DISTANCE: 1,150km (715miles)
TIME: Three days
START/END: Perth
POINTS TO NOTE: This route requires use of a vehicle. Although it can be done in three days, take as much time as you can spare. Accommodation is plentiful and diverse in the southwest (for more information, click here). If time is tight, Regional Express Airlines (REX; www.rex.com.au) offer flights between Perth and Albany, where there are a number of car-hire companies.
WA’s southwest corner is every epicure’s ultimate destination, with superb vineyards, abundant olive groves, boutique breweries, craft cheesemakers and fine-food producing farms. But the region is also rich in wildlife and outdoor adventure amid an epic environment, where hiking and biking trails wend through ancient karri forests, deep caves gape from the limestone landscape and serious swell rolls into a much-storied coastline where the South Pacific meets the Indian Ocean around Cape Leeuwin.
Wild Bottlenose dolphin in Koombana Bay
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Bunbury
Take the Kwinana Freeway between Mandurah and Pinjarra (for more information, click here), segueing onto the Forrest Highway across the Murray River, to pass through Myalup State Forest and reach Bunbury 1 [map], WA’s third-largest population centre. No Oneforty (see 1 [map]) is a good place for brunch.
Visit the Dolphin Discovery Centre (Koombana Beach; tel: 08-9791 3088; www.dolphindiscovery.com.au; daily 8am–4pm) to meet a community of bottlenose dolphins that visits the beach daily to feed; you can stand within an arm’s reach of the mammals. Dolphin cruises depart daily November–April, and the centre offers popular swimming-with-dolphins experiences.
For birdlife, head to the Big Swamp Reserve (Prince Phillip Drive), home to over 70 species of waterfowl, and crossed by boardwalks leading to hides. Information about the wetlands is available from the Big Swamp Wildlife Park (tel: 08-9721 8380; www.bunburywildlifepark.com.au; daily 10am–5pm) across the road. The park itself has many native animals.
Geographe Bay
Drive 30 minutes south to Busselton 2 [map], gateway to the Margaret River Wine Region, one of the state’s top destinations. The town’s north-facing (therefore protected) aspect on Geographe Bay makes it perfect for swimming.
Much-photographed mile-long Busselton Jetty (www.busseltonjetty.com.au; daily 24 hours) is the southern hemisphere’s longest wooden pier (1,840 metres/6,037ft). The electric Jetty Train chugs all the way to the end, where an Underwater Observatory (tel: 08-9754 0900; daily, Sep–Apr 8am–6pm, May–Sept 9am–5pm), dunks visitors 8 metres (26ft) below sea level for amazing views of fish and coral. Tickets are available from the nearby boatshed-style Interpretive Centre (daily 8.30am–6pm), which tells the jetty’s history and screens live underwater action from beneath the jetty via a marine cam.
Bunker Bay on Cape Naturaliste is incredibly beautiful
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Cape Naturaliste
Just west of Busselton, along Caves Road, are the townships of Dunsborough 3 [map] and Yallingup 4 [map]. Surrounded by vineyards, this booming area is popular for weekend getaways. Half- and full-day winery tours are available through operators such as Taste the South Winery Tours (www.tastethesouth.com.au), but all the best wineries are well-signposted from Caves Road between Yallingup and Gracetown.
Art centres also abound, including Gunyulgup Galleries (Gunyulgup Valley; tel: 08-9755 2177; www.gunyulgupgalleries.com.au; daily 10am–5pm). Yallingup Galleries (www.yallingupgalleries.com.au) and jewellery specialist John Miller Design (www.johnmillerdesign.com) are both on Marrinup Drive, Yallingup.
Six kilometres (4 miles) south of Yallingup, on Injidup Springs Road, is Wardan Aboriginal Cultural Centre (tel: 08-9756 6566; Wed–Mon 10am–4pm), which explains the culture of the Wardani, traditional custodians of the area. In addition to a gallery, it offers a bush-based story trail, tool-making and spear-throwing workshops, and music and dance performances.
