Explore
Perfect down south road trips for a taste of WA summer
Spend hot days and balmy nights exploring the spectacular scenic drives, memorable meals and breathtaking beaches of the South West.
Published
9 min read
Text size
Drive
9 min readExplore
Spend hot days and balmy nights exploring the spectacular scenic drives, memorable meals and breathtaking beaches of the South West.
Published
9 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
By Max Brearley
The rewards of hitting the road in Western Australia are multiplied in summer. Incredible views from the car window, coastal exploration, and the chance to throw yourself into an inviting turquoise ocean on a regular basis.
In the South West you can add an abundance of culture and good eating, whether it’s considered dining or a grab-and-go for the journey ahead.
We all have our favoured road trip style. For some it’s a leisurely drive with stops along the way and for others, it is making good ground with the destination in mind.
These journeys can be done in whole or in part, as one loop or separate day trips, but all contain the ingredients to a wonderful summer road trip and the opportunity to shop local, eat well and see what makes WA’s country towns so special.
If you are keen to stretch your legs a couple of hours in, Bunbury (180km from Perth) mixes natural and cultural sights.
Spot Koombana Bay’s wild bottlenose dolphins from the shore or, if you are arriving before 7:30am, book a swim tour with the Dolphin Discovery Centre (November to April). On the foreshore, the 5.5m weathered steel Noongar face, titled Wardandi Boodja and created by Nicole and Alex Mickle in collaboration with Traditional Owners, is a reminder you’re on the country of the saltwater people.
Continue to Busselton (53km from Bunbury), where an influx of casual dining has brought new vibrancy to the quintessentially sleepy seaside town.
Just off the Busselton Jetty, Shelter Brewing Co. is a dog-friendly go-to with a popular non-alcoholic addition to its core range in Big Splash Pale. A short walk away on Queen Street, a new art centre, Saltwater, is exhibiting local and touring work.
Along the coast at Dunsborough (23.5km from Busselton) it’s time for a post-lunch dip in the crystal-clear waters at Meelup Beach. The 8-minute drive from town includes the winding Meelup Beach Road, with glimpses of the ocean through the trees, or there’s a 1.5-hour coastal walk.
Both will get you to the iconic white sandy beach, with calm seas, toilets, showers and shady trees perfect for a picnic.
If you want a culinary detour, stop at the picturesque Meelup Farmhouse on the way in or out, but be sure to book. Its sister venue, Ilma Beach House in Bunker Bay, also has a great menu and one of the best restaurant views around.
Back in town, summer will see South West House open; a 54-room boutique hotel with a Mediterranean-leaning eatery from chef Aaron Carr, co-owner of the renowned Yarri restaurant.
Merchant & Maker on Dunn Bay Road, open from 6:30am, is a popular coffee spot and ideal for stocking up on baked goods, hampers and gourmet items.
The curving road into Yallingup (11km from Dunsborough) is a showstopper, delivering you to the little town famed for its surf breaks.
The protected lagoon is the spot for a swim or a snorkel, then head to the namesake café Lagoon, for a coffee and snack from the kiosk. If you have time to linger in the restaurant for breakfast or lunch, try modern café fare such as brioche French toast in the morning and in the afternoons, embrace the fresh seafood.
About 20 minutes on in Metricup, is Maison Lassiaille, home to Romain Lassiaille: a pastry chef with a resume that includes Michelin-starred palace hotels. Known for its sumptuous high teas, there’s also a casual air, always-on coffee and cabinets of eye-catching pastries and confectionary to take away.
Close by, in Cowaramup, Wayfinder Winery and Farm’s recent opening has been one of the most anticipated of the year. It’s a return to winery dining for chef Brendan Pratt, renowned for his tenure at Vasse Felix.
Built into a turkey-nest dam, this sustainable winery, cellar door and restaurant has a menu based around what is grown in its market garden.
Continue the ten or so minutes to Margaret River and, if you can time your visit for a Saturday morning, hit the award-winning Margaret River Farmer’s Market.
If not, try The Little Farm or Blue Ginger Fine Foods to stock up on gourmet goods.
This summer, it will also be worth checking out The Margaret River Hotel, which will reopen after a years-long restoration by Heytesbury, the owners of Vasse Felix and Idee Fixe.
End your day with a dip at Gnarabup (10.5km from Margaret River town centre) where an outer reef offers protection from the swell.
If you can get there before the 3pm-ish closing time an afternoon bite at the White Elephant comes with an unbeatable view. It’s most popular in the morning, for an early dip, coffee and brekkie burger.
Turn the car south and less than 10km on, stop at Witchcliffe, which has a cool combination of heritage charm, a groundbreaking eco-village and an impressive hospitality footprint.
