We tend to think of Western Australia as a state where a drive from anywhere to anywhere else is measured in days, not mere kilometres. Tucked away below Perth in the south-western corner, however, is a part of WA which defies the stereotype.

The Margaret River area, the Southern Forests region and the south coast from Augusta to Albany, is relatively compact. You can see it in a week, but, as always, two is better.

It features beautiful coastal scenery, protected by several National Parks on the shores of the Indian and Southern Oceans, magnificent Karri and Jarrah forests and seriously highbrow eating and drinking in Margaret River wine country.

Heading south from Perth, it’s a three hour drive on the South Western Highway or the old coast road, via Bunbury, to Geographe Bay.
Here, at Dunsborough, you’re at the northern end of a peninsula which stretches for 100 km from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin at its southern tip. Margaret River is halfway between the two.

Margaret River is unique because its character is shaped by two very different cultures. At one extreme, it’s a holy grail for Australia’s surfers; at the other, it is also one of the finest wine producing/gourmet areas in the country. The main surfing strip is between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Mentelle, 15 minutes west of Margaret River. The wineries are mostly located between Dunsborough and Margaret River, again in the northern half of the peninsula.

This “Cape to Cape” region is also very popular with weekenders and holidaymakers from Perth. If you’re planning an extended stay, there are many caravan parks and campgrounds along the coast, and it is very easy to find a quiet hideaway, far from the tourist trail.

If time is limited, the trick is to base yourself in Dunsborough, Yallingup (especially if surfing is your main reason for being here) or Margaret River, and take day trips. Distances are short – the main north south route, Caves Road, takes only an hour and a half if you drive it in one go – and as with the wine producing areas the eastern side of the continent, the individual vineyards are clustered together in a few concentrated spots.

Cape Naturaliste is 10 minutes drive from Dunsborough. Drop in at Wise Vineyard, high in the hills above Geographe Bay, for lunch on the open air terrace. Continue on to Eagle Bay, then back around the coast on the Meelup-Eagle Bay Road to the old whaling station site. On this drive are several tiny, sheltered beaches which are great for a picnic and a swim.

Cape Naturaliste itself has a couple of walks from the lighthouse out to the limestone cape, where you’ll probably see the surfers in action at The Other Side of the Moon, The Docks and The Channels.

Half way between Yallingup and Margaret River (15-20 minutes drive from both) is the largest concentration of vineyards. Try Cullens, renowned for its reds, Brooklyn, where you can have lunch on the verandah at Flutes Restaurant and Vasse Felix, owned by Janet Holmes à Court.

Also worth a visit are the Bootleg Brewery – the Sou’ West Wheat beer is sensational – the Margaret River Chocolate Factory (their chocolate massage oil sounds interesting) and Stellar Ridge Estate, which produces wines and olive oil, the other fruit which thrives in South Western WA’s Mediterranean climate. South of Margaret River, Voyager and Leeuwin Estate are the two best known wineries.

Heading south from Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin, the Caves Road takes you past several limestone cave sites which are open to the public. Mammoth Cave is spectacular and the self guided tour with headphones is good value.

Hamelin Bay is one of those locals-only secret places mentioned earlier, where locals come for long, indolent beachside holidays where the objective is to do as little as possible. Fishing is about as energetic as it gets. A rambling bushland caravan park is located right on the bay.

Cape Leeuwin is named after a Dutch ship which was headed for Batavia but ended up here, blown off course by the Roaring Forties in 1622. You can stand right on the point, next to the lighthouse, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.

In May and December, Humpback, Southern Right and Blue whales round Cape Leeuwin on their annual migration. Bass and Flinders started their circumnavigation of the continent here in 1801.

The Brockman Highway heads east from the Margaret River area to Pemberton, a drive which takes a couple of hours from Cape Leeuwin.
Pemberton is tall timber country. Warren and Beedelup National Parks, both close to town, protect stands of virgin Karri forest, of which only 40,000 hectares remain in WA.

The scale of these trees is difficult to accurately convey with numbers. Let’s just say that a tree which is 85 metres tall is a pretty big tree. Some which survived the axe are over 300 years old.

The Maiden Spur Trail and Heartbreak Trail in Warren National Park, 10 km south of Pemberton, is a short drive on dirt which takes you through some magnificent Karri forest.

