Eagle Bay Accommodation - Down-South WA in Detail
 We tend to think of Western Australia as a state where a drive from anywhere to anywhere else is measured in days, not mere kilometres. Tucked away below Perth in the south-western corner, however, is a part of WA which defies the stereotype.The Margaret River area, the Southern Forests region and the south coast from Augusta to Albany, is relatively compact. You can see it in a week, but, as always, two is better. It features beautiful coastal scenery, protected by several National Parks on the shores of the Indian and Southern Oceans, magnificent Karri and Jarrah forests and seriously highbrow eating and drinking in Margaret River wine country. Heading south from Perth, it’s a three hour drive on the South Western Highway or the old coast road, via Bunbury, to Geographe Bay.
This “Cape to Cape” region is also very popular with weekenders and holidaymakers from Perth. The trick is to base yourself in Eagle Bay, Dunsborough, Yallingup or Margaret River, and take day trips. Distances are short – the main north south route, Caves Road, takes only an hour and a half if you drive it in one go – and as with the wine producing areas the eastern side of the continent, the individual vineyards are clustered together in a few concentrated spots. Hamelin Bay is one of those locals-only secret places, where locals come for long, indolent beachside holidays where the objective is to do as little as possible. Fishing is about as energetic as it gets. Cape Leeuwin is named after a Dutch ship which was headed for Batavia but ended up here, blown off course by the Roaring Forties in 1622. You can stand right on the point, next to the lighthouse, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.  In May and December, Humpback, Southern Right and Blue whales round Cape Leeuwin on their annual migration. Bass and Flinders started their circumnavigation of the continent here in 1801. (see our Whales page) The Brockman Highway heads east from the Margaret River area to Pemberton, a drive which takes a couple of hours from Cape Leeuwin. Pemberton is tall timber country. Warren and Beedelup National Parks, both close to town, protect stands of virgin Karri forest, of which only 40,000 hectares remain in WA. The scale of these trees is difficult to accurately convey with numbers. Let’s just say that a tree which is 85 metres tall is a pretty big tree. Some which survived the axe are over 300 years old.  The Maiden Spur Trail and Heartbreak Trail in Warren National Park, 10 km south of Pemberton, is a short drive on dirt which takes you through some magnificent Karri forest.Further south, on the way to Walpole via the South Western Highway, is a longer drive (50 km) off the highway through Shannon National Park, where you can see Karri, Jarrah and Marri forests. Pemberton-Walpole takes about an hour and a half. At Walpole, you’re back on the coast in an area known as the Great Southern. Much of the country around Walpole is also national park. Twelve kilometres east of Walpole on the South Coast highway is the Valley of the Giants. Here, you can do the Tree Top Walk, 40 metres above the ground on an amazing suspended steel structure – the longest and highest of its type in the world – to see the giant Tingle and Karri trees from a bird’s perspective. The spans are up to 100 metres long, and seem to be floating in space. Denmark is half an hour’s drive east, again on the South Coast highway and is fast becoming another food and wine lover’s destination. The southern coast around Denmark is also famous for its fishing and bushwalking on the Bibbulmun Track, which starts in Perth and runs around the coast for 964 kilometres to Albany. East of Albany, you start heading into the more arid landscapes we think of as being typical WA. GETTING THEREEagle Bay is 260 km south/southwest of Perth. Margaret River is 277 km south of Perth. Albany is 409 km south-east of Perth.(see our LOCATION page) INFORMATIONMargaret River Visitors Centre Pemberton Tourist Centre Walpole Visitor Information Centre Denmark Tourist Bureau Albany Visitor Centre |
Margaret River is unique because its character is shaped by two very different
cultures. At one extreme, it’s a holy grail for Australia’s surfers; at the other, it is also one of the finest wine producing/gourmet areas in the country. The main surfing strip is between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Mentelle, 15 minutes west of Margaret River. The wineries are mostly located between Dunsborough and Margaret River, again in the northern half of the peninsula.
