Margaret River

Margaret River - what a great trip!

Margaret River town is about 3.1/2 hours drive from Perth. To do it in a day, we opted for a tour. I’m not a fan of tours but Aviator / Adams Pinnacle scored very highly on Trip  Advisor, we booked. 

We were collected at the hotel at 07.20 and taken to a meeting point. I now know why I hate tours, we waited until 08.10. I later learned that the pick up bus had to return to one hotel on three occasions because the passengers were not in the foyer at the spppointed time!! 

We set out for Busselton, the gateway to Margaret River. Driving through farmland  with grazing cattle, we arrived at Busselton Jetty - the longest timber jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. 

           Jetty - it stretches far into the distance!

Our next stop was Bootleg  Brewery, where we stopped for lunch and beer and cider tastings!! 

After lunch we continued through the forest to Sandalford Winery, where we tasted their produce 

From there we continued to Manmoth Cave for a guided tour of the limestone caves. They were very spectacular cathredal like caverns dripping (forgive the pun) with limestone stalagmites, stalactites , curtains and columns. 

We continued to Boranup Forest with its enormous Karri trees. (In the Aboriginal language ‘up’ means a watering place). 

On to Augusta, where we visited the Cape Leeuwin 

Lighthouse 

and where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. 

Finally we arrive at the town of Margaret  River, 

passing numerous wineries en route. Wine production commenced here in the 1960s. Prior to its commencement, soil surveys, and general weather patterns were completed  to ascertain the area’s suitability for vine growing.  It quickly established very sophisticated marketing techniques and became better known in the wine world at the expense of longer established wineries such as Swan valley. The town itself was of no consequence and here is no proper river as our guide showed us the puddle that is Margaret River!!!

We then adjourned to a resort for dinner and set off on the return journey to Perth. We arrived back at the hotel at 22.00 - a long but most enjoyable day that gave us s great flavour of the Margaret river area situated south of Perth.