With an upper catchment area of just 40 square kilometres, the Margaret River is a rather insignificant waterway of approximately 20km in length. The town of Margaret River is a little more interesting, being a reasonably vibrant tourist town with a shire population of 18,000.
However, the ‘region’ of Margaret River is magnificent. Stretching some 100 kilometres from north to south and about 27 kilometres wide in parts, the region is bounded to the east by the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, between Cape Naturaliste to the north and Cape Leeuwin in the south, and to the west by the Indian Ocean.
Following our house sit in Perth we headed south along the Kwinana Freeway past Mandurah then the South Western Highway to a farm stay near Yarloop. After two nights and some sightseeing at Lake Brockman, Harvey Dam and the town of Harvey, we continued south, making a quick overnight stop in Capel after a look at the town of Bunbury. Certainly not much to write about Bunbury. Maybe the overcast skies influenced our impression of the place.
From Capel it was a short 30km drive into Busselton and the start of the Margaret River region. A nice town with a lovely foreshore and the famous Busselton wharf. First stop, the Visitor Information Centre for a list of the must-sees. We were given the low down on the entire region. We found a farm stay, set up the van, then headed out for the remainder of the day following the coast to Cape Naturaliste, swimming at Meelup Beach on the way and touring the lighthouse at the Cape. The following day we returned into town, with Blake in tow, to ride the Jetty train, too far for Yum Yum to walk, as the jetty is 1.8km long.
We left Busselton after morning tea at The Goose café. To reach our next farm stay near the township of Margaret River we headed west again to Dunsborough to take Caves Road to the south, then stopped in at a quirky little town called Cowaraup (Cowtown to the locals), before arriving at the Olive Hill Farm for three nights.
The Margaret River region is famous for its wine, caves and the Margaret River Surf Classic. So we partook of all three on the following day…..well, nearly. First, a fabulous guided cave tour at Lake Cave. Then out to Prevelly on the coast, the location of the Surf Classic. A windy day and messy surf. Only one board rider was out there. We enjoyed a superb coffee at the White Elephant Café as we watched the surfer, followed by two cellar door tastings, one at Cape Grace Wines, the second at Jarvis Estate. The owner of Cape Grace, Karen, was wonderful, as were her wines. The owner and the wines at Jervis Estate, less so.
The following day saw us head to Mammoth Cave for a self-guided tour followed by morning tea at The Shed in Witchcliffe. Such an amazing establishment with heaps of old stuff making the café very interesting and quirky. There was also a bookshop, wine store and a providore of smelly stuff, and a bar was being created, all surrounded by a collection of old wares that have taken years to collect. Oh, and the coffee was the best I’ve tasted so far in WA. We bought some books, and a few bits of old stuff at a nearby second hand store. Then a short drive to the Settlers Tavern in Margaret River for lunch. We walked some of our lunch off on a 2.5km river walk in the town.
We packed up the following morning for a short 60km drive to Flinders Bay caravan park in Augusta at the southern end of this magnificent region. A short walk to a swimming location, with reasonable water temperature, I had a dip, though Carol declined. The next day we visited the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse for a tour. I was the only participant….lucky me. A beautiful lighthouse, with a fascinating museum in one of the restored lighthouse keepers cottages. This was followed by a guided tour of the nearby Jewel Cave, then to Hamelin Bay in the hope of seeing inquisitive sting rays. Unfortunately they must have had somewhere else to be that day. Worst of all I didn’t have my swimmers with me so I had to forgo a swim in the beautiful waters of the bay.
