On 15 December, the townsite of Esperance was declared under the chairmanship of G H Bostock of the Dundas and Esperance Roads Board. The townsite was surveyed by R Brazier and Lots 1-42 were established

On 1st August Esperance Bay was proclaimed a port of entry. In geographical position it was the port to the Dundas Goldfield.

Built by Esperance Bay Land Company at Chaplain Street (now Castletown) this jetty was 300m after an extension in 1896 by AB Wright. It had a head depth of 7m. The population of the ‘new town’ was around 80. Connected to the town by horse-drawn trucks and later a tram line ran along the foreshore to the Customs Bond Store to facilitate clearance of dutiable goods. The jetty was sold to Bryan Fullerton in c1948 and the timbers were removed, milled then sold.

A tender ‘Esperance Bay Goods Store And Jetty Contract. Date of advertisement in Government Gazette: 25th October, 1894’ was issued by the Department Of Public Works. A successful tender, of £1758, was submitted by FWS Reid & Co.

On 27 September Esperance was gazetted as a Municipality, with an elected Mayor.

The Esperance Roads Board was separate. Thomas Edwards, a civil engineer who had arrived in 1893, was elected the Mayor of Esperance. The municipal meetings were held at the Pier Hotel.

A jetty was built by FWS Reid – 340 feet (103.5m), head 100 feet (30.5m), depth 10 feet (3m).

The inauguration of the Adelaide Steamship Company's fortnightly service between Adelaide and Esperance was celebrated on 27th September by a banquet on board the SS ‘Flinders’.

It was expected that larger ships would come with the upgrade to the jetty.

The goods shed commenced in 1896 and eventually enveloped the Bond Store.

The building became the Esperance Museum in 1976.

A Tender was issued by JW Wright & Co.(Engineers) closing on 15th October 1895 for ‘Extension of present Jetty at Esperance Bay three chains in deep water’

On 9th September 1896 the rail link between Fremantle and Kalgoorlie (Boorabbin to Kalgoorlie - 125.8 km) was completed and was opened 1st January 1897, with Esperance losing much of its Goldfields trade.

Severe storms and in that year three vessels all owned or chartered by J. R. A. Connolly of Esperance were lost, one being the 74 ton ketch ‘Swift’ off Twilight Cove.

Commander J.W. Combe R.N carried out surveys of Esperance Bay in the former private yacht, now H.M. Surveying Ship ‘Waterwitch’ in February. On arrival on 7th February, the boat was met by the mayor, town clerk, and others.