May 19 was the third year anniversary of my beautiful Mum’s passing. Rather than go to work and feel glum, I decided to celebrate her vibrant life by taking a road trip for the weekend with my new overseas friends. And we had a brilliant time!

The morning started with excitement, dancing and singing around the breakfast table. We were all looking forward to an adventurous and fun weekend to explore the south west of WA. I love road trips and showing people around our beautiful state, so it was high ho off we go by 9am.

Our first stop was Busselton. The weather was wild and windy and wet, but nothing could dampen our moods! We rugged up and bared the elements, walking briskly on an angle into the gail force winds, we achieved the goal of completing the jetty walk! This jetty is the longest in the southern hemisphere, it sure felt like it on that cold windy day!

After a bakery lunch we ventured forth to Dunsborough. We had booked to stay in my friends holiday home, a very comfortable and quaint home in a tranquil setting, only a short walk to the beach. I love this holiday home, and have been there now multiple times. Hopefully I will continue to get the opportunity to stay there more in the future too!

Our original plan was to have dinner at the local pub, but after a quick trip to the shops, and an excessive consumption of cheese, we decided our bellies were full enough, and it was warm and cosy at home. We played loads of board games including Pictionary, and Dominoes; in fact this was an ongoing theme for the weekend, perfect for me! Playing board games with friends has become one of my favourite things to do.  I much prefer it to watching TV!

Saturday was our big day to explore the majority of Margaret River. Spoilt for choice I was determined to cram in as much beauty as possible, and I think we achieved this goal! After a quick breakfast of fresh hot croissants and apricot jam, we were away and ready to explore, photograph and taste our way around vineyards, and the lush bush of the south.

Heading to Caves road, we took a quick detour to Yallingup beach for some epic coastal views. Crashing surf and rolling waves greeted us. Green cliffs with ragged rocky edges, sheer drops into tumultuous water, all so impressive and breathtaking. After a quick beach walk and some rock jumping, we were back in the car ready for the next view.

Along we drove the road of caves, well known for an impressive range of huge chambers of caves, tunnelling along beