2 weeks in Margaret River
After a stunning welcome to Western Australia in Esperance and Albany, our trip out west continued. But before we were ready to settle down in Perth, we decided to check out Margaret River on our way there.
We didn't know what to expect from Margaret River, our knowledge was limited to the region being known for wine & surfing. Since neither of us surf, we decided to stick to what we know better: the wine.
Margaret River is a lovely - albeit rather touristy - town. As with most wine regions in Australia, you'll find a commercial strip in town with all the cafes, restaurants and supermarkets you need, and the wine region around you. The interesting thing about Margaret River is that it is right on the coast, so you are very close to stunning beaches.
In fact, we decided to stay by the water and rented an Airbnb in Gnarabup, an even smaller suburb in the region, and enjoyed a lovely couple of weeks there.
By now we were getting used to the 2-hour time difference with Sydney, and our workdays started at 6.30am WA time (8.30am SYD) and finished at around 3.30pm (5.30pm SYD time), which meant we had a few hours in the afternoon while it was still light to enjoy the day. And that's what we did. Over our two weeks there we had some fantastic times, with some highlights below:
- Check out the famous Surfers Point, home to the Margaret River stage of the World Surf League (WSL):
- Afternoon walks by the beach with Summer:
- Hanging out with the locals:
- Flying the drone by the Margaret River mouth:
- Going for bike rides:
- One of our best meals we had on this trip: Pies & Ales, a wonderful place in the middle of forest (Forest Grove, WA):
Pies & Ales, in Forest Grove QA
- Taking Summer to the local waterfall:
- And, of course, some good local wine and beers:
Alex trying some of our local favourites (from L to R): (1) Margaret River Brewhouse; (2) Cullen Wines; (3) glass of local shiraz at the pub
We also had time for a day trip up to Busselton, with some stops to check out the local wineries and scenery.
Western Australia continued to amaze us, and Margaret River certainly secured a spot in our hearts.
With smiles on our faces and a case of Walsh & Sons wine in our boot, we are now ready to head off to our main destination out West, where we'll settle in for a couple of months: Perth, here we come.