Margaret River to Augusta

Prevelley Park Beach - Near Margaret River

The Margaret River region is located in the south western corner of WA, about 3 hours from Perth. The area is about 138Km long and extends from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin. It comprises a number of quaint towns, a spectacular coastline and a hinterland fringed with karri trees and limestone caves. The town of Margaret River is on the Caves Road about 15Km from the coast. We stayed in a nice park in the township and drove out to Prevelly Park which is also at the mouth of the Margaret River. There are several great beaches in this region and very popular with surfers and swimmers. The town has a number of surf related stores, tour operators and surf schools.

Diane at Fermoy Winery

Whilst in Margaret River, we took a tour of some wineries and other attractions. We had lunch at the Cowaramup Brewery and visited the Fermoy and Evans and Tate wineries. The Fermoy winery is famous for providing the wines for Princess Mary's wedding. The Evans and Tate winery is larger and has recently been taken over by McWilliams, who are in the process of converting a boutique winery to their  style.

Tasting Room at Fermoy

Although the Margaret River region has many other attractions and have a variety of produce, they are known most for their wineries. There are 87 wineries here and almost all of them offer tastings and cellar door sales. The town has a population of about 5 1/2 thousand and has a large number of tourist accommodations, restaurants and tour operators. Tourism is now a major industry here.

Grape Vines at Evans and Tate Winery

In addition to the wineries, there are now 6 boutique breweries in the area. They are mostly small operations but increasing in size and number with beer becoming a legitimate alternative to wine. The traditional custodians of the land are the Wandandi people, who have inhabited the area for tens of thousands of years. There is an Aboriginal Centre in the town where you can learn about their culture.

Margaret River Venison Farm

In addition to the brewery and wineries, our tour also took in a chocolate factory, a cheese factory, an olive farm and a venison farm. This was the first venison farm we had seen and was interesting to see the vast number of products they make from venison.

Pigface Flowers at Venison Farm

Although it was still cool and Spring still a few weeks away, there were many flowers in bloom both in prepared gardens and in the wild. We are still amazed at the number and variety of flowers that just crop up in fields and along side the roadways. Along many of the roads you would think someone had planted shrubs and flowers as they are truly spectacular, even though we were a few weeks early for the best time to see them.

Shoreline near Augusta

From Margaret River, we drove the short distance of 70Km to Augusta which is on the most south-western point of WA. The coastline in this area has a particular type of rock formations that are smooth, round and brownish in colour. They make for beautiful scenery alongside the aqua sea water and when the sun is out.

Augusta Pine Trees at the Mouth of the Blackwood River

There was a nice walk/cycle way from our van park along the shoreline which we took for a pleasant walk. There are a lot of pine trees along the shoreline which reminded us of the coast in parts of southern NSW.

Beautiful and Unique Augusta Shoreline

The Augusta region is one of the most popular and attractive holiday destinations in WA. The region is one of scenic contrasts. The indented coastline blends with spectacular views and the Blackwood River and Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
combine with the coast to give a landscape that offers much to the visitor. Augusta is located on the Blackwood River and we were surprised at how big the river is. Its a popular spot for river fishing and a variety of water sports such as sailing, jet skis and canoeing.

We took a short drive up to the Cape Leeuwin National Park and the famous lighthouse there. This is the point where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet and usually the seas are on the rough side. It was a logical spot for a lighthouse and the one here was built in 1895. The lighthouse, besides being a navigational aid, serves as an important automatic weather station.

Southern / Indian Oceans Meet Here

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

The lighthouse's buildings and grounds are now maintained by the local tourism body and a popular attraction. Unfortunately is was wet and windy when we were there on the open dayso we couldn't get the full benefit of the location. The lighthouse tower stands 39 metres high from ground level and 56 metres above sea level. Its beam, which has an intensity of one million candles, shines over the surrounding sea and landscape for 48 kilometres.

Picture of a Modern Lighthouse

It was very interesting finding out about this and the lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste. There are people who are almost fanatical about lighthouses and some of them were present at the open day to answer questions. We did see information on their history in Australia and the important service they still provide. There are hundreds of lighthouses still operating in Australia today. The new, modern lighthouse bear little resemblance to the old traditional type. The picture above shows such a lighthouse which looks more like a solar powered communications tower.

Pirate Cow at Cape Leeuwin

Although the weather wasn't kind to us, we enjoyed our stay in the Margaret River and Cape Leeuwin region and headed inland towards Bridgetown and then on to Pemberton.