It might be a gateway to a majestic wine region, but it’s a worthy destination in its own right. Chloe Cann shares how to eat your way around Margaret River town to discover why Margaret River landed in at no.9 on your list of Top 50 Aussie towns.
While the low-rise streets of Margaret River town have their draws – a smattering of walls streaked with murals; pavements draped with a canopy of foliage; and chunky benches crafted from locally sourced timber to perch on as the sun warms your back – there’s little that’s particularly twee about this town.
Margaret River is world-famous for its wines. (Image: Jessica Wyld)
No chocolate-box heritage buildings, or sweeping scenic backdrop worthy of a screensaver. Part tourist town and part local workhorse, it’s where the region’s population of surfers, vintners, artists and chefs all converge to fuel up on coffee and cocktails, fix their mountain bikes, or pick up a new wetsuit.
You can feel the buzz just by strolling the main street. And of course it has all of the Margaret River region’s headline acts at its toes: towering karri forests, untouched bushland, a rugged coastline that marries arcs of bone white sand with Tiffany-blue waters, and row upon row of grapevines that course down into lush valleys.
Take a scenic walk along Margaret River’s lush greeneries.
But most of all, this cruisey quasi-beach town knows how to sate an appetite. Eat your way around town at these four heavy hitters that all capitalise on this fertile pocket’s bounty of produce.
Top foodie things to do in Margaret River
Farmgate experiences
Start your Saturday morning right with a leisurely stroll around the town’s award-winning Farmers’ Market , perusing the array of fresh local produce, a brioche doughnut plump with yuzu lemon curd in hand from Harlequin Dessert.
Drop by the Margaret River Farmers’ Market. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Buzzing brewery scenes
A local institution, dog- and kid-friendly Margaret River Brewhouseyields a modern rustic vibe, and a leafy aspect on the cusp of town. It’s nearly as famous for its craft beers as it is for its well-executed Asian-leaning food menu (hello red duck curry with papaya salad, and masterstock braised beef brisket).
Visit Margaret River Brewhouse for some tacos. (Image: Jessica Wyld)
Flavourful pastry tasting at Margaret River Woodfired Bread
Few bakers come close to commanding as much of a cult local following as Margaret River Woodfired Bread. Only stoneground, WA-grown, certified biodynamic flour makes it into the handmade sourdough loaves here, which are served warm, fresh out of the wood-fired oven every day at 3pm.
Bakers prepare handmade sourdough in the open kitchen at Margaret River Woodfired Bread.
Gastronomic escapades at Miki’s Open Kitchen
Hiding behind a rather nondescript entrance in a shopping arcade, expectations might run low for Miki’s Open Kitchen, but the culinary calibre of Miki and his small team is sky-high. Purveying modern Japanese cuisine using hyperlocal ingredients, the restaurant’s eight-course seafood-centric degustation menu is as refined as they come.
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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)
