Road, Bandy Creek — the club runs a race-day bus from five pickup points and Esperance Taxis serve the course, but a wedding needs its own transport plan.
Plenty of parking, including ACROD bays, at the course.

Standout Feature

Room for five hundred people, forty minutes from Australia’s best beaches — and nowhere else in Esperance comes close.

Amenities

Dr Chris Friend Pavilion
Full Commercial Kitchen
Bar Facilities
Audio And Visual System
Disabled Access And Toilets
1900m Grass Racetrack
Racecourse Lawns
Mounting Yard
Marquee Space On The Grounds
Plenty Of Parking
ACROD Parking
Own Caterers Permitted
Out Of Town Location
Over A Century Of Racing History

Ceremony Setting

indoor
pavilion
outdoor
lawn

Dietary Options Supported

No details available.

Nearby Landmarks

Bandy Creek – The locality the racecourse sits in
Esperance – Just out of town to the west
Bay of Isles – Esperance's bay
Cape Le Grand National Park – East along the coast
Lucky Bay – In Cape Le Grand
Bandy Creek Harbour – On the coast below the course
Pink Lake – West of Esperance

On Site Accommodation

No details available.

Price Notes

Pricing is provided on enquiry. The venue's entire published pricing section reads: "Rates — Charges vary and are negotiable." No hire fee, per-head figure, minimum spend, deposit or bond is given.
The race season is a hard closure, and the club says so in capitals: venue hire is not available from mid-November to early March. The season culminates in the Esperance Cup.
Venue hire facilities include a full commercial kitchen, bar facilities, an audio and visual system, and disabled access and toilets. The club does not describe a catering service, so catering is the hirer's own arrangement.
The venue is out of town and transport is a real planning item: 'We are located just out of town at Lot 202 Fisheries Rd, Bandy Creek.' The club runs a race-day bus from Pink Lake IGA, Curry Palace (West Beach), the Pier Hotel, RAC Esperance Holiday Park and IGA Express Castletown, and notes 'Esperance Taxis also provide a regular service into and out of town' - but that bus is a race-day service, not a function service. 'Plenty of parking is available at the race course... ACROD Parking is also available at the race course.'
Contact is a named person rather than a department: 'If you have any further questions please contact Rob Gilbert 0439519881 or Race Day Office (08) 9071 3506.' The club's postal address is PO Box 471, Esperance WA 6450; the physical address is the Fisheries Road racecourse.
The pavilion is also used for the club's own events, including a Ladies Day long-table lunch and a high tea, so date availability outside the closed season is still worth checking against the club calendar.

Woody Island Eco Tours

Woody Island sits in the Recherche Archipelago, an hour by ferry from Esperance, and Woody Island Eco Tours is the only operator that can get you onto it.

Visit in person

Contact

Website: ebtc.com.au
Phone: (08) 9071 3506
Address: Lot 202 Fisheries Road, Bandy Creek, Esperance WA 6450, Australia

Lot 202 Fisheries Road, Bandy Creek, Esperance WA 6450, Australia Open in Maps

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