Aussie Geolidays: Margaret River Region

Campground: Contos Campground
Facilities: Toilet, Fire-pits, Non-potable water, Gas BBQ, Picnic Benches.
Good stuff: Lots of space between sites, good location.
Not so good stuff: Almost verging on Suburbia in a campground… If you think of a new build estate, this is the camping equivalent. A bit steep for a NP campground.
Price: $10 per adult

This area is stunning - lovely coastal scenery with many fishing spots. If you want to go snorkeling, the only place that is deemed safe to swim is at Hamelin Bay. With wineries, breweries, chocolate and nougat shops as well as much more, you can spend a reasonable amount of time, and money, in the area.

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse... that we just looked at from the outside.

As you would expect, this beautiful vineyard region comes with the pretentious price tag. In between visiting the Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cowaramup Brewing Company, we were drawn to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory…After two truffles and a few (or many) spoonfuls of chocolate pastilles, for tasting purposes of course, we still deem Bright Chocolate to be the best we have had so far.

Water wheel near Cape Leeuwin lighthouse that is now encrusted with microbial mats.

There are many caves down the aptly named Cave Road but we decided against visiting them. However, the scenery in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste is nice although to an untrained eye pretty similar to that of Warren NP and D’Entrecasteaux NP which we have already indulged ourselves in for quite some time. Our favourite stop off section was near the lighthouse at the Southern and Northern end of the peninsula. Near the southern lighthouse you can go to the old waterwheel there is a good view of the lighthouse without the fencing getting in your shot that is also associated with paying the $8 entrance fee to get up close and personal with the lighthouse. The northern peninsula is less built up by comparison and there are a few coastal walks. Liz managed to sting Kyle with her usual trick, head off on the shorter walk to then suggest the longer detour… It worked! For a change the detour was worth it seeing the whale viewing platform, albeit at the wrong time of year and of the coastline which was beautiful.