Travel & Touring | WA Things to Do
By: Monique Ceccato
Gone are the days when staying in a tent meant roughing it. These days, there’s a swathe of glamping options around WA, all at a level of luxe that puts them on par with some more permanent styles of holiday accommodation — think plush beds, bar fridges, and even air conditioning.
Though these ten Margaret River Region glamping providers are all just a short drive from Perth, their nature-based sites feel a world away. With everything already set up and waiting for you when you arrive, you only need to throw your suitcase in the car and make your way down.
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Mile End Glamping
Yelverton
Few things connect you to nature as much as showering outdoors; it’s one of the simplest pleasures at an authentic off-grid campsite. If you’re not entirely up to going the OG with a swag and solar shower bag out in the bush, Mile End Glamping has given camping and the open-air scrub-down a glamorous makeover.
On the decks outside their luxury geodomes are deep outdoor tubs. They’re ideal for soaking away under the stars with a glass of local wine in hand. Inside, the spacious, two-person tents are seriously well-appointed. There’s a comfortable king bed, a separate bathroom, a kitchenette with fridge, sink, kettle, and microwave, and even a fireplace for those chillier winter nights.
Children are welcome to stay, but there’s no bending the two-person per tent rule.
Two Blind Cows
Prevelly
If an in-tent massage doesn’t put the ‘glam’ in ‘glamping’, nothing will.
Give the team at Bodybliss a call before your stay at Two Blind Cows, and you could be de-knotting and destressing without having to leave your accommodation. If you find yourself in tent number four, you can even follow it up with a long soak in your private indoor tub — it’s the only one on the property.
The luxuries don’t stop there. Each tent has a separate private bathroom, kitchenette, and large main room that opens onto a timber deck. Even though there are four tents on the property, you’ll feel nice and secluded, with at least 100m between each.
RAC Margaret River Nature Park
Bramley
Glamping is a style of holiday to suit anyone. While RAC Margaret River Nature Park welcomes couples and romantics, their accommodation style is one of the few that caters to families and larger groups. Both the traditional and modern tent options sleep up to six in a double bed and two single-bunk arrangement, and they have everything you need for a fuss-free and comfortable camping experience.
Enjoy the community feel of the park and cook up a feast in the camp kitchen before kicking back with the kids and roasting marshmallows over the campfire. In the morning, keep an eye out for kangaroos grazing on the edges of Wooditjup National Park. Then, take the hiking or biking trail through the bush to the Margaret River Bakery for a hearty breakfast. It’s just 40min on foot or 10min by bike.
Olio Bello
Cowaramup
Accommodation on vineyards in the Margaret River Region is certainly nothing new. But accommodation on olive farms is not so readily found. Enter Olio Bello. There are some 8,000 olive trees, a tasting room, and a gourmet cafe on this working organic olive farm, as well as a lakeside glamp site that’s home to 16 luxury safari bungalows.
At 6.3m x 6.3m, the bungalows are more like chalets than tents, with plenty of space to stash your luggage so you’re not tripping on it. Each has a spacious private bathroom and kitchenette, too. But the little touches — like the daily breakfast baskets and local produce-filled mini bar — make all the difference to the stay. Tuck into some gourmet treats on your deck overlooking the water, or save your appetite for a wood-fired pizza lunch at the cafe instead.
Willow Wood Glamping Retreat
AmbergateIf glamping is a level up from camping, Willow Wood Glamping Retreat is a level up again; everything about these two-person tents just outside Busselton screams sophisticated style. You’ll forget you’re in a tent at all with their timber flooring, terracotta-coloured vintage linens, and jute rugs. It’s as far from the old ‘sleeping bags and air mattresses’ camping vibe as you can get.
There are three different categories of accommodation here, each with a slightly different theme, layout, and view. Come dusk, relax on your deck—each tent has one—and enjoy views of the Marri and gum trees, striking Kingias, or open paddocks with grazing roos. You can relax further in a ‘Kingia’ tent with a long soak in the tub. If you’re not in a tent with a tub, book a Larn’wa spa treatment in the onsite day spa instead.
Wild Goose Camping
Various locationsWith no one fixed location, Wild Goose Camping is a ‘choose your own adventure’ style holiday. They’ll set up their tents anywhere from Yallingup to Hamelin Bay. However, some of their preferred location partners are Fair Harvest Permaculture Farm, RAC Margaret River Nature Park, and Conto Springs. All you need to do is work out what tent size you need — the four-metre or five-metre bell tent (sleeping up to three and five, respectively) — where you’d like to set up, and what dates you’d like to stay, and owners Clint and Chloe will take care of the rest for you.
