South     West 

We broke our journey south to the Margaret River Region at Brunswick Junction which is a quiet, wee town about 14km inland from Australind and Bunbury. It was and still is a dairy area showcased by the number of tin cows dotted around the streets. The transit park is free but you do need to book online and there are even public toilets a short walk across the showgrounds.

Leaving Margaret River, we headed east and skirted a large fire burning in the Millbrook National Park Forest. The heavy plumes of black smoke filled the skies to our left. The atmosphere was quite eerie and some trepidation set in. Was this a safe route? But those driving in the opposite direction gave no sign of care or worry, no notices or road closures appeared and so we finally arrived in Nannup.

Nannup is famous for its arts, in particular its music festival held each March. Having been here before we stopped long enough for a stretch of the legs along the wide main street and for lunch.

We intended to stay at a free camp between Nannup and Balingup but drove past without sighting it although we did enjoy the scenery – the driver missed much of this too as he had to concentrate on the very narrow winding road up and down dales following the route of the Heggerty Creek. We ended up in the picturesque township of Balingup at the transit park, right by the river on the edge of the town. You can book online or at the visitor information centre.

We got up the next day refreshed and ready to be tourists. First, we walked out to the Old Cheese Factory, pausing to read the information signs at significant places on the town’s walk heritage walk trail such as the Post Office, where we discovered a sixteen-year-old boy used to ride from Bunbury delivering post in the area, a distance more than 120km.

Next, we sampled the delicious liquors at The Famous Balingup Fruit Port Winery. The owner, behind the bar, cheerfully explained the process and from where she sourced the local fruits. I chose the dark plum ‘port’ to take away for another time.

I spied the Tinderbox shop, sparkling in bright purple décor and realised this was where my friend had got the tasty Herbal Sprinkles from that I liked in my sandwiches (see blog It's a Wrap! under food).

Time to move on towards our final camp, Thomson Brook Winery near Donnybrook. They offer free camping for self-contained vehicles in return for some trade at the cellar door. Pam welcomed us warmly and provided descriptions for the range of wines on offer and we picked a few for tasting. The Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon were to our taste but we were most impressed with both the red and white ‘ports.’

Staying a couple of nights, we took advantage of the proximity to visit Gnomesville. A quirky, fascinating, and probably the silliest place we have travelled to get to and yet, I loved it! I made friends – take a look at my Instagram posts to see how many!! There is evidence here that people have travelled miles to add a gnome to this amazing site which has made it onto some international TV travel shows.

And then we had to return to Perth metro for business for a few days. Part 2 of our travels seems brief and over, for now…...

Our camp of choice in the famous wine growing region of Margaret River was Jarrahdene, in the Jarrah and Marri forest at Boranup. It’s a National Parks campground with bush toilets and a camp kitchen.

Despite enjoying the shade from the hot sun on several very hot days, we also worried a little about our solar power. Th trees were tall and close together – beautiful to look at but not for solar dependency! We made our first good use of the mobile panel a friend had prepared for us before leaving back in June. By keeping it moving into the pools of sunlight, we were able to top up the battery to almost full each day.

A bonus is an interesting trail with information boards around the old timber mill site which used to function here. Particularly impressive is the set of iron hoops representing a King Jarrah that was processed at the mill. It had fallen naturally rather than being logged and the hoops depict its girth before being sliced up into logs. It must truly have been an awesome sight standing tall and wide in the woodlands. Although there are few trees left anywhere near its girth now in these ancient forests due to historic logging, the good news is new laws introduced in January 2024, mean no more legal logging of Western Australia’s native timbers can occur. Perhaps in a few hundred years the forests you see now, might have many more trees matching this King Jarrah’s girth.

Margaret River town has all your grocery needs, a couple of fuel stations and drinking water stations to top up your bottles. There are various cafes and bars to quench thirst and abate hunger as well as tourist and craft shops. The park by the river on the edge of town is a beautiful picnic spot and has play equipment for the kids to run off some energy.

The best bet is to drop into the friendly Tourist Information Office in the town’s main street to seek what adventures suit you as there is a plethora of wineries, provedores, breweries, galleries and tourist attractions from mazes to soccer golf to climbing adventures all to be found in the Margaret River Region.

What we did discover is that most of those are to the north of the town and we spent a little more than expected on fuel to get around, and we didn’t stray too far! Keep fuel in mind when you book accommodation is therefore my obvious advice.

However, we did enjoy the Cheeky Monkey Brewery in its pretty setting and for its paddle of tasting beers. Our old favourite, Olio Bello for olives and oil tasting, is still going strong and has a lovely outdoor café/restaurant now attached. And we tried out the new Pies and Ales for lunch one day. The pies are devine! Full recommendation to drop in here before or after you step into the famous Boranup Gallery to awe at the quality, style and cost of the artisan furniture and maybe pick up a small sculpture or painting or other wonderful craft item.

Margaret River Region is also well known for its natural environment and the sports that its coast inspires.

A day out to Augusta gives you the opportunity to stroll along the calm waters of the Hardy Inlet, a beautiful location for a quiet picnic. Just a little closer to the ocean and the Blackwood River mouth you may be lucky enough to stand in amazement of the skills on display by kite surfers and wind boarders.

The town itself sits atop the hill overlooking the inlet and if you really want to relax in comfort to take in the views the hotel bar and beer garden is a great place to go.

Taking a further coastal drive west from Augusta, you arrive at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. Now in an enclosed area you have to pay to enter for a close-up view of the lighthouse, take a tour and/or for exercise climb to the top!. The famous signpost for photographing yourself standing where the Indian and Great Southern Oceans meet is in here too, though you can take in the impressive views of the waves crashing together from various positions on the Cape. The glass encased café

The beaches in the Margaret River Region are stunning too. They attract elite sports people and competitions. We stopped by at Prevelly, Contos and South Beach but there are many more to explore.

We finally left our beautiful campground reminded of all that makes Margaret River a fantastic region to visit, except this time for the wines…but why that is, read the next blog!