Beaches, Bikes & Brews in Dunsborough

19.11.2020

Sunshine on your skin. Sand on your feet. Wearing bathers all day. The whole day ahead of you in glorious Eagle Bay – does life get any better than this?

Lucky Margarita Wallace is the hard-working marketing manager at Eagle Bay Brewing Co, and it’s days like these she lives for: “When the weekend rolls round and the sun’s shining there’s no better way to celebrate than with long, lazy days in Eagle Bay with friends.”

There’s a wonderful feeling of freedom when you wake up on holiday to a day with no plans – but just in case you need some ideas, here’s our ultimate Eagle Bay Trail. How to while away a delicious day of beaches, bikes and brews.

Hit The Mountain Bike Trails

We’ve got some of Western Australia’s best MTB trails here in the south west – and the Meelup trails have long been Dunsborough’s mountain biking secret.

There’s over 20km of trails to explore within the grounds of the Dunsborough and Districts Country Club (DDCC) and the Meelup Regional Park, with winding pea gravel tracks through bushland and the occasional ocean glimpse. Awesome mountain biking terrain, plus there’s superb coastal walks too.

BYO bike or pop in to The Bike Shed on Clark St. They’ve got everything from a basic hardtail to current model carbon dual suspension bikes. If you need your own bike repaired or just need some local trail advice drop in and see the boys or check out their website for local club and ride info.

Head to the DDCC – it’s the place to start, with easy access to the trails, it offers plenty of parking with toilets, hot showers, bar and restaurant facilities.

Graeme from the Bike Shed suggests the Country Club trails through bushland and around the golf course for novice and experienced riders keen to ride on natural terrain. The skills development park comprises of a pump track, jump lines, dual slalom trail and other fun obstacles.

If you fancy a challenge, then check out the tight and technical single track and flow trails in the Meelup Regional Park. The twisty trails feature a variety of log and rock obstacles, jumps and drops. Highlights include the 5km Brown St loop and the 5+ downhill runs with a mixture of green, blue and black lines.

Cool Off at the Beach

Fine white sand and incredibly clear aqua water makes for seriously spectacular beaches. Sheltered from ocean swells by Cape Naturaliste, the bay side beaches are relatively calm and slightly warmer than those facing west. So, grab your umbrella and factor 30 and marvel at how good we’ve got it here in Eagle Bay – yep, you can get a car park that close to the beach!

With so many lovely beaches, the hard part is choosing just one– serious #firstworldproblem, we know. To make the decision easier, here’s a few options and what to expect. From north to south;

Bunker Bay – grab a front row seat for brunch at Bunker Beach House which is nestled in the dunes. You’ll spy seals, dolphins and whales if you’re lucky. Beautiful fine sand and great for jumping through the waves, it’s patrolled by Surf Live Saving at the height of summer. There are showers too – perfect if you’re going straight from the beach to lunch.

Eagle Bay Beach is the most sublime turquoise colour thanks to fine white sand and clear water. It rolls on and on, extending almost the whole way south to Point Piquet, making it perfect for a long beach walk.

Meelup Beach is a family favourite thanks to free barbecues, summer swimming lessons and surf life savers. The water is calm, there’s plenty of shade and beach hire. Hire a stand-up paddleboard, body board or snorkel and quietly explore the bay.

Sunny Days at Eagle Bay Brewing Co

After a massive morning mountain biking and swimming, you deserve something special for lunch. Head to Eagle Bay Brewing Co for bites and brews with a breathtaking view of rolling hills, roaming livestock and the sea. It’s grand and beautiful, but you’re welcome with salty hair and sandy toes.

Grab a table in the sunshine and watch kids cartwheeling across the lawn. Copped enough Vitamin D already? There’s plenty of space undercover and indoors, still with glimpses of that incredible view.

This beautiful patch of land has long been a cattle farm, and in 2010 the three d’Espeissis siblings launched the brewery. Their dad John still farms the surrounding land, evidenced by the cows, vineyard and awesome kitchen garden.

The lunch menu revolves around that kitchen garden; right now there’s an abundance of kale, cabbage and citrus so it’s on a pizza, on lip-smacking chicken wings and on the shared boards. If you’re here to catch up with mates there’s plenty of excellent share food; snacks like marinated octopus with Yallingup wood fired bread, seven different share boards filled with cured beef and duck breast, pickled plums, beetroot, apple and cabbage coleslaw. Hungry folk can’t go past the beer battered fish and chips – made with EBBCo Kolsch.

Beers are handcrafted onsite from just four ingredients; rainwater, malted barley, yeast, hops and sunshine to power the brewery – there’s a massive bank of solar panels atop the roof.

Grab a six pack or growler to take to sunset drinks at Sugarloaf Rock.

Lunch spread at Eagle Bay Brewery — The lunch menu at Eagle Bay Brewing Co revolves around the kitchen garden

Stock up for Sunset Drinks

Grab some tasty treats and vino at these local Eagle Bay Producers.

Wise Wines is one of the few wineries in the region with an ocean view. There are 24 wines on tasting, and it’s the Lot 80 Cabernet Sauvignon you need to stock up on. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch year-round, plus dinner on Friday and Saturday nights in peak season. Head chef Ben Jacob recently joined the team and has cemented Wise Restaurant’s reputation for quality cuisine. Vegans and veggie-appreciators, look out for their Gourmet Escape vegan dinner – the Smith & Daughters 90’s Trattoria Dinner promises Italian with a twist.

Grab locally grown olives, freshly pressed extra virgin oil, scrummy tapenades and pesto from Eagle Bay Olives. They’re open Friday to Sunday and also stock Yallingup Wood Fired Bread, making it a one-stop-shop for your nibbles platter – you can even treat yourself to a beautiful new wooden board. There’s also apricot jam and cumquat marmalade for brekkie!

Sugarloaf Rock is the supremely Instagrammable granite outcrop, and a great spot for sunset drinks. Watch out for dolphins, and whales in spring time, and the illusive red-tailed tropic bird – Sugarloaf is it’s most southern nesting spot.