Where Wine Meets the Ocean in Margaret River

When my boyfriend and I realised we weren’t having a white Christmas in Canada this past year, Alex suggested a trip to a more moderate weather destination in Australia instead (we were over Brisbane’s heat). Margaret River immediately came to his mind, as the one place in the Australia to experience everything this country has to offer: wine, food, beaches, hikes, etc.. When Alex and I started dating, he mentioned Margaret River as his favourite place in Australia; having not been to Western Australia then myself, I was curious why out of all the places he’s visited in Australia this was his favourite. He explained that Margaret River is where one of Australia’s premier wine regions meets one of Australia’s premier coasts. So with no questions asked, we were off to Margaret River for Christmas. Enough rambling, the following will explain more than enough and probably convince you to book your next trip to Western Australia.
Stay
Redgate Beach Escape: I was lucky that my mother in law researched accommodation a few years ago during a short trip of hers to Margaret River, so I immediately knew the best place to stay (judging from her photos). Everyday, I couldn’t believe the sight we were overlooking. It seemed like I was staring into my favourite painting. The view alone is worth every penny (which is not as much as you would think), but the accommodation itself was perfect for us three. We knew it would be hard to eat out during the Christmas holidays, so we took advantage of the fully equipped kitchen and cooked up a few feasts during our stay. In addition, its location at the south end of the wine region was perfect for hitting as many wineries as we could fit into a day and visiting some additional sites south of us. See and Do
Wine Tasting
Margaret River is probably the most unique wine region I’ve visited. It stretches 100 km along the coast and is only 27 km wide, sitting atop limestone caverns. I suggest booking a tour for the first day, just to get an idea of the region. We went on the Wine for Dudes Daily Tour, which offered a taste of the smaller wineries, along with a great balance of activities, from wine tasting and blending to food and beer. With door to door service and constant suggestions about more wineries and restaurants to visit, we couldn’t complain. Here are a few wineries worth checking out.
Flametree Wines: Upon entry, view the tree after which this winery gets its name. The cellar door is like a house from the Hampton’s, but the best part is the dessert wines.
House of Cards: This relatively new winery not only offers cheeky marketing with cool labels, but also vintages worth cellaring for years to come. Its cute boutique inside and the chocolate shop next door is an added bonus.
Hay Shed Hill: By far, this winery has the most selection of wines I’ve come across, which made tasting a bit of a marathon. But the vast selection of wines is only made better by the yummy restaurant on site.
Cullen Wines: This is one of Australia’s most famous wineries. With a traditional cellar door and full-bodied wines, it’s worth stopping by.
Howard Park MadFish: My new favourite winery! I liked every wine I tasted here, especially the sparkling wines. And the cellar door reminded me of wineries in Canada’s Niagara region.
Edwards Wines: A winery with a beautiful family history. This small winery offers great boutique wines in an intimate setting. The lawn games out back make you feel like part of the family enjoying a nice day.
Voyager Estate: Another one of Australia’s most famous wines, this cellar door is all about luxury. Modelled after a South African ranch house, you can sip wine, enjoy fine dining, or explore the grounds all day.
Leeuwin Estate: We chose this winery for our one fine dining experience during our trip and the food lived up to all the recommendations we received. Again, another famous winery, and because of that it was unfortunately busy with poor service.
Beaches
Redgate Beach: A secluded beach with beautiful varying landscape at the southern edge of the wine region. The rough water here has a permanent rip that is dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Be warned, so it’s best to walk along the main beach and swim in the protected rock pools (that made me feel like the mermaids in Peter Pan).
Hamelin Bay: Located south of the wine region, this beach not only offers expansive beach and calm water, but also the opportunity to touch wild stingrays. This was one of the highlights of my trip; as I first saw a large round shadow slowly creep toward me in the shallows, only to stop at my feet for food. At first, it was terrifying (some of the rays were bigger than me, note the above photo), but after a few tries I easily pet a handful of stingrays. The stingrays frequent the boat ramp, looking for scraps from the local fishermen. If you’re lucky, a fisherman might give you some scraps to feed to the stingrays. Just be aware of their stingers, which came out when a few got anxious for food, almost beaching themselves (like the one above).
Caves
Here’s a quick geology lesson, limestone + water = caves! This is the case in Margaret River with an assortment of caves south of the wine region. When my geologist boyfriend suggested touring some caves, I pictured something like a caveman’s home. How wrong I was, the $20 entry fee was well worth it!
Mammoth Cave: We visited this cave since it was the closest and offered self guided tours. Both my mother in law and I were injured, so an easy tour seemed best. This surpassed all expectations; I should have known with a name like “Mammoth”, it was huge! The cool temperature inside and vast stalagmites/stalactites displays made me not want to leave.
Jewel Cave: Our wine tour guide recommended this cave, as it is the biggest tourist cave in Western Australia. I have a feeling it puts Mammoth Cave to shame. So if you’re a bit more mobile, head down to this cave for a guided tour of its four massive chambers.
Eat
As I mentioned earlier, we ate in most days. There are grocery stores, along with any other shops you might need in Margaret River and other towns in the region. But if you don’t feel like cooking up a storm, these restaurants are worth trying.
Wills Domain: A fellow Canadian expat recommended this restaurant to me, who insisted this was her favourite stop in Margaret River. Unfortunately we ran out of time to visit, as the restaurant is only open for lunch, serving a tasting menu.
Olio Bello: The region is also perfect for growing olives, so it is no wonder you’ll find Australia’s best olive oil here. Try their many organic extra virgin olive oils, gourmet condiments, and beauty products.
La Scarpetta Trattoria: Another recommendation from our wine tour guide, this restaurant is known for the best Italian food in town. Located in a heritage-listed guesthouse, the food and atmosphere are perfect!
Voyager Estate: As mentioned before, this is the ultimate for fine dining in Margaret River.
Leeuwin Estate: Refer to winery recommendations above.
Go
Getting to Margaret River is a bit of a trek, but well worth it. It is easy to fly to Perth from any of Australia’s hubs. From here it is easiest to rent a car at the airport and drive three hours south to Margaret River. It is a relatively easy drive along one highway, but it is good to take a break in Busselton and see the famous Jetty. While in Margaret River, getting around by car is easiest, so pick a designated driver for each day.