Stalactites in Ngilgi Cave
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Beaches
Dunsborough has beautiful beaches, perfect for families. For more secluded sand, follow Naturalist Road, northeast of Dunsborough, to Meelup, Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay. Smith’s Beach, off Caves Road and Canal Rocks Road south of Yallingup, is the area’s best surfing spot.
Naturaliste Road also leads to the tip of Cape Naturaliste 5 [map], with a lighthouse (open daily 9.30am–4pm), built in 1903. The 155km (96-mile) Cape-to-Cape Walk leads from here to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse (for more information, click here), winding through the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.
Wine
Continue south along Caves Road, turning left at Carters Road to Margaret River 6 [map], home to some of Australia’s top wineries, including Vasse Felix (www.vassefelix.com.au) and Voyager Estate (www.voyagerestate.com.au), both a 10-minute drive from town. Begin tours at the Margaret River Regional Wine Centre, in the centrally located Margaret River Visitor Centre (100 Bussell Highway; tel: 08-9780 5911; www.margaretriver.com; daily 9am–5pm). It holds regular free varietal wine-tastings and can supply maps to all the wineries in the area.
The Visitor Centre also provides information on attractions like the Eagles Heritage Wildlife Centre (Boodjidup Road; tel: 08-9757 2960; www.eaglesheritage.com.au; flight displays 11am and 1.30pm) and hiking trails through local karri forest. Margaret River is a big mountain-biking destination; contact Dirty Detours (www.dirtydetours.com) for guided rides. When you’ve earned a thirst, hit the Brewhouse (see 2 [map]).
Caves
Stretching from Busselton to Augusta, the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is honeycombed with over 150 limestone caves. Highlights include Yallingup Ngilgi Cave (daily 9am–5pm; guided tours and longer adventure experiences available), where Aboriginal legends abound; massive Mammoth Cave 7 [map] (21km/13 miles south of Margaret River; daily 9am–5pm; self-guided tour possible); the reflections in Lake Cave (Caves Road, 25km/15 miles south of Margaret River; daily 9am–5pm; guided tours only) and the spectacularly colossal chambers of Jewel Cave (8km/5 miles north of Augusta; daily 9am–5pm; guided tours only).
Wild humpback whale
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Whales
Nestled on Flinders Bay at the mouth of the Blackwood River and the southernmost end of the Margaret River Wine Region, Augusta 8 [map] is a place to unwind by swimming, walking or taking a leisurely river cruise.
It also has superb whale watching. Southern rights and occasionally rare blue whales visit during their yearly migration up WA’s coast. Whales stay from May to August, with up to 200 playing in Flinders Bay during peak season. Join a daily tour with Naturaliste Charters (tel: 08-9755 2276; www.whales-australia.com.au), who also run killer whale–spotting trips to Bremer Canyon, just past Albany.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse 9 [map] (Leeuwin Road, south of Augusta; tours available daily), situated near the meeting point of the Indian and Southern oceans, is a famous landmark and a wonderful place to watch whales from dry land.
Tree climbing
On the far side of Flinders Bay is Pemberton ) [map], springboard for exploring the region’s national parks (https://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au) and towering karri forests – from the treetops if you’re brave enough to climb up to platforms once used to spot fires.
Visit Gloucester National Park (3km/2 miles east) to climb a spiral staircase around the Gloucester Tree to a 53-metre (174ft) -high lookout; Diamond Tree (15-minute drive north of Pemberton, on South Western Highway), where the eponymous tree has a 49-metre (160ft) -high platform; and Warren National Park (15-minute drive from Pemberton on Vasse Highway), where the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree has 165 pegs leading to a 65-metre (213ft) -high vantage point. Fishing for trout and marron (freshwater crayfish) is also popular here.
Denmark
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The Great Southern
Head southeast from Pemberton to Walpole ! [map], located amid Walpole–Nornalup National Park and boasting thick forests, beaches and a rugged coast.
The thrilling Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk (tel: 08-9840 8263; www.valleyofthegiants.com.au; daily 9am–5pm), where a 600-metre/yd-long boardwalk passes though the canopy of the surrounding tingle forest, lies 13km (8 miles) east of Walpole along the South Coast Highway. Occasional night tours are available. At ground level, the Ancient Empire Walk (free) follows boardwalks around the base of the wide-girth trees.
