Margaret River has long been a hot spot. Growing up in Perth and visiting Margaret River most summers when I was young I barely recognize Margaret River.
We didn't have a time window large enough to go to Margareth River, too. We stayed in Perth only. However, oh boy, such a beautiful stay! One of the best hotel breakfasts I have ever tasted was in Miss Maud hotel. And Rottnest island was so close and so wonderful. We visited natural places around Perth and they were very worth visiting.
The breweries didn’t get a mention in this article...there’s lots of them down there too! But yes, the water and the land is the main attraction- everything else is a distant second.
Feeling pretty lucky that - as an American expat living in Perth - I am making that 3 hour drive from Perth tomorrow, to stay and play in Margs for a week with my wife, kids, and some great friends.
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The star is the land and ocean. Food and wine a bonus.
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My wife grew up in Margaret River, her father the Principal of the local High School. They had a small hobby farm. She remembers a completely different "Maggie Creek". I met her overseas and my first of many visits there was 1986. We were married there in 1988.
She remembers it being described as a small timber and dairy community with a cheese factory (which no longer exists in the town). It was a hippy town. The wineries came and slowly the town changed, the magic of the town slowly losing its edge.
Margaret River of 1986 with all its magic changed each time we were there. The main street has changed as has that culinary institution, Arc of Iris, I recall the food amazing and renowned for its incredibly bad service. And cheap to eat at. Nowadays it's changed its very expensive.
The countryside from Cape to Cape is some of the most spectacular and underrated in the country. I remember visiting wineries that were nothing more than tin sheds selling by east coast (Australia) expensive but good wines. Nowadays there are wineries everywhere and more substantial buildings than tin sheds.
We live on the other side of the country now, my wife returns most years and finds time to stay there. Our visits are incomplete without a trip there.
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Like Cabo, a splendid remote place ripe to be ruined by money.
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that was my take also
My wife and I visited the Margaret River region about a dozen years ago, before the big food festivals, but the culinary delights were certainly there. Many of the larger wineries have their own in-house restaurants. Our visit was in August -- mid-Winter there -- and there weren't very many patrons in the restaurants, but the food was excellent. A special feature was that you could buy old library wines at the winery (I think they called the place you'd buy them the "cellar door") and consume them with your meal, with no restaurant mark-up in price and no corkage charge.
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It would be wonderful to see an article on how one makes, earns, possesses, affords, finagles, has enough money to undertake any of these marvelous trips (Australia, India, 52 places, etc.) I’m being serious not sarcastic.
Far too often I finish the NYT travel section feeling depressed and defeated, knowing I’ll never get to any of these wonders. Being a hard working, middle class, US citizen just leaves me, first, dreaming, and then, in the end, sad.
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@John Ramey, don't. I agree that Australia is a bit expensive - I lived there for almost 14 months. However, New Zealand, for example, is cheaper to stay. The Caribbean region is certainly cheap to go and cheap to stay for people from the US, mainly if you go out of season - but avoid the hurricane season, please. Anyway, when I went to New York, my wife and I enjoyed this wonderful city and we could also go to some beautiful state parks in the surroundings. Research - the Internet smooth the way - and try cheaper options abroad and in your home country. I bet you won't be disappointed.
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I drove from Perth to Albany a couple of years ago. This part of Australia is a hidden gem (well, maybe not so hidden). Margaret River was very busy in December/January, but I did manage to have some great meals and great wine. I'm going back next year.
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My wife and I spent several days in Margaret River at the end of October. Our main interest was to check out the wine tourism and restaurant offerings at the wineries there and we were not disappointed! Knowledgeable cellar door staff, the possibility to ship wine all over the world from the wineries, first class accommodation and dining in wineries and the availability of numerous tour companies made our visit memorable. We have brought back lots of lessons that our local wine industry can benefit from.
We also spent a day in the Swan Valley; also very impressive and its proximity to Perth makes it an easy day trip.
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It does feel remote, especially around the Margaret River. And I got married in the Margaret River.
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We lived for 16 years in Perth, and MR was an easy day-trip, there & back with 4 or 5 hours on site. Your article didn't mention that Yallingup is a popular surfing break, great to watch from any raised point. Make sure to pack your wallet though, coz the craft shops and art galleries are very pricey.
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I hiked the Cape to Cape with 18 students and three colleagues in October, and every twist and turn offered up breathtaking scenery. The Cape to Cape isn’t an easy hike, but our group knocked it out in seven days. So worth it.
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if you dig a bit in nyt archives, you will see that r w apple found it, and loved it, long before the rest of us.
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That's spot on. I met him once at the Spotted Pig. Finding out I was from Margarets, he preceded to talk for an hour about how it and the below cape, were the most beautiful food basin he'd found. Cape Leeuwin, in particular, was his favorite spot in that area. We'd had a laugh and agreed to tell no-one about it. Cause even the (2003/4)....it was already paradise lost. As a foodie, I fell further for RW that day!
The next “hot place” usually entails the destruction of the local environment and exploitation of its indigenous people.
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@AL In the case of Margaret River, there are very few Aboriginal people remaining there and agriculture altered the ecosystem over a century ago. If you go, you'll support the local economy and give people jobs-- and meet lots of Australians of all stripes.
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@AL ~ this event includes the Wardandi people, whose country we live upon.
Just stay out of that astonishing ocean, and you’ll have a great time while shirking the alternative role of “food tourist”.
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One of the best holidays I’ve ever had was at Margaret River. Wine, food, bush walks, surf, something for everyone.
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Margaret River is also reachable by seaplane from Perth, and Surfers Point, located in the Prevelly townsite, is the farthest spot on land from New York City and environs. It's in a beautiful park, with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean.
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I am from Sydney and have literally just come back from Margaret River...the place is magnificent. It may be at the end of the Earth, at Cape Leeuwin the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean...and you can see it, but the journey is a must do for any traveller looking to escape the hackneyed tourist spots. Just do it...as they say.
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Remote! It maybe from the US, but no Australian would consider the Margaret River region remote Besha. As you point out it is only a three hour drive from the city (Perth). Remote would normally mean, at the very least, being beyond the agricultural (farming) area. A few years ago friend was me telling about driving for six hours without seeing another vehicle in the north of the state. He probably covered around 300 miles in that time; arguably that is remote.
Lucky you, going "down south" during the festival.
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I had the pleasure of spending Christmas in Margaret River a couple of years ago, and it was one of the most amazing places I've ever been. You can go for a swim or a surf at one of the most stunning beaches you've ever seen, and after a 10 or 15 minute drive, enjoy a gourmet meal and a glass of Chardonnay that rivals anything coming out of Napa or Burgundy. I'd love to get back soon.
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I have not been to Western Australia in 15 or so years, but went a few times (2-3) over a 5 year period and found it back then a delightful, sophisticated, beautiful area. I was there on business and the people were great, and I stress, Perth, even then, was a sophisticated, wonderful place to visit---and then there were the wines! Exceptional. I'm happy to hear it's still wonderful.
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