title: Gibson, Western Australia
text: # Gibson, Western Australia
  
  Gibson is a small town in southeastern Western Australia, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of Esperance. At the 2016 census, Gibson had a population of 449.
  
  ## History
  
  The population of the area was 16 (7 males and 9 females) 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 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) long crossing called by this name but located slightly away from the town was built.
  
  ## Esperance Bird & Animal Park
  
  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.
  
  