Gibson, Western Australia

Gibson is a town and locality of the Shire of Esperance in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, about north of Esperance. The Coolgardie–Esperance Highway and [Esperance branch railway|Kalgoorlie to Esperance, Western Australia|Esperance railway] the run through the locality from north to south. Esperance Airport and Helms Arboretum Reserve are located in the south-west of Gibson.
At the 2016 census, Gibson had a population of 449.

History

The population of the area was 16 in 1898.
Gibson was originally proposed in about 1910 as a siding on the Esperance branch railway due to a reliable water source in the area, named by surveyor A. W. Canning after a man who discovered the soak whilst searching for stock. The railway itself was not completed until 1925, but the townsite was gazetted on 19 October 1921.

Transport

It is served by a station on the Brookfield Rail network, and is also the site of the Esperance Airport. In 2009, a long crossing called by this name but located slightly away from the town was built.

Parks and reserves

Esperance Bird & Animal Park is a small animal park located at Gibson and includes: cockatoos, parrots, macaws, eagles, emus, sheep, goats, highland cattle, horses, llamas, kangaroos, wallabies and foxes.
Helms Arboretum Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot and popular wedding venue, was severely damaged by fire in December 2024. The arboretum, home to more than 120 species of planted trees, has a size of.