Further south, on the way to Walpole via the South Western Highway, is a longer drive (50 km) off the highway through Shannon National Park, where you can see Karri, Jarrah and Marri forests.

Pemberton-Walpole takes about an hour and a half. At Walpole, you’re back on the coast in an area known as the Great Southern.

Much of the country around Walpole is also national park. Twelve kilometres east of Walpole on the South Coast highway is the Valley of the Giants. Here, you can do the Tree Top Walk, 40 metres above the ground on an amazing suspended steel structure – the longest and highest of its type in the world – to see the giant Tingle and Karri trees from a bird’s perspective. The spans are up to 100 metres long, and seem to be floating in space.

If heights make you nervous, a 600 metres boardwalk winds through an adjacent stand of tingle trees. These are not quite as tall as the karri, growing to 60 metres, but their trunks are up to 16 metres in circumference.

Denmark is half an hour’s drive east, again on the South Coast highway and is fast becoming another food and wine lover’s destination. The southern coast around Denmark is also famous for its fishing and bushwalking on the Bibbulmun Track, which starts in Perth and runs around the coast for 964 kilometres to Albany.

The Scottsdale tourist drive is a terrific half day trip. It runs for 25 kilometres from Denmark to McLeod Road, meets the South Coast highway, then skirts the northern boundary of William Bay National Park on the way back to Denmark. Karri trees, wildflowers, wineries and art galleries are featured along the way.

The final leg of the Great Southern drive is a 60 km run from Denmark to the south coast’s main centre, Albany, a major port located on King George Sound.

Take a short drive out of town to some wild coastal scenery at The Gap and The Blowholes in Torndirrup National Park.

Albany’s beautiful harbour is best seen from the top of Mt Clarence, near the main port area. You look over King Georges Sound, and down to Princess Royal Harbour, where the town itself is located.

Atop Mt Clarence is an imposing statue of two light horsemen and their mounts from the First AIF Desert Corps in 1915. It is a replica of a memorial unveiled in Egypt by the then Prime Minister, WM Hughes, in 1932, and destroyed during the Suez Crisis.

Its position high above King Georges Sound is fitting. The harbour was, for many troops, their last sight of Australia as they sailed off across the Indian Ocean to war.

East of Albany, you start heading into the more arid landscapes we think of as being typical WA. If time is on your side, the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight are within striking distance. The much less inspiring alternative is a straight 400 kilometre run up the Albany highway back to Perth.

GETTING THERE

Margaret River is 277 km south of Perth. Albany is 409 km south-east of Perth.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Margaret River Wine Tourism Showroom
Bussell Highway, Margaret River 
Phone: (08) 9757 2911

CaveWorks
Information about the areas 300 caves 
Caves Road, Margaret River 
Phone: (08) 9757 7411
Email: caveworks@margaretriver.com

Mammoth Cave
Self guided tour 
Caves Road 
Daily 9am - 4pm
Email: caveworks@margaretriver.com

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
Guided tours 
Augusta 
Daily 8.45am - 4pm. Tours on the half hour.

Naturaliste Charters
Whale watching cruises 
Augusta 
Phone: (08) 9755 2276
Email: info@whales-australia.com

Karri Forest Explorer
Self drive forest tour 
Pemberton 
Phone: 1800 671 133

Gloucester Tree
Climb to the fire lookout on the top Gloucester National Park,
Pemberton
Phone: 1800 671 133

Valley of the Giants
Treetop walk
Walpole 
Daily 9am - 4.15pm
Phone: (08) 9840 8263
Email: walpole.southernforests.com.au

INFORMATION

Margaret River Visitors Centre
Bussell Highway,
Margaret River.
Phone: (08) 9757 2911;

Pemberton Tourist Centre
Brockman Street,
Pemberton.
Freecall: 1800 671 133;

Walpole Visitor Information Centre
South Coast Highway,
Walpole.
Phone: (08) 9840 1111
Email: walpole.southernforests.com.au

Denmark Tourist Bureau
Strickland Street,
Denmark. Phone: (08) 9848 2055.

Albany Visitor Centre
Proudlove Parade,
Albany.
Phone: 1800 644 088

WEATHER WATCH

January: 20 - 32C
July: 12 - 20C

The south-western corner of WA has a Mediterranean climate, with warm to hot summers tempered by its proximity to the ocean, and mild winters when the region receives most of its rainfall.