All setups come with comfortable mattresses, linens and towels, cosy sheepskin rugs, lighting, bunting, and outdoor furniture. Other amenities, like bathrooms and kitchens, will all depend on what location you find yourself in.
Boogaloo Camp
AugustaBoogaloo Camp: funky name, funky concept.
The team behind this adult-only surf and yoga camp, two minutes from the town centre, invites you to experience Augusta ‘unplugged’. They’re all about disconnecting and recharging, so their bell tents and geodomes are entirely unpowered. But that doesn’t mean they’re basic set-ups. Battery-powered fairy lights hang above the bed, lanterns sit on the bedside tables for atmosphere, and all linen, towels, and outdoor furniture are provided.
You can find power for your gadgets in the shared camp kitchen and bathrooms, but the idea is to use them as little as possible. Keep yourself busy by pre-booking a yoga class in the on-site Mongolian yurt or a SUP lesson on the Hardy Inlet across the road.
Margaret River Retreat
Forest GroveCamping is all about community; they haven’t forgotten that at Margaret River Retreat. They pride themselves on the village atmosphere they’ve created among their 14 glamping tents, of which there are three categories — couples mini, queen, and family. The former sleeps just two, while the latter options can both sleep up to four.
Simplicity is key here, and there are some obvious omissions from the tents in pursuit of the village vibe. TVs, couches, and kitchenettes are out, and all the essentials — beds, warm rugs, and electric fans and heaters — are in. Kitchen and bathroom amenities are shared and just a short walk away, as is the complimentary laundry.
Bring the board games, bring the kids, and enjoy a weekend of good old-fashioned fun together.
Soul Camping
Yallingup
Pick a location, pick a tent, and live your best bohemian camping fantasy with Soul Camping. They’re another company with no fixed site, allowing you to set up shop wherever you please around the Margaret River Region. Keep things simple and stay with one of their trusted providers — including RAC Busselton Holiday Park, or Contos — or spice things up and pick somewhere completely out of the box.
No matter where you choose to stay, you’re guaranteed the same high standard of service. Go for a four or five-metre ‘essentials package’ tent, and you’ll arrive at an entirely made-up tent with an air mattress bed, a ton of boho-style rugs and cushions, and a cosy outdoor space. Upgrade to the ‘luxe’ package, and you’ll get foam mattresses instead of air mattresses, a bar fridge, kettle and coffee, and a string of glittering fairy lights.
Yallingup Lodge and Spa Retreat
Yallingup
Pet-friendly accommodation is gaining momentum in the Margaret River Region, and Yallingup Lodge and Spa Retreat’s glamping tents are just one such stay you can add to your hit list.
Treat yourself and your four-legged friend to a comfortable, camp-style stay beneath the pines, and you’ll be just a stone’s throw away from all of the retreat’s amenities. Spend the afternoon thumbing through vinyl to play at the guest lounge or soaking up the sun by the 25m pool. You can dine up there, too, or take a coffee — or a cocktail — back to your tent-side mini kitchen.
In the tent, expect a soft queen bed, a textured cowhide rug, a sitting area, and plenty of soft furnishings to keep you comfortable during your stay.
Olive Hill Farm's 'Trevor the Bus'
Osmington
Technically, Trevor the Bus isn’t a ‘canvas and campfires’ experience. But, the vintage-bus-turned-on-site-camper-van is so unique that it deserves a spot on the list. Parked among Olive Hill Farm’s most mature olive groves on their 10-hectare property, there’s nowhere else like it in the region.
Trevor looks like any 60s-70s-era bus on the outside. On the inside, there’s a queen bed, sofa, kitchenette with breakfast bench, and toilet ensuite. It’s got everything you and your partner need for a comfortable night’s stay. There’s even a barbeque and outdoor setting for an open-air dinner on those glorious summer nights. Though not air conditioned, opening all the windows allows a beautiful cross-breeze, and it’s much more in line with actual camping, anyway.
Need a place to stay?
RAC members get exclusive discounts at RAC Margaret River Nature Park eco-retreat, the perfect base to explore the Margaret River Region.*
*Terms and conditions apply. RAC member discount not applicable on already discounted rates. Discounts available on direct bookings only made online or via phone. Visit our Parks & Resorts website for more information.
