Whalers Cove - Accommodation in the
Margaret River Wine Region
The Margaret River Wine Region is one of the world's premier
regions for quality wine and stunning coastline. Famous names such
as Vasse Felix and Voyager are a short drive
from your beachfront accommodation at Whalers Cove in the Margaret
River Wine Region.
A visit to this delightful region 2 1/2 hours south of Perth reveals
beautiful beaches and countryside, with the famous Caves Road
running down the coast through vineyards from beachfront Dunsborough and
Yallingup,
to the inland town of Margaret River 30 kilometres south.
Photo of Margaret River wine region forest
Some of the prettiest cellar doors and restaurants are at the start of
the Margaret River wine region near Dunsborough, where you'll taste
delightful wines and enjoy delicious food in the ambience of cellar
doors including Wise and Cape Clairault.
Photo of Margaret River wine region
vineyards near Whalers Cove
For a good meal in Dunsborough, at the start of the Margaret River wine
region, try Italian restaurant Assisi or the quirky Food Farmacy in Dunsborough.
Some of the best food
with a great ocean view is at the classic Bunkers Beach Cafe near
Dunsborough on the beautiful Bunker Bay beach. It's open for great
breakfasts and delicious lunches overlooking this stunning beach, as
well as tapas on some evenings.
Photo from Bunkers Beach Cafe near Dunsborough accommodation
And there's a new player in town
as far as good food goes - Goanna Gallery on Hayes Rd is now run by a
former London chef who serves delicious breakfasts and lunches and is
about to do dinner as well.
Photo of Goanna Gallery
near Dunsborough
PLACES TO GO
In Dunsborough, Simmo’s Ice
Creamery on Commonage Rd is a favourite with kids and grown-ups alike
with delicious ice cream flavours including apple pie and rich
chocolate.
And you’ll find some of the
world’s best olive oil here at pretty outlets including Petra in
Dunsborough and Eagle Bay Olives at nearby Eagle Bay. Petra is a
delightful little place to visit and serves delicious lunches to go with
a variety of olive oils.
The Margaret River Chocolate
Company is also a favourite tourist attraction here in the Margaret
River wine region with free tasting, half way between Dunsborough and
Margaret River on Harman’s Mill Rd. Right next door is the Margaret
River Providore, serving sumptuous fresh food and wines modelled on the
grand country houses of Europe.
The nearby Margaret River
Dairy Company welcomes 600,000 visitors a year to taste its
award-winning cheese and yoghurts, made locally.
If it’s coffee you’re after, the
Yallingup Roasting Company in Dunsborough is always popular, or Yahava
Koffeeworks closer to Margaret River.
The new Palmer's Winery cellar
door in Dunsborough has a stunning interior with food to match.
Photo of Busselton Jetty
The bigger town of Busselton
only 20 minutes from Dunsborough boasts the world-famous Busselton
Jetty, extending almost 2km out over Geographe Bay. It’s the longest
wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere and the walk out and back will
take you an hour on this heritage-listed pier.
While you're here in the
Margaret River region's wine and beach paradise, go to Yallingup Wood Fired Bread just out of town, a local institution
with the best bread and fruit bread you'll ever taste. You'll find it
on Biddles Road, near the famous Caves Road which links Dunsborough to
Margaret River, with the many well-known wineries on the way.
As you head south
towards the heavily-treed Margaret River region, you find a serious
concentration of vineyards. The best four in the Margaret River
wine region for that combination of good wine, food and scenery are
Voyager Estate, Watershed, Brookland Valley and Leeuwin Estate where
they have the famous summer concerts.
Driving
leisurely down Caves Road you'll find cellar doors every few kilometres,
including Driftwood and the beautiful new Laurance Winery, with its
golden "Lady of the Lake", otherwise known to locals as "chick on a
stick."
Other wineries you'll find near
Margaret River on or near Caves Road include Pierro, Gralyn, Cullens,
Evans and Tate and Vasse Felix with its award-winning wines. If you
don't want to drive, Whalers Cove can organise fun winery tours for you,
including Gannaway's Wine Tours, Cape to Cape Wine Tours and Bushtucker
Wine Tours.
Keep driving south towards Margaret River and you'll find more wineries
with seriously good red wines that are among the world's best. The
dominant varietals here are cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and even merlot.
Photo Watershed Winery Margaret River
If you're a lover of white wines, Margaret River chardonnay is also
world famous and there aren't many rieslings better than Leeuwin
Estate's Art Series riesling.
Two of the finest dining experiences in the Margaret River wine region
are at
Knee Deep Winery between Dunsborough and Margaret River or the renowned
Must Wine Bar in the main street of Margaret River.
Knee Deep Winery is a new player and has already won awards for its
wines. The dining experience at its cellar door overlooking the vines is
superb, with a degustation menu offered by New Zealand chef Brad Hornby
- 3
courses, 5 courses or 7 courses of remarkable fresh local food.
Good local food served by Knee Deep Winery Margaret River
If you want the best in coastal accommodation
in the Margaret River wine region, Whalers Cove is the place to be. It's
only minutes to world-famous Yallingup beach and Meelup beach.
And the
beauty of Dunsborough is that it is on the opposite side of the finger
of coast to Yallingup, so no matter which way the wind is blowing, you
have a sheltered beach to luxuriate at.
Photo of Voyager Estate cellar door
Try Yallingup Beach or Smiths Beach in the morning before the sea breeze
comes in, or in the afternoon, drive across the cape a few kilometres to
Bunker Bay, where there's a beautiful
sheltered beach. Also worth a look are Eagle Bay's pretty
beaches and the delightful nearby beach at Point Piquet, which could be
in the Caribbean.
If you want the comfort of restaurants and bars,
stay at accommodation near Dunsborough at Whalers Cove Villas. Here you're on the beach with a big grassy area,
seclusion and only a quick 5 minute walk into Dunsborough town with its
pretty shops and cafes.
The Margaret River wine region
is a wonderful place just named in the world's top 10 destinations;
loved greatly by Australians and being rapidly discovered by the rest of
the world.