After Walpole, the South Western Highway becomes the South Coast Highway and continues east to Denmark @ [map], a pretty riverside town surrounded by scenic drives. These include the Scotsdale Tourist Drive (34km/21 miles), which passes great wineries, art galleries and local producers to end at the famous Greens Pool in the William Bay National Park.
Albany
Scenically situated on King George Sound, Albany £ [map] was once a whaling town. Hunting ceased in 1978, but a former whaling station on Cheynes Beach now houses Whale World (Frenchman Bay Road; www.discoverybay.com.au/historic-whaling-station; daily 9am–5pm), which explains the old industry. Southern right and humpback whales still visit between June and October, and instead of chasing these magnificent mammals with harpoons, local skippers now offer whale-watching experiences. Operators include Albany Whale Tours (www.albanywhaletours.com.au).
Nearby Torndirrup National Park (free) hugs the rugged coast, and features ‘the Gap’ an awe-inspiring 24-metre (79ft) chasm, which visitors can view from the safety of a steel cage on the cliff’s edge. The Natural Bridge is a large granite rock that’s been eroded over time to create a large arch.
Back in town, past Australia’s largest wind farm, HMAS Perth is visible in the shallows of King George Sound, her mast rising out of the water. Scuttled in 2001, the vessel is a decent dive and snorkelling site. Some of WA’s most beautiful beaches lie close to Albany, among them Nanarup Beach (off the Lower Kalgan Road, 25km/15 miles east of town), popular with surfers; Little Beach in Two People’s Bay National Park (30km/18 miles east of Albany), a sheltered cove ideal for swimming, and Two People’s Bay in Manypeaks, a remote swathe of sand accessed via a bushwalk over the headland.
Forests and fruit
Turn inland to Mount Barker and veer west via Lake Muir. At Manjimup, join the South Western Highway and head through the apple orchards and forests surrounding Bridgetown $ [map], where the Cidery (43 Gifford Road; tel: 08-9761 2204; www.thecidery.com.au) offers samples of traditionally crushed and pressed ciders and juices. Balingup % [map] in the Blackwood River Valley, is a lovely spot to bushwalk along part of the Bibbulmun Track (for more information, click here).
Traverse the underrated Ferguson Valley ^ [map], an emerging wine region, and stay on the South Western Highway as you pass through Bunbury and go past the lush, fruit-growing area of Donnybrook.
Dwellingup
Off the highway to the east is the timber town of Dwellingup & [map], home to the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (tel: 08-9221 4444; www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au), which operates the Pinjarra Steam Ranger, a steam train to/from Pinjarra, and a weekend excursion to Etmilyn Forest involving a 30-minute bushwalk through blackbutt, jarrah, red gum and banksia – stunning during wildflower season.
Dwellingup is also home to the Forest Heritage Centre (Acacia Street; tel: 08-9538 1395; www.forestdiscoverycentre.com.au; daily 10am–5pm) and a stop on both WA’s premier long-distance trails, the Bibbulmun Track (hiking) and the mountain-biker’s Munda Biddi Trail (for more information, click here). Travel back to Perth via the South Western Highway or Kwinana Freeway.
Food and drink
1 No oneforty
140 Victoria Street; tel: 08-9721 2254; Bunbury; www.oneforty.com.au; Mon–Fri 7am–4.30pm, Sat 8am–3pm, Sun 8am–2pm; $$
A great spot with a good attitude and menu offering a mix of healthy, homemade and hearty (morning glory burgers for breakfast, bread and butter pudding with ice cream).
2 Brewhouse Margaret River
5 Bussell Highway, Margaret River; tel: 08-9757 2614; www.brewhousemargaretriver.com.au; Mon–Thu 11am–7pm, Fri–Sun 11am–9pm; $$
Come to Margaret River for the wine, but stay for a beer here at the town’s amazing microbrewery, where the restaurant quality food is every bit as lovingly crafted as the ales, and the wood-fired oven is used for far more than just pizza. Loved by locals, it also features regular live music.