Our first camp after Perth was at Jenny’s Farm Stay near Yarloop. A 100 acre property with a few head of cattle and a wonderful border collie named Blue. Jenny allows fully self contained caravanners over 60 years of age to stay for a modest fee.Yarloop is a tiny, and tidy, town with a significant rail heritage. It appears that some attempts have been made to create a rail heritage precinct, but to no avail.South of Yarloop is the town of Harvey and the historic Sterling House with its beautiful gardens, and a café from which we surveyed the garden. Har Ve cheese has cattle that take the term ‘long horn” to new heights (or lengths). An alien spaceship landed in Harvey Dam.Bunbury streetscapesBunbury’ Dolphin Discovery Centre; a model of the French explorer Nicolas Baudin’s’ ship, Le Geographe in the Bunbury Heritage Centre and the view from the Marlston Hill lookout to the Bunbury lighthouse.As we were leaving Bunbury a pair of kite riders treated us to a spectacle as they raced up and back along the coast in front of our vantage point. Our free camp at Capel and the little Anglican Church in Capel.The famous Busselton Jetty; Carol tips her hat with John Garrett Bussell, the first settler in the area in the early 1830s; the Fish statue at the Jetty; our overnight farm stay near Busselton.Busselton Jetty train ride. Yum Yum being the daredevil, riding on the engine, and travelling with his arm out of the window, He’s such a risk taker. Carol told him to come inside, sit down and behave. So he did.Meelup Beach and others near Cape Naturaliste.
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Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse: The revolving 3.5 tonne light prism structure floats on a mercury bath, making for an almost frictionless rotation. Once driven by a series of pulleys and heavy weights, much like the winding mechanism of a grandfather clock, it is now driven by a small electric motor.
The town of Cowaramup (aka Cowtown) with its cow themed street art.The Laurance Winery (now Cherubino) erected a statue modelled on the owner, Dianne Laurance, in the lake at the front of their winery. The locals refer to it as the Chick on a Stick. The cheeky townspeople of Cowtown, not to be outdone, erected a suitably themed statue in their main park, affectionately known as the Roast on a Post, or the Rump on a Stump. (the Chick on a Stick photo is courtesy of Laurance Wines. Used without permission)The Olive Trees Farm near Margaret River. Large sites, separated from one another by two or three rows of olive trees. The owners no longer harvest the olives, but they do run a few head of sheep. There is lovely walk to a creek nearby.The White Elephant Café at Prevelly; the Bussell Hwy as it passes through the middle of Margaret River; Surfers Point at Prevelly; Barrett Street weir on the Margaret River walk; Cape Grace Wines.Lake Cave. The broad “table” is suspended above the level of the water, held up by the column above.Lake Cave.Mammoth Cave. Not as picturesque as Lake Cave, probably due to reduced lighting in Mammoth, which is self-guided. It is however, equally stunning.
Mammoth Cave was a one-way route, so upon exiting the cave we had to walk back to the start above ground along a path through the forest, enabling us to enjoy wildflowers and wildlife.
“The Shed” in Witchcliffe. A recently opened multi-outlet store containing a cafe, bookshop, wine cellar door, art space, smelly stuff providore and a soon to be opened bar. It has been years in the making with the collection of interesting and quirky artefacts and implements from around the region.Augusta: our campsite at Flinders Bay; the swimming beach; an unusual house, possibly from the 1930s that looks like two vintage caravans.Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. This has recently been beautifully restored. A long climb to the top left me a little breathless, but it was worth it, not just for the view, but to use the beautiful stairway and marvel at the stonework built in 1895. This is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: the present mechanism to rotate the light prisms which, like at Cape Naturaliste, float on a mercury bath; the second light source to be installed was a kerosene mantle, introduced in 1908. In 1925 the cluster of three mantles was installed. These were replaced by tungsten halogen lamps in 1982 until 2017 when LED bulbs were introduced.Built in 1895, this water wheel at Cape Leeuwin was used to pump water to the lighthouse for its construction and later to the lighthouse keepers cottages. Water was supplied to the wheel by a natural spring. No longer required to supply water, an electric pump delivers water to the wheel from time to time to keep it moist to prevent it drying out and cracking, despite it now being covered with calcified lime. As for the pirate cow…..well, someone had a sense of humour.Jewel Cave; Yum Yum went to pat the thylacine, and was almost devoured. This cave has guided tours and, like the others, is spectacular.Jewel CaveHamelin Bay. Unfortunately no stingrays ventured close to shore whilst we were there.
One thought on “Magnificent Margaret”
It’s a great place, we enjoyed our time there in June. It is very picturesque.
Mammoth Cave was a one-way route, so upon exiting the cave we had to walk back to the start above ground along a path through the forest, enabling us to enjoy wildflowers and wildlife.
It’s a great place, we enjoyed our time there in June. It is very picturesque.