Click here to send us an email
South West WA
Dolphin Bay, near Twilight Beach, Esperance © Tourism Western Australia
Scroll down for details of Margaret River Area, Albany to Esperance, Pemberton and nearby

South West WA - Introduction

This corner of WA has the state's most pleasant and temperate weather and is lush countryside with fertile and prosperous farmlands. Offshore whales and bottlenose dolphins bask and play.
The south west is a popular self driving destination from Perth, not only for visitors but also for Perth residents at weekends and during school holiday periods. You can spend an interesting few days exploring the area which includes forests with giant trees, long sandy beaches, caves and vineyards.
We have divided WA's south west into 3 sub regions, (as shown above).

Margaret River Area
Margaret River vineyard vista © Tourism Western AustraliaCentred on Margaret River is a wine producing area with numerous wineries and cellar doors. Margaret River itself is a pleasant enough town but it is the surounding area which draws in visitors rather than the town itself. It has a big selection of accommodation in and around it ranging from international standard hotels and retreats through upmarket bed and breakfasts and self catering to motels and camp sites.
Many of the wineries have excellent restaurants as well as cellar doors and many, like Leeuwin Estate, are also set in beautifully landscaped grounds which are put to good use with outdoor concert performances.  Wineries include:
Vasse Felix Howard Park Wines Deep Woods Estate
Cullen Wines Killerby Vineyards Rivendell Wines
Leeuwin Estate Lamonts Evans and Tate
Gralyn Estate Settlers Ridge Organic Wines Wise Vineyards
The Margaret River itself bisects the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park www.naturebase.net(Leeuwin-Naturaliste)
Scarecrow at Balingup, South West WA © Tourism Western Australiawhich runs along the coast from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin to the south. There are lots of walking trails and a number of these now join up making it possible to walk along the coast from cape to cape. The beaches are spectacular (and often wild) and close by inland are limestone caves and karri and jarrah forests.  One quirky small town, inland from Margaret River, is Balingup, where scarecrows are a feature.   Other centres in the area include:
Dunsborough Busselton Yallingup Gracetown Augusta

Albany to Esperance

ALBANY, situated on the King George Sound and lovely Princess Royal Harbour, is just over 400 km south of Perth. It was first settled in 1826 and is WA's oldest town, still having many old buildings standing. It started out as a military post and then became a major coal port and whaling centre. You can see dolphins and seals around Albany and the Humpback and Southern Right whales can be seen between July and October during their migration. 
There is some great coastal scenery in the area with wonderful beaches and Albany is a popular holiday destination. Much of the coast between Augusta and Albany is protected by National Parks and between Albany and Esperance is the Fitzgerald River National Park www.naturebase.net(Fitzgerald River).
Natural Bridge near Albany, South West WA © Tourism Western Australia The Torndirrup National Park www.naturebase.net(Torndirrup) is only 10 km south of Albany on the coast and is best known for its unusual rock bridge, Natural Bridge (pictured), and also for a large cave called The Gap. Torndirrup is one of the state’s most visited national parks having good road access and many beautiful, unspoiled beaches.
The Albany area has a good selection of bed and breakfast and self catering holiday accommodation.
DENMARK is also a coastal centre with accommodation and behind Albany and Denmark is the Mt Barker wine region. Denmark is a charming town on the Denmark river and also has wonderful coastal scenery and a number of bed and breakfasts and self catering accommodation.
Greens Pool, Denmark, South West WA © Tourism Western Australia Near to Denmark is the William Bay National Park www.naturebase.net(William Bay) with a number of delightful beaches including Madfish Bay, Elephant Rocks and the sheltered beach pool at Greens Pool (pictured).  There is good access into the park on both sealed and unsealed roads.  There is no camping in the park but the Parry Beach Camping area is just outside it at the western end.
ESPERANCE. Not in itself a pretty town, Esperance is nevertheless a popular local holiday centre  on this lovely stretch of coast.  Esperance is the port and main hub for agricultural production in the area.
Between Esperance and the South Australian border is a string of nature reserves along the coast. The Eyre Highway, which crosses the Nullarbor Plain to Adelaide and runs along the Great Australian Bight, ends at Norseman 200 km inland from Esperance.
Beyond Norseman are the two old goldmining towns of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie - see WA Goldfields + Nullarbor

Pemberton and nearby
Warren River near Pemberton, South West WA © Tourism Western Australia Between the Margaret River region and the wild and beautiful coast of Albany/Esperance is an area of tall, old karri forests where the logging debate still continues, although the logging of old forests here officially ended in 2001.
In the north of area is the picturesque valley of the Blackwood River which has a choice of accommodation. Nannup is an attractive former loggers' town with a large number of bed and breakfasts and self catering accommodation. Pemberton is the main visitor centre for the region.
 
Return to - Top    Western Australia Summary Page   WA Regions Intro   AUS GUIDE BOOK Contents Page  or hit 'Back' Button
 HOME

Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given.