Margaret River

Western Australia's top wine region, with more than a hundred wineries and restaurants, a surf coast, limestone caves, karri forests and two cape lighthouses.

Margaret River lies in the southwest corner of Western Australia, about 270 km from Perth (around 3 hours' drive). The region stretches about 100 km north to south along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste peninsula, from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin in the south, with the Indian Ocean to the west. It is one of Australia's top wine regions: it produces less than 5% of the country's wine but a large share of its premium bottles, best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, with more than a hundred wineries clustered in Wilyabrup, Metricup and south of town. The climate is Mediterranean: summer (Dec–Feb) is hot and dry, good for beaches and surfing; Mar–May is harvest season, when the wineries are liveliest; winter (Jun–Aug) is rainy, making caves and whale watching the highlights; Sep–Nov brings wildflowers and is a great time to hike the Cape to Cape Track. There are three routes: the north — Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, Bunker Bay, Meelup Beach, Sugarloaf Rock, Canal Rocks, Yallingup and, to the northeast, Busselton Jetty; the center — the town, the Wilyabrup wineries, the chocolate factory and Surfers Point; the south — Boranup Forest, Mammoth Cave, Lake Cave, Jewel Cave, the stingrays of Hamelin Bay and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. Allow 3–4 days; a car or winery tour is essential, and arrange a driver if you're tasting. Note: long swells and rip currents make the coast dangerous, so don't swim near reefs; there is a bushfire risk in summer, so check official alerts before setting out; watch for kangaroos when driving at night.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries