Epic alternative tours in the Margaret River Region

For over 50,000 years, the Wadandi people of the Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River areas have walked this ancient land. Koomal Dreaming is your opportunity to follow in their footsteps and experience Wadandi country through their eyes. Wadandi custodian Josh “Koomal” Whiteland will introduce you to the world’s oldest living culture with his authentic, personal interpretation of the region’s native flora fauna and traditional stories. Choose from tours where you’ll taste native bush foods and experience traditional fire lightin or head down into Ngilgi Cave for a memorable Didgeridoo performance.

If you have the taste for deep sea adventure but lack the know-how and qualifications, then Dive Busselton Jetty offer the tour for you. Try out one of their unique SeaTREK underwater walks. Yes, that’s right. It’s an underwater walk. You’ll be kitted out with a super stylish helmet to ensure you’ll be able to breath on your underwater stroll. The underwater world of the Busselton Jetty is packed full of sea life to view. After all, it’s been here for 150 years; enough time for critters and coral to call its deep sea nooks and crannies home.

There’s nothing like having your own little slice of paradise when on holiday. Jump out on the water with Sailing Charters WA and you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face for the whole day. Whether you go for a sunset cruise, a swim and lunch cruise or a private day long charter, you’ll be sailing, swimming and sipping on the Indian Ocean right beside the region’s gorgeous coastline.

Enjoy a cruise of Augusta’s beautiful Blackwood River with local tour guide and skipper Graeme Challis, who’s grandparents first settled along the river in 1923. A totally unspoilt wetland, this area is a hotbed for wildlife and Graeme will be able to tell you all about it on one of his Augusta River Tours. For total serenity and true immersion in nature, this alternative tour is the go.

Scenic Helicopters offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour the entire stretch of cape to cape coast by air. For those looking for the ideal romantic treat, book a flight to your very own secluded beach and treat your loved one to a gourmet picnic hamper and champagne on ice. There are plenty of alternative tour options to pick from!

Combine your experience of the Margaret River Region with a unique tour of the broader south west pocket of WA with Untamed Escapes. Offering six to ten day journeys from Perth to Adelaide, encompassing the Margaret River Region, Albany, Denmark, Esperance and even South Australia’s Nullarbor and Eyre Peninsula, these guys really are the go-to for a full blown Australian adventure. In Margaret River, enjoy wine tasting, surf, and pristine beaches, all wrapped up in their 100% carbon neutral tour packages. You’ll finish the journey with a more complete perspective of what makes this part of the world so incredible.

If you’ve always wanted to give mountain biking a go but don’t know where to start, Margaret River Mountain Bike Tours is the answer. Join Michael ‘Brooksey’ Brookes for a guided ride through the magic of the Boranup Forest, through the rolling pastures and wineries of Margaret River, take in views of secluded beaches and even enjoy a private wine flight and decadent lunch at one of the region’s most renowned wineries, Leeuwin Estate. You’ll be looked after whether it’s a half day tour, a sunset and night ride by headlight, or with the latest Ride to Wine and Dine experience taking in the best of both worlds in Margaret River. Not keen on getting too sweaty? Hop on an E-bike instead. Sorted.

Experienced ride or not, you’ll want to get out on a Jester’s Flat horse. It’s a completely surreal way to experience an alternative tour in the region, whether it’s through the bush, along the coast, or across the countryside at twilight.

The tour for people who don’t do tours! That is, if you can manage to nab a spot on one of Sean Blocksidge’s blockbuster adventures with the Margaret River Discover Co. One of the region’s most in-demand experiences, Sean’s tours have you paddling down the river, walking the cape to cape, tasting wine, dining in a barrel hall – all with one of Margaret River’s most recognisable and lively personalities in your ear. You’ll be guaranteed some photos for the mantlepiece too.

One of the newest tours on offer, Passel Estate’s Nature & Wine Walk is perfect for wine lovers that would also like to explore and learn more about the region’s native habitat and the flora and fauna that live within it. The Estate’s nature sanctuary has been protected and rehabilitated to encourage the survival of the critically endangered Western Ringtail Possum. You’ll enjoy a private guided tour, before stopping by the vines to learn about the terroir and why it is the perfect spot for making award-winning wines. Finish up with a wine tasting and cheese platter, and of course the heart-warming knowledge that you have helped the Estate’s efforts in conservation. 50% of the proceeds for every booking go directly towards further conservation work.