Breakfast is served all day, every day at Mrs Jones Cafe , in what used to be the town’s butter factory. Secure a table in the garden, then wander around the adjoining art gallery while you wait for delights to arrive.
Where to craft
No, not the arts – Boston Brewing Co .’s brewpub is home to handcrafted beers worthy of the drive out of town. Bring the family and grab a shaded picnic table on the grass, in view of the large playground and sandpit.
Enjoy a brew with a vineyard view. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Where to bike
A purpose-built cycle trail edges along the clifftops looming over Lights Beach – the views are expansive and the traffic minimal. You can walk it, but only if you’re willing to react quickly if cyclists come flying along. Look down over glittering rockpools, the safest spots to swim along this rugged stretch of ocean.
Where to explore
Elephant Rocks, 100 metres to the left of showstopper Greens Pool, is just as magical yet half as busy. Follow the trail to rounded granite boulders that resemble a herd of elephants (only way bigger), then trot down steps to a narrow gap between rocks.
Walk assertively through it the moment the sea sucks out, and you’ll make it to a private beach without getting your shorts wet.
These giant granite boulders that resemble a herd of elephants lumbering out to sea. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Where to picnic
Throw down a rug, bring sandwiches and treat yourself to the breathtakingly good chardonnay at Singlefile Wines . The estate encourages BYO picnics on the grass, in view of the line of geese that roam, in single file, around the verdant vineyard.
Where to be mindful
Find peace some 40 metres high, in the canopy of 400-year-old tingle trees. The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk , 40 minutes’ drive from Denmark, rises gradually via soaring suspended steel bridges that sway in the breeze. Pause, breathe and be present.
Tackle the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk while in Denmark. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Where to roam
Strap in for an hour of visual marvels along the Mt Shadforth scenic drive. Let your eyes wander over stretches of leafy vines, up undulating hills and across verdant farmland, with the moody Stirling Ranges and Porongurup granite boulders on the horizon.
Where to stay
Soak in a custom concrete bath surrounded by ruler-straight, white-trunked trees at Upland Farm , or be seduced by the indoor – and outdoor – baths that are each designed to fit two at Stillwood Retreat .
Stillwood Retreat offers a bespoke stay among the trees.
Fleur Bainger is a freelance travel writer and journalism mentor who has been contributing to Australian Traveller since 2009! The thrill of discovering new, hidden and surprising things is what ignites her. She gets a buzz from sharing these adventures with readers, so their travels can be equally transformative.
WA might be enormous, but the right insider knowledge brings its mysteries a whole lot closer.
“Western Australia is a land of record-breakers,” says Carolyn Tipper, a Travel Director working on AAT Kings Western Australia tours. “It has the second-longest fault line, the second-largest meteorite crater, the second-fastest flowing river—it just keeps surprising you. And every area has its charm.”
From tropics to deserts, Australia’s largest state is a land of extremes. You can’t see all of Western Australia in a lifetime, but with the right guide, you can discover its hidden pockets of magic.
Carolyn wishes to reach her guests’ hearts. “I want them to enjoy and be in awe,” she says. “I want them to have the holiday of a lifetime.”
1. Mimbi Caves
You wouldn’t expect a Great Barrier Reef in the outback – but that’s what you’ll find at Mimbi Caves. Once part of a 350-million-year-old reef, these caves hold marine fossils, ancient Indigenous rock art, and Dreamtime stories shared by a Gooniyandi guide.
“That’s when the real connection happens,” says Carolyn, who has taken guests through on the AAT Kings Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour. “When guests connect, not just with the land, but with the people who have called it home for tens of thousands of years.”
Walk through ancient limestone passages. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
2. Kalbarri National Park
Nothing prepares you for the Kalbarri Skywalk: a 25-metre platform jutting over Murchison Gorge, 100 metres above the red cliffs and river below. From July to October, join the AAT Kings Untamed Pilbara and West Coast tour to see over 1000 wildflower species paint the park, and listen as an Indigenous guide shares their uses, bush foods and medicine plants.
“I want our guests to have an emotional experience,” says Carolyn. “It’s not just about seeing the land, it’s about stepping into the stories.”
Stand on the Kalbarri Skywalk in Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
3. Hamelin Bay Wines
Margaret River isn’t just a top wine region – it’s a winner in every category. Where the Indian and Southern Oceans collide, granite cliffs rise, limestone caves sprawl and Karri forests tower. It almost distracts from the world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Almost.
Out of over 100 cellar doors, AAT Kings pick Hamelin Bay Wines as a favourite. Hosted tastings of small-batch wines on the Western Wonderland tourend with a group meal. The menu shifting with the seasons.
“Get off the beaten track to one of WA’s most relaxed venues for some amazing red and white signature wines,” explains Carolyn, “accompanied with upmarket pub food.”
Spectacular views.
Sip world-class wines at Hamelin Bay in Western Australia. (Image: Getty)
4. Wildflower Guided Walk, Kings Park
Western Australia is home to 12,000 native plant species – 3000 bloom in Kings Park’s Botanic Garden. Stroll past Kangaroo Paw, Banksia and blooms from the Goldfields, Stirling Ranges and Kimberley. “The diversity of Western Australia is immense,” says Carolyn, who leads guests through on the South Western Escape tour.
Wander among thousands of native plant species. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
5. Hoochery Distillery
Did you know that between Kununurra and Emma Gorge lies the state’s oldest continuously operating distillery? Well, the oldest legal one. Set on a family farm, Hoochery Distillery was hand-built using materials found on the property, conjuring up award-winning rum from local sugarcane, wet season rainwater and yeast.
Today, visitors cansample a hearty nip of rum, along with whiskies and gins – all crafted using traditional, labour-intensive methods. It’s the ideal way to soak up the ‘spirit’ of the Kimberley on the AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour.
Sample award-winning rum. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
6. Geraldton
The wildflowers of the Midwest will make your heart blossom. In Geraldton, the Helen Ansell Art Gallery brings the region’s botanicals to life in vivid colour and intricate detail. In nearby Mullewa, wander bushland trails lined with everlastings and native blooms. Further afield, Coalseam Conservation Park bursts into carpets of pink, white, and yellow each spring. Do it all on the Wildflower Wanderer tourwith AAT Kings.
Chase vibrant wildflower trails. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
7. El Questro
Wake up after a night under the stars at Emma Gorge Resort, ready to explore the mighty beauty of the El Questro Wilderness Park. With deep gorges, thermal springs, and cascading waterfalls, time slows here.
Join the AAT Kings’ Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour to drift through Chamberlain Gorge, where sheer sandstone walls glow burnt orange in the sun, archer fish flick at the surface, and rock wallabies peer down from ledges above. Then, step into Zebedee Springs, a secret oasis of warm, crystal-clear pools among prehistoric Livistona palms – a moment of pure, wild stillness.
Wake to adventure at Emma Gorge Resort. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
8. Lake Argyle
Once vast cattle country, Lake Argyle now sprawls like an inland sea – Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake, created by the damming of the Ord River. Scattered with over 70 islands, its glassy waters teem with life, like freshwater crocodiles, barramundi, bony bream, sleepy cod and over 240 bird species. That’s nearly a third of Australia’s avian population.
Glide across the lake’s surface on a cruise as part of AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour, where the silence is only broken by the splash of fish and the call of birds. For Carolyn, this place is a perfect example of how WA’s landscapes surprise visitors. “Lake Argyle is a big puddle of water that became a game-changer,” she says. “Seeing it from a boat, coach, and plane is mind-blowing. It puts time, isolation and the sheer scale into perspective.”
Glide past islands on Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake. (Image: Western Australia)
