In the final installment of her Western Australia series, Jamie Stringfellow discovers one of those rare destinations on earth: a remote area filled with unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences that has the infrastructure to support tourism. Read on to learn about the unusual Margaret River region, 175 miles south of Perth.
On day two of traveling around Margaret River region of Western Australia, a 1,600-square-mile area flanking the eponymous river, I find myself thinking, “Could this be one of those ‘cusp’ places?”
That is, the great, rare, in-between destination with everything in place for visitors, but not a lot of visitors (yet)?
After more reconnaissance, it’s confirmed: The almost-inconceivable juxtaposition does, in fact, occur in the Margaret River region.
It has California’s climate, surf, and drop-dead gorgeous shoreline, but without houses built 6 feet apart on the sand. It has Napa Valley’s abundant wineries, wildflowers and enchanting inns, but without the traffic jams.
There are art galleries down country lanes, showing the works of major talents, who have time to sit and chat. And lazy afternoons to paddle up the river, without seeing another soul but your boat mates. Its shoreline on the Indian Ocean has coves for swimming and breaks for surfing. In the evening, the surfers put on chefs’ whites and make you fabulous dinners with produce from gardens they tend in the region’s rich soil.
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It’s like having a giant playground all to yourself, with just enough people to make it interesting. It becomes almost a dilemma whether to spread the word about this type of place. If too many people take notice, there will be, well …. too many people.
Luckily, the remoteness of the region acts as a safeguard itself. Perth, the nearest major city about a half-day drive away, is considered to be the most isolated city on the planet.
Fortunately, the Margaret River region is well-equipped to deal with not only the seasonal flows of visitors it sees now, but can handle much more in the years to come. The very people who live and work in Margaret River act as stewards to make sure the beauty may never be spoiled. Meaning, it might just remain the best of both worlds for a very long time.
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WINE & WOMEN
Margaret River produces 3 percent of Australia’s wines, but 26 percent of its premium wines. Though you can drive among the cellar doors of the area’s many notable wineries, why not let someone else drive?
Nothing comes close to “Nola in her ‘Rolla.’” Nola Gaebler and her Lifestyle Margaret River tour can take you wherever you want in her Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (or, if there are enough of you, her partner will drive you in their 1955 Bentley).
Nola, of course, does more than drive: She knows the region like the back of her (leather-gloved) hand and becomes, essentially, your personal wine consultant.
On one languorous Sunday, we travel to Cullen Wines, a family-owned vineyard producing sublime wines from biodynamically grown grapes (which, rumor has it, do not produce hangovers). Di Cullen, one of those Margaret River stewards, once stormed the steps of Parliament in the 1970s, insisting that the government control what looked to be rampant mining speculation, and many now credit her for helping preserve the area’s pristine coastline.
At Cape Grace Wines, owner Robert Karri-Davies (whose great-grandfather was timber baron M.C. Davies, one of Margaret River’s original pioneers) has us taste his award-winning, hand-crafted Cabernets and Chardonnays and tells us how he arrived at the name of his winery.
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“I made it up: We are graced by the Capes,” he says, referring to Capes Naturaliste and Leeuwin, which form the North and South corners of the region.
After Cape Grace, we head to Vasse Felix, which was the region’s first commercial vineyard, and where we try what seem to be dozens of wines, one amazing taste after another, paired to a multi-course Sunday afternoon dinner in the upstairs balcony restaurant.
As we look out over the acres of vines and forests, I hear about La Foret Enchantee, a secret inn and spa hidden in the forest off the trail that leads from Cape to Cape, and in the late afternoon sun, I begin dreaming about someday walking that trail (about 75 miles), and stopping for sustenance at spas and wineries and inns.
SURF & PADDLE
Although there is the option to take surfing lessons at Margaret River’s famous break, taught by from former pro surfer Josh Palmateer, a less-strenuous option is to paddle in kayaks up the river, on a Bushtucker Tour past cliffs, and Aboriginal sites, kangaroo habitats, and cozy cottages followed by a wild-food picnic.
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Cape Lodge Gourmet Retreat not only feeds guests well, but its surfing chef offers a cooking school, using produce from his garden in the back.
Also notable is The Other Side of the Moon Restaurant, where guests can dine on a terrace among olive trees, watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean.
CAVES & JETTIES
One of my most relaxing experiences in life takes place at Ngilgi Cave, where, 150 feet underground among stalactites and stalagmites, I hear Aboriginal tales and the sounds of a didgeridoo.
For those who are enamored of oceans, Busselton Jetty, 145 years old and—at more than a mile long—the longest wooden structure in the Southern Hemisphere, has one of Australia’s coolest “eco” sites: an underwater observatory. In most places, one has to dive or snorkel to experience the wonders of the sea. But at the end of the jetty, it’s possible to view forests of colorful coral, sponges and fish, all without getting wet.
ART & SPAS
There many galleries hidden among the forests and in the small towns of Margaret River. Just off Caves Road is The Red Barn Gallery, where Peter Rigby lives and shows his own work and those of his father, Paul, a famous painter and cartoonist. Peter is himself an illustrator and publisher of children’s books (and a recent food and wine book about the Margaret River). “This one here,” he says, nodding toward a painting of a peacock, “has a good story behind it.”
It was his father’s last painting, completed about a week before his death. A week later, just after the funeral, two peacocks walked through the gate of the homestead – something that had never happened – surveyed the gardens, and settled opposite each other on the verandah outside Paul’s favorite room in the house, where they stayed for two days.
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They’re still here to this day, stomping on the roof of the gallery, scratching on the skylight, and, if allowed, strolling inside. A peacock’s mythology, says Peter is tied to life and death and rhythms of nature.
When the wine, food, art, forests, and white-sand beaches get to be too much, no need to worry: The region is full of spas. Injidup Spa Retreat offers pampering to near-nirvana levels, with myriad spa treatments to soothe weary souls (and soles—the foot massage is out of this world).
I take a mental note. Someday, I anticipate tackling Western Australia’s Cape to Cape trek (an 85-mile coastal trek from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin) … and this spa is a few yards off the trail.
By Jamie Stringfellow for Peter Greenberg.com. Jamie Stringfellow writes from Hermosa Beach, California, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. She is the co-founder and editor of WeekendWalk.com.
Don’t miss Jamie’s other reports from Western Australia:
- Swimming With Wild Dolphins in Rockingham, Western Australia
- Western Australia’s Rottnest Island Travel Guide
- Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Perth, Australia
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