At the restored Old Darnells General Store, morning visitors can grab a heart-starter at Witchy Brews Espresso Bar daily and after midday Thursday to Sunday, a meal among the upcycled charm of Dear Darnell’s bistro. On the highway, the upmarket Vintners Wine Bar has a seasonal menu featuring lamb and produce from the McHenry Hohnen estate farm.
Take the scenic route west along Redgate Road, then south onto Caves Road. Stop at Mammoth Cave to stretch your legs and explore its ancient chambers full of crystal stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the fossilised jawbone of a 50,000-year-old giant wombat-like marsupial, the zygomaturus, still embedded in the cave wall.
Further on down Caves Road, Boranup Forest is rejuvenating after the December 2021 fires. The drive through these soaring 60m-high karris is still spectacular, or get a more immersive view from lookouts, walk the 5km forest loop, or take the 13km Boranup Drive, which while on unsealed gravel is 2WD-ready.
It’s about 14km from the forest to Hamelin Bay where the remnants of the old jetty tell of times when WA timber was transported by ship across the world. Popular with guests at the caravan park, the sheltered bay is a tranquil swimming, snorkelling and fishing spot.
In summer, stingrays bask in the shallows, often in the morning, feeding on scraps from fishermen. Remember, these are wild creatures, so watch with wonder – but also caution and respect.
Head for Bussell Highway or take the more winding Caves Road the roughly 16km to Augusta, which retains its charming end-of-the-road feel with the community-run Lions bookshop and small cafes. The outlook from the hilltop Augusta Hotel, over the Blackwood River and out to the Southern Ocean, could be the best pub view in the state.
At the river mouth The Colourpatch (formerly a store and fish and chip shop) is now a fully-fledged café, bar and restaurant drawing a sundowner crowd.
Flinders Bay, with its sheltered swimming, shower block and playground, is a family favourite. Jumping star shaped from the pontoon is optional but advised.
Head north again for the roughly 15-minute drive to Karridale, having booked lunch at Glenarty Road, even without knowing how special it is.
Family owned, by generational farmers, this renowned winery and restaurant is proper paddock-to-plate, serving vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs and grass-fed meat grown and raised on the property. A farm tour and five-course set menu is $175 and well worth it for a memorable culinary experience.
A longer drive now to Pemberton (110km from Karridale); a stop amongst stands of karri trees is a good regulator for the nervous system, and a relief from the road.
The famed Gloucester Tree, pegged as a fire lookout in 1947, reopened in winter with a new viewing platform. The climbing height isn’t the original 61m – a rite of passage for some and a hard no for others – but at 37m you’re still in the canopy.
At the Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park (around 120km from Pemberton), there’s plenty of chances to get out on the water: launch a boat, windsurf, kayak, navigate a stand-up paddleboard. Sandy Beach and Coalmine Beach are considered the safest swimming spots.
WOW Wilderness Cruises are true to the name, with full-day tours with hiking or biking and paddling, an overnight adventure or a 2.5-hour eco-cruise in an enclosed boat. Founder and tour guide Gary Muir weaves the natural world through the experience (the forest is home to a colony of quokkas) as well as unexpected tales (a local link to Russian author Leo Tolstoy.)
Take to the trees again at the Valley of the Giants (Tingledale, 23.2km from Walpole). A 600m looped walkway suspended at 40m, amidst karri and varied species of tingle. On the forest floor, 500m of accessible boardwalk winds through flora found on the super continent of Gondwana, 65 million years ago.
From there, it’s a roughly 15-minute drive to Peaceful Bay, where the caravan park is home to the town’s eponymous chipper.
The family-run eatery’s reputation stems from a commitment to catching its own fish on a line (often snapper but call ahead if you want to know what’s been biting). Bear in mind frying times (lunch, early dinner, closed Thursday, but best to call ahead and check); eat in or take your bounty to the beach.
Half an hour on is Greens Pool, one of Western Australia’s most iconic swimming spots, and for good reason. Edging William Bay National Park, huge granite boulders create a protected pool and something to clamber and jump from into the turquoise waters.
It’s just 15km from there to Denmark, where new eateries await and town icons have been rejuvenated. Kaya McCarthy, who owned the short lived but much loved Two Seas Collective in Augusta, is again fostering community vibes, this time at Kindfolk Coffee, in a refurbished rustic shed. Pray there’s Persian Love Cake, but it’s hard for the hungry to go wrong here.
Next door, the Denmark Hotel, which celebrated a centenary in 2026, maintains front bar charm, while gaining a modern menu, boutique bottleshop and revamped rooms. The classics are all there – prawn cocktail, chicken parmi, a steak sandwich – and it’s still casual enough for sandy feet. The perfect destination for travellers to ponder: where next?
