7 days of summer in the Margaret River Region

As gateway towns go, Busselton is the complete package. The pace is slower. Its orientation, Indian Ocean facing. And its combination of articulated history, textured environmental engagement, and food and wine presentation just the lead-in this unique region deserves. Hit the foreshore first. It’ll draw you like a beacon, especially with its white sand and sheltered waters.

There’s the appeal of the famed Busselton Jetty – the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere, cared for by a community group that understands the history of a place belongs to its people, along with mermaid experiences, an underwater sculpture trail and observatory, even a train to take you the almost two-kilometres from beginning to jetty’s tip for those who find the walk too much.

While you’re there, you might be tempted to check out the parts of the picturesque jetty that don’t stick out of the water, including the diverse sea creatures that call it their home. Book a guided snorkel or scuba diving tour with Swan Dive. They can also take you further afield for more underwater adventures.

It’s a big Day One with plenty of accommodation options for you to rest your head. The Sebel’s apartments and bungalows allow visitors to experience a home-away-from-home, or for retro motel charm, check out The Timothee Resort. For an eco-certified and totally off-the-grid stay, Tree Chalets oozes romantic luxury among towering rosegum trees, and Heyscape’s tiny cabins in Busselton and Yallingup are another stylish eco-friendly option, featuring stunning outdoor baths.

Nighttime dining options here are endless. To get you started, a visit to INARA Dining is a must. Supper Club is Busselton’s newest dining experience offering curated, seasonal menus.

To be led into the heart of Country by Wadandi cultural custodian, Josh Whiteland, is to lay the groundwork for an intimate relationship with the region that’ll take you deeper than the bottom of a wine glass.

Start your week’s stay right and let his Koomal Dreaming cultural tours inform your appreciation of the landscape and the people connected to it. Josh’s role as a father and caretaker allows broad spectrum engagement through the channels of art, music, and food – kids will love him, and everyone will learn from him.

Proximity means a sunset stop and swim at Meelup Beach can also form part of the day’s program. The white sandy beach and crystal-clear water are everything your summer dreams are made of, plus there are BBQ facilities if you don’t want to leave when tummies start rumbling. Like it this end? Journey a little further for a visit to Bunker Bay, also an incredible beach very popular for summer dips, and home to Mediterranean and Australian fusion restaurant ilma Beach House. While you’re here, consider a stay at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort too – a 5-star luxury resort, nestled in the dunes behind the vivid aquamarine beach.

Experience Geographe Bay from the water with a personalised small-group tour on board one of Oceania Experiences’ fleet of vessels, and for the adrenaline junkies, Dunsborough Jetski Tours offer a fun way to enjoy the turquoise waters and local marine life.

In Dunsborough town, right next door to each other, beneath the peppermint trees, sits Yarri – six seasons culinary experience by renowned local chef Aaron Carr, and Blue Manna, where chef Coby Cockburn delivers spice and incredible local seafood.

If you would prefer to base yourself just down the road in the gorgeous Yallingup area, the luxurious self-contained chalets at Bina Maya Yallingup Escape are the perfect balance of comfort and style. You can stop for a meal or bev around this end too – Lagoon Yallingup is an excellent choice for any type of craving, offering both a restaurant, kiosk and bar. Or order an oyster or seafood box via their website and plonk yourselves at Rabbit Hill to watch the surfers shred at the horizon. All options are just as magical.

Taking the time to create a sense of context means free time exploring is an opportunity to construct your own unique relationship to the region, now that you know a little of the history of the place. Barnyard Bees Honey Farm is another angle in. Experience of connection between food, culture and place: honey was used by Indigenous custodians as medicine and nourishment; it is exported overseas to tell the story of our region’s geographic purity and speaks directly to the importance of preserving the delicate balance of nature. Honey’s story has taken on extra resonance in a world attempting to come to terms with the marriage between progress and preservation.

Right next door is Smiths Beach Resort, situated just off Caves Road. A retreat here gives you the opportunity to enjoy a coastal hike, a swim at Smiths Beach or an incredible sunset drink from one of their Ocean View Villas.

If you like the idea of staying close to water but maybe not the salty kind, check out Edge Luxury Villas. Cool down in their pristine lake, adorned with a picturesque little bridge. Even better, you’re surrounded by some of the region’s most spectacular wineries, restaurants and breweries.

Your wine adventure starts now. at Domaine Naturaliste, less than 2 kilometres down the road and home of famed winemaker Bruce Dukes. You can opt for a seated wine flight or taste at the bar, but if you have a bit more time, we highly recommend enjoying your wine with a lazy picnic on the lawn.

A visit to the Woodlands Winery cellar door is a taste of classic Margaret River Region terroir. One of the region’s first five wineries established, it’s famed for its Cabernet Sauvignon.  Speaking of regional firsts, The Grove is the founding distillery of Margaret River, crafting award-winning rums, whiskies, gins, vodkas and liqueurs.

