The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
▲ Accommodation | ▲ Perth, Margaret River Riverview Tourist Park (www.riverviewtouristpark.com) Price? A$320 (incl. VAT) for 3 nights, via booking.com Accommodation Type: Chalet with Kitchen (3 Guests) When? October 2013 Where? Margaret River Our experience? We arrived just after 7:00 pm and the reception was already closed. Wanted to use the payphone that was …
Margaret River (www.margaretriver.com) is well known for its award winning wines, fine food, pristine beaches and breathtaking scenery. The region also has Western Australia’s most extraordinary attractions. Here’s a quick glance of where we went in Margaret River: Cape Leeuwin (Lighthouse), Jewel Cave (Beautiful limestone …
My favourite part of our Perth holiday was the journey from Perth to Margaret River and Margaret River itself.
Sea waves clash furiously,
trees stand tall,
people sip wine,
appreciate art,
spend money on wineries.
On our way to Margaret River, which is about 4 hours drive from Perth, we stopped over at Mandurah and Busselton Jetty.
Another popular stopover we missed is Rockingham, 25 minutes’ drive south of Perth. The place is famous for its Shoalwater Islands Marine Park and Penguin Island. You can also drive along the pristine Rockingham Beach or stop over for coffee or quick lunch at one of its waterfront cafes. For families, the children’s playground and shallow waters makes it a great place for children to play and swim.
We wanted to see the dolphins and it’s a possibility at Mandurah! Hence,
we grabbed a Groupon Australia’s deal of dolphin cruise the moment we saw it! It was A$25 for 2 pax and entitled us to an hour of Dolphin & Scenic Canal Cruise by Mandurah Cruises. The usual price was at A$28 per adult.
Sadly, there was no dolphin in sight! The cruise hovered around the dolphins hotspot for less than five minutes and left. It didn’t wait long enough or longer for dolphins to appear, and so didn’t think the cruise would be worth its full price.
Nevertheless, we didn’t go away empty handed. We rode past a cluster of birds that gave off a pungent smell. The smell reached us even though we were quite a distance away.
Then, there’s the pied piper on land who played his instrument to whoever passing through.
The scenic cruise turned out to be a tour of beautiful and expensive waterfront houses, along with the owners’ yachts, speedboats, etc. Knowing we are from Singapore, the guide told us that many of these houses are owned by Singaporeans, and they drove up the housing prices here.
We ate fish and chips for lunch and it is worth a mention here. The busy eatery, with the likes of Ikea canteen, was super crowded with people. The food, relatively cheap, was wrapped with paper and didn’t score high on food presentation. Surprisingly, it was the best fish and chips I have ever tasted! Or perhaps it was my hunger that alleviate my star ratings.
I love the atmosphere of Mandurah and would love to stay longer if we had more time. For more information about Mandurah, visit www.visitmandurah.com. You can get to Mandurah by car or Transperth train.
Busselton Jetty is 1.8 kilometres out to sea, the second longest in the world. The walk takes approximately 25 minutes each way. Take a long walk, alongside fellow tourists, and strike up a conversation with a local who is fishing.
If you don’t like walking, you can pay for a train ride to bring you to the end of the jetty, where you will come to an Underwater Observatory. Descend 8 metres below water’s surface and discover 300 different marine species below the jetty.
Anyway, we chose to take a scenic stroll instead of taking the train, enjoying the birds, breeze and good weather.
Margaret River (www.margaretriver.com) is well known for its award winning wines, fine food, pristine beaches and breathtaking scenery. The region also has Western Australia’s most extraordinary attractions.
Driving from Perth to Margaret River takes only 3.5 hours and is also an easy drive. Hence, it makes a perfect short getaway from the city.
On Day 1, we did a scenic drive through to Cape Leeuwin, Jewel Cave, Bonarup Karri Forest, and Prevelly.
On Day 2, we went for the Margaret River Discovery Tour, wine, chocolate and nougat places.
As for our night at Margaret River, we stayed in a chalet at Riverview Tourist Park (link to our accommodation review).
Here are a few photos of what we came across as we travel to and around Margaret River:
Down at Augusta, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is situated at the southernmost tip of Western Australia where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. Constructed with local limestone in 1895, this lighthouse is the tallest on mainland Australia and currently still a vital lighthouse for vessels approaching this treacherous cape.
Find a spot to get close to the waters and you can even see a big stingray!
During the whale watching season (May – September), watch out for the creatures as they make their way around the cape.
We paid a general site entry fee and roamed around ourselves. However, as of 2019, it seems like you need to book a fully guided tower tour of the lighthouse, which includes a climb up the light house. Note that children under 4 years old are NOT permitted to climb the lighthouse.
Book a slot for the 30-minute tour that’s available from 9:00am to 4:30pm, daily except Christmas.
Enjoy a snack or light refreshments at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse Cafe before you leave!
At Margaret River, there are beautiful limestone caves with different characteristics for you to marvel.
There’s one more cave missing in action – the Moondyne Cave. It is currently closed until further notice. Previously, the magnificent Moondyne Cave was reopened to the public after ten years, offering visitors an intimate, exclusive caving experience. Overalls, gloves and helmets are required for the 3-hour experience by torchlight.
Due to budget, we could only go to one cave. After gathering information from various sources, Jewel cave is the pick if we really had to choose one. Lake cave is more for the camera enthusiast, while Mammoth cave is for those who wants to exercise!
