Exploring Margaret River, Australia

Best Bits

So much to see and do, it’s easy to fill your weekend with a bunch of incredible activities! Ranging from wineries and restaurants, to beaches, forests, and caves, the region has a multitude of things to do, all within comfortable driving distance.

One of the best moments for me was walking through Mammoth cave early in the morning, without any other tourists in sight. Completely quiet, and unbelievably beautiful.

Worst Bits

To make the most of your time and see as much as possible you will need to spend quite a bit of time in your car over the course of the day. You will usually drive approximately 15 – 25 minutes between each sight/activity.

Trip Dates and Comments on Timing

February. The region is beautiful all year around, but I would particularly recommend it during the summer!

Arrival Logistics

Most visitors will start their trip in Perth, and then drive down to Margaret River. The drive itself is approximately 3 hours, depending on where exactly you are staying in the region.

The overview of my itinerary was as follows:

Wednesday Evening: Arrive at Big Valley Campsite Thursday: Breakfast at Margaret River Bakery, VIsit to Mammoth Cave, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Augusta for Lunch, Scenic Drive through the Forests, sunset at Redgate Beach Friday: Return to Perth

Main Activities

Adventure, Backpacking, Beach, Camping, Hiking, National Parks, Nature, Relaxing, Road trip

Food and Drink Highlights

My trip to the region was on a fairly tight budget, which meant that I wasn’t able to sample the finest restaurants or wineries in the region. However, I did find a couple of really fantastic spots, which also work for travellers on a less flexible budget.

The Margaret River Bakery is a small, breakfast focused café in the town of Margaret River. In the morning the place is absolutely packed full of people, and yet the service is still quiet and courteous. Catering to both dine-in and takeaway customers, the cafe offers a wide selection of great food. I personally took a liking to the breakfast burger and flat white combination which I started both of my days in the region with.

Later in the afternoon, after a morning full of activities, I stopped by the Yahava KoffeeWorks Roastery. This place was great! Not only did they make incredible coffee, they also had a cool store, as well as a tasting bar, and even tours of the attached roaster. Would definitely recommend this place for any coffee lovers.

Essential Packing for this Trip

This depends hugely on whether you want to camp or stay in a hotel. I decided to camp, and sleep in the back of my car for my trip. Essential packing for me was a sleeping bag, camping stove, and all the standard selection of camping supplies.

Beyond that, you’ll need a car or some form of flexible transport. If you’re too dependent on taxis or shuttle busses, then seeing all the sights could get expensive!

Dan’s Experience…

I started my adventure in Perth, where I had a couple of days free and decided that I would go on a spontaneous road trip down south to Margaret River. After a quick bit of internet research, I decided to book Big Valley campsite, who thankfully had availability for that and the following nights. So I gathered my camping gear, loaded up my car, and set off on the 3 hour drive down to Margaret River. That afternoon, I arrived at the campsite, after driving through an incredible array of scenery.

The campsite was very secluded, but the staff and other guests were charming, and the site was very comfortable overall. The facilities went above and beyond what I expected from a campsite, including some very nice shower/toilet facilities, and a well equipped kitchen and dining area.

After setting up my car for sleeping, I got an early night in preparation for what would certainly be a busy day tomorrow.

I woke up with the sun, and very quickly packed up my car to set off on my adventure! I drove straight to the Margaret River Bakery, where I had a glorious breakfast burger and a flat white. Can not recommend this place enough! After this I started driving south down Caves Road and stopped at Mammoth Cave.

This place was incredible! Early in the day, there were no other tourists there. This was also one of the only caves in the region where you can freely walk through the cave without a guide or set visit schedule. The cave was completely silent, and felt slightly eerie, but I was loving it. I spent about an hour and a half there, before heading to my next stop.

Cape Leuwin Lighthouse stands at the south-westernmost tip of Australia, and is well worth the visit. Entry cost AUD$20 including a tour up the lighthouse itself, and allowed me to get a bunch of photos for my aspiring Instagram presence.

After this I stopped for a classic fish and chips in the nearby town of Augusta, for the Authentic Australian experience.

Driving North, I saw a sign for a scenic drive through the forests, and decided that I had to check it out. The road was rough, and lead straight into the woods. After exploring for about half an hour, I found a lookout point from which I could see all the way to the ocean. Be warned, this drive probably isn’t suitable for most cars, 4x4 is highly recommended.

Final stop of the day was Redgate beach, where I sat and watched the sun go down over the horizon. A beautiful end to a fantastic day. Then back to camp, and then the drive back north the following day…