A beeline down Metricup Rd, which will have you on course to stop into Beerfarm on Gale Road. A brewery converted from an old dairy farm, the tasting bar is the perfect pit stop for a refreshing drink while soaking up some calm farm vibes, while the little ones play on the epic waterslide.

It’s then time to take in a late, gourmet lunch. Rústico at Hay Shed Hill offer a delicious menu of Mediterranean flavours. Rivendell is family and dog-friendly with plenty of lunch options, including handcrafted pizzas. For award-winning wine and exceptional dining, Wise Wine is set high above Geographe Bay, pairing breathtaking ocean views with vibrant, seasonal dishes and award-winning wines and gins.

A shift from the northern end accommodation to the Margarets Beach Resort is a change in tone that showcases the diversity of experience packed into this little region: a small clutch of apartments just a coo-ee from beautiful Gnarabup Beach for bathers, Gas Bay for surfers, and The Common – the local pub – for easy meals and a taste of the region’s beers and wines.

Speaking of beer, Brewhouse Margaret River is a 12-minute drive into town, with local beers on tap, a great playground for kids and heaps of grassy green space under tall-tree shade. Live music on the deck is a summer mainstay and food with a strong local following. The Rotary Park loop can be tacked on at the end of lunch – a tracked bush walk along the Margaret River’s edge that begins its footing a scant 50 metres from the Brewhouse deck. Kate the train is a piece of history the kids can clamber over and the flocking rare black cockatoos occupying the forest canopy each sunset and sunrise is an experience in itself.

The kids need to get out of the sun but still have some energy left to burn? No problem, take them to The Hangout Margaret River for hours of indoor fun.

Wine and beach. Beach and forest. Forest and wine. Explore the regional trinity on day five of your summer adventure with a triplicate of experiences. Head south along Bussell Highway toward a morning of outdoor adventure. The beach at Hamelin Bay has been the backdrop for many a quintessential family holiday, with lots of space to find your own patch of paradise. The sheltered bay is great for swimming, and divers can venture out to explore the nearby shipwreck.

Just a further 12 minutes’ drive south is Jewel Cave, a subterranean expanse that holds an entirely contrary perspective to clear skies and endless blues. Jump on a tour and be guided deep into the innards of Wadandi country. Beneath ground and eyes opened wide to a whole new world.

Ready for a treat? Head inland and back towards Margaret River and Cowaramup – local chocolatiers Temper Temper and Margaret River Chocolate Co. are safe bets when the sugar cravings take over. A bit further north, also try Gabriel Chocolate and Yallingup Chocolate.

South awaits. Another frontier. Another bite from the apple. The Margaret River Region is diverse, and each township possesses its own character. Augusta is raw beauty, quiet contemplation and a true paradise for water junkies: where the Blackwood River meets the Southern Ocean, whales stop past on their annual traverse, and dolphins congregate to scoop up any whiting local fishing enthusiasts have missed.

Organise a pick-up by Augusta River Tours skipper, Graeme Challis, from Augusta’s Ellis Street jetty and let the third-generation Augusta local fill you in on the area’s ecology while spotting some 60 species of bird alongside the local pod of bottle-nose dolphins. Photographers won’t want to be without their camera here. Take a picnic from the The Colourpatch Café – they specialise in seafood and pasta, and takeaway options include everything from fish and chips and tasty burgers to vegetarian delights.

While in Augusta, a visit to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is a must. It’s the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia, and the views are impeccable – situated right where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. Join a lighthouse tour and check out the award-winning Interpretative Centre, where visitors can get immersed in the history and legend of this iconic place.

Finish off the day with dinner at the iconic Augusta Hotel, famed for its long grassy hill that’s a kid’s roly-poly paradise. The beers are cold, the wines local, and the chicken schnitzels legendary.

If you can’t drag yourself away from Augusta and need a few more days to soak in the slow pace of this nostalgic little town, The Shipwright’s Mistress is a perfect place to lay your head. Enjoy your morning coffee from the deck, watching the river and spend afternoons playing board games or taking a gentle paddleboard.

It might be the last time you wake to kookaburra song for a little while. The week’s over, but not before one last insight. Breakfast at White Elephant Café right on the sand at Gnarabup is a summertime rite of passage. Get packed and take the kids for one last dip in the Indian Ocean after scrambled eggs and mushrooms. If it’s peak summer, the pontoon will be out – an easy swim from the jetty or the shore, and a quintessential experience to finish your week in the Margaret River Region.

Image credits: Russell Ord, Elements Margaret River, Scott Slawinski, Jessica Wyld, Jarrad Seng and Tim Campbell.