My photos don’t do justice to the awesome sights of Jewel cave. The low lighting of the cave made it hard for my camera to capture its spectacular essence. We came up close to beautiful formations under earth.
We had to join the fully guided tour to enter the cave, which is good! We got to hear the interesting story of how the cave was found and dug. And how the ‘founder’s’ descendants got married in the cave!
Karri trees, some over 60m in height, towered over us as sunlight stream past the gaps between trees. You will reach this forest with an easy 25 minute drive from south of Margaret River, along Caves Road.
Driving through stunning forest, it loops back to Caves Road. The hard limestone base of Boranup Drive makes it easy for two-wheel drive vehicles to navigate.
On the edge of the Boranup Forest, enter into the Boranup Forest Maze and be among the maze grown from native and exotic shrubs. Admission is $5 per adult and $2 per child.
Along the forest drive, there’s the Boranup Lookout where we enjoyed the spectacular forest from a high vantage point. We did alight from the car to do some nature walks and climbs. A beautiful place to enjoy the greenery and, for bird enthusiasts, to spot various birds species.
Prevelly Park is a surfers’ paradise, located at the mouth of Margaret River. I didn’t think much about this place, but once we got near the waves, it was definitely a refreshing experience. I shall let the photos speak out my love for the crashing waves.
On our second day at Margaret River, we went for the Margaret River Discovery Tour, which includes canoeing, food tasting at wineries, and trekking cape to cape trail. After the tour, we hopped on to other places selling wine, chocolate and nougat.
For more details, head on to “Things to Do in Margaret River“.
▲ Accommodation | ▲ Perth Baileys Hotel Motel (www.baileysmotel.com.au) Price? Groupon Deal of A$135 for 2 nights and wi-fi When? October 2013. Where? 150 Bennett Street, East Perth, WA What say us? “Average but comfortable” ✔ It was a comfortable stay. Everything in the room was as advertised. Clean room and toilet. Room …
There are quite a few things to do in Perth and nearby places to visit. Personally, I was excited to see the pinnacles but it didn’t turn out that amazing when I visited. Margaret river on the other hand won my heart and years later, I still missed the place.
*Check out my subsequent posts for details on these places.
For transportation and accommodation in Perth, refer to Australia (Perth & Melbourne) Itinerary Overview (2013).
Kings Park & Botanic Garden is the #1 attraction in Perth, according to Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor. Overlooking the Swan River and Darling Range, the garden showcases an outstanding collection of Western Australia flora.
Native wildflowers bloom across Western Australia from July to November. And Kings Park is one of the top 10 spots to see wildflowers.
Visitor Information:
If you love nature, you can consider visiting Swan River too. It flows through the city of Perth and winds its way from the Darling Scarp to Fremantle.
Located at the heart of Nambung National Park, the Pinnacles Desert (“Pinnacles”) is home to thousands of amazing natural limestone structures, some up to 5 meters high. They are formed approximately 25,000 to 30,000 years ago after the sea had receded.
To visit this unique landscape of Pinnacles, drive about 2 hours up North from Perth City. The relatively short drive, part of it along the Indian Ocean Drive, makes it a popular day trip destination. If you are willing to fork out for the marked up accommodations in Cervantes, then stay for the sunset that cast a glorious glow upon Pinnacles.
Drive around a 4-km unsealed Pinnacles loop, or walk the loop for about an hour. There are marked bays along the way to show where to park the cars and walk. The lookout is wheelchair friendly and gives you a great view. By the way, Pinnacles is only 6km from the ocean.
This was the last leg of our Perth tour. And this desert wilderness was really hot to the max, although it seems to has lost its former glory. According to some locals we met, Pinnacles is not as spectacular as before.
I had high expectations of this place, and I was kind of disappointed. It’s a nice place, but not worth the drive up just for this one place, which we kind of did. Go only if you are passing by to somewhere else.
Photo Tip: Wear red to contrast beautifully with the bright yellow landscape.
After multiple photos with the limestone structures, which after a while looked kind of similar to one another, visit the nearby Desert Discovery Centre. Learn more about these distinctive formations and purchase some locally made handcrafted souvenirs.
There was only one shop (other than the souvenir shop) that we saw near the Pinnacles.
The saving grace for driving up to Pinnacles was a Koala Bear! We saw it up close at a National Park en-route to Cervantes.
Our friend who stays in Perth brought us to Sunset Coast for the sunset and food. Good thing we made it in time for the beautiful sunset, as the sun receded into its hiding place.
Perth’s Sunset Coast is a 50-km coastline that stretches from Scarborough to Two Rocks, passing through Joondalup’s Hillarys Boat Harbour and Wanneroo’s Yanchep National Park.
Walk or cycle along Sunset Coast’s stunning ocean views, and immerse in the buzz of beach front esplanades and alfresco cafes and restaurants.
till next time.
Singapore ✈ Perth ✈ Melbourne Accommodation Review Perth Perth City: Baileys Motel Margaret River: Riverview Tourist Park Joondalup: Airbnb at John’s Victoria State: Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, and more Princetown: Pebble Point Warrnambool: Airbnb at Mercellez’s Halls Gap, Grampians: Grampians Eco YHA Melbourne City: Airbnb at Wendy’s Itinerary Overview Perth Transportation Airport transfer …