Vines at Margaret river
Melissa Krafchek

Highlights

Swim with dolphins

In Bunbury’s Koombana Bay you can swim under ranger guidance with wild bottlenose dolphins. If you prefer not to get wet, take a dolphin-spotting cruise. Learn about the dolphins and other marine life at the Dolphin Discovery Centre’s interpretive museum and theatre.

Busselton Jetty

Stretching a graceful 2 km into Geographe Bay, this wooden jetty is the longest in the Southern
Hemisphere. Built in 1865, the jetty originally serviced American whaling ships; later it was extended to take a railway line for the loading of timber. Today a small tourist train will take you from the Interpretive Centre at one end to the Underwater Observatory at the other.

Margaret River

This beautiful region has long had a reputation as one of Australia's best wine-producing areas, a reputation that rests principally on its cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay grapes grown on grey-brown, gravelly sandy soils. Try the cabernet from Vasse Felix, Moss Wood and Cullen, and the chardonnays from Leeuwin, Voyager and Ashbrook. The area also delivers some of the country’s best surfing, with excellent breaks at Gnarabup, Redgate, Margaret River Mouth and the unfortunately named Suicides.

Tree Top Walk

Gain a unique perspective on the majestic southern forests as you walk through the upper branches of giant tingle and karri trees. East of Walpole, this walkway 38 m above the forest floor is one of the highest and longest of its kind in the world. Down at ground level, the Ancient Empire interpretive boardwalk weaves its way through the veteran tingle trees.

Blackwood Valley

The Blackwood River meanders for 500 km through wheat-belt plains and forested valleys to its broad estuary at Augusta. Secluded spots along the river between Nannup and Alexandra Bridge offer tranquil camping, fishing, swimming and canoeing. The Sheoak Walk is a one-hour loop through the forest close to Nannup.

Lake Cave

One of hundreds of limestone caves in the Leeuwin–Naturaliste National Park, magnificent Lake Cave is centred on the incredibly still, eerie waters of an underground lake, which reflects the cave’s stunning crystal formations perfectly. Its other highlight is the Suspended Table, a huge column hanging precariously from the cave’s ceiling. Tours are available daily, and there’s also a great interpretive centre, CaveWorks, to round out your speleological experience.

Focus On: Jarrah, karri, tuart and tingle

Western Australia’s only forests are in the cool, well-watered South-West. The grey-barked tuart tree grows only on coastal limestone; just outside Busselton is the largest remaining pure tuart forest in the world. Jarrah, a beautifully grained, deep-red hardwood, flourishes between Dwellingup and Collie. The Forest Heritage Centre at Dwellingup has interpretive displays on the issues of forest management, and a treetop walk. Forests of karri – one of the world’s tallest trees, reaching 90 metres in 100 years – are found in the wetter areas, from Manjimup to Walpole. Near Pemberton, 4000 hectares of old-growth karri forest are protected by Warren and Beedelup national parks. In Gloucester National Park, right outside the town, is the 61-metre Gloucester Tree, with a spiral ladder to the top. The Valley of the Giants, east of Walpole, is home to towering red tingle trees. Here you’ll find the Tree Top Walk (the region’s most famous walk through the trees). Nearby is the 25-metrewide Giant Red Tingle, a huge fire-hollowed tree that is regarded as one of the ten largest living things on the planet.