Here's our take on the best things to do, see and eat in Margaret River (in no particular order).
1) Olio Bello
This organic olive grove in Cowaramup, produces lovely extra virgin olive oil, and my favourite is from the Kalamata olives. The property is gorgeous with a cafe, vast olive groves, a small garden growing fresh vegetables and herbs which I guess they use as ingredients at the cafe. We were so impressed by their oils that we bought 4-litres worth of it and carried them home :/
Road to Olio Bello
Bottle-brush in bloom.
2) Vasse Felix
The winds were crazy- hence the tragic hair.
Margaret River's oldest vineyard. We bought 13 bottles from them, and our favourite wine of the moment is their Theatre White. We lunched at their restaurant, which overlooks the entire property. We had the most delicious fish dish here; barramundi with cured sausages, beans, fennel and a citrus relish. The cheese plate and coffee parfait dessert rounded the meal off nicely. Great food aside, what separates this from the other vineyards, is that they also have a small lake on their premise with sculptures flanking it and ducks running around, and an art gallery. Chubbs thoroughly enjoyed his first duck-chasing experience here.
The gallery.
Up to the restaurant.
Sourdough.
Possibly my death-row dish.
Cheese and dessert (coffee and chocolate parfait with coffee nougatine and sour apple puree).
First foray into the art of terrorizing ducks.
3) Cowaramup Brewery
Amidst the vineyards in this region, it is nice to take a reprieve from wine once in a while, for a good pint of ale/ stout. Best part about this place, is the lovely, grassy surroundings where Chubbs ran loose, and the happy geese sqwaking in the background :)
He was very happy that day.
4) Cape Mentelle
One of the better-known estates of the region, with the most delicious Botrytis Viognier, which was cellar door only; so half of our 13 bottles purchased, was probably their dessert wine.
Us and Mack, the estate's dog, who sat at our feet guarding while Chubbs was nursing.
More running around.
5) Karri forest and walk.
Along Caves Road (one of the two major highways through Margaret River), you'll pass a majestic Karri forest. This infinite jungle of Karri trees was the most peaceful place, with trees so tall, you could barely see the top while standing beneath one.
Couldn't get the whole tree within frame.
No end in sight.
We also walked 30-min amongst the Karri trees at Jewel Caves. We missed the last tour, and decided to spend our time on a little hike instead. I was glad we did, because the weather was cool, and we got to see yellow and purple wildflowers the peppermint trees in full bloom with their pretty white flowers. Chubbs slept on Fuzzy's shoulder through the entire walk.
Napping among peppermint shrubs.
6) The beach; any beach.
Margaret River is one of the major surf destinations, and there are also many family-friendly, swimming coves. But the weather was still too cool when we were there (15-20degrees), we didn't get a chance to dip. But we did stop by any beach we fancied, took five and enjoyed the waves, breeze and breath-taking views.
Augusta
Mandurah
Gnarabup
Hamelin Bay
Prevelly
River Mouth
7) Waterwheel and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
This infoboard explains all about the waterwheel (please expand photo to read). The waterwheel is a beautiful contraption, but because the winds were so strong that I feared being blown off my feet, I sent my brave hubby to snap some shots instead. The powerful winds blew the spray onto the camera lenses though. Not good :(
Cape Leeuwin is mainland Australia's tallest lighthouse, situated on the most south westerly tip of Australia. It is indeed a sight to behold, and well-worth the 2-hour drive.
The winds there were among the strongest and coldest I have encountered, blown in from the Arctic Sea. It was so bad that I could barely walk straight and Chubbs could not open his eyes.
So we put the wind cover on his stroller, and he ate his snacks happily in there, with his feet propped up. He even politely asked for more snacks with the ASL sign when he was done. I was struggling just to keep in step and his stroller was swerving uncontrollably, and I had to rummage through his bag with hair planted in my eyes to look for his snack box to feed him more. It was funny.
8) Stroll along Margaret River town.
The main stretch has a handful of charming and quaint shops selling memorabilia and there was a mini farmer's market on our first day there. I bought half a kilo of sweet, aromatic organic strawberries, and Chubbs ate half of that lot in one sitting :)
We especially loved the old-school Gull petrol kiosk, which sold everything from fishing bait, to ostrich eggs, to organic produce.
8) Voyager Estate
These were our favourite few hours of the trip. The sprawling estate is covered with well-manicured grass that was perfect for Chubbs to totter about in. He spent quite a bit of the afternoon running and squealing as he pleased (to the amusement of the other visitors), only to collapse fast asleep in the car immediately after.
We were timely in our visit too, as they released a new batch of lovely Chenin Blanc on the same day, and we brought a few bottles home with us. We also enjoyed Devonshire tea in their posh restaurant, and even Chubbs loved the scones.
The defining feature of this estate is the roses that are planted at the end of the vines to warn against pests and diseases that might attack that crop. Also, they had a rose garden that was in full bloom, and the flowers perfumed the air so.
What precious memories of the place! Voyager Estate is a must-visit whether or not wine is your thing!
