[2][3] The name is derived from a prominent stretch of Eucalyptus salmonophloia (Salmon Gum) trees which formed a landmark in the town's early days.

[7] The first potential use of a townsite was as a watering spot for the proposed Esperance to Norseman railway,[4] since Salmon Gums is roughly halfway between these two towns.

Research at the latter quickly led to the discovery that soil in the Esperance region was deficient in trace elements, reportedly phosphorus, copper and zinc, and the addition of these greatly improved fertility and crop yields.

According to both the Köppen and Trewartha classifications for humid climates it is thermally subtropical,[12][13] the months of January and February exceeding 22 °C (71.6 °F) and all months exceeding 10 °C (50 °F) on average, though by the Köppen criteria for arid climates and the classification used by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology[14] its yearly average (being less than 18 °C (64.4 °F)) is insufficient to qualify as such.

Like many near-coastal areas of Australia, the climate is dominated by periodic exchanges between hot, dry air from the desert interior and cooler, humid air from the ocean, exemplified by the very large gulf between its averages and extreme high temperatures, the 1991–2020 normals placing the average yearly record high as 43.0 °C (109.4 °F)[15] and the highest ever recorded being 46.3 °C (115.3 °F) on 28 January 2011.

[19] An average of 70 days per year reach or exceed 30 °C (86 °F), putting it within American Horticultural Society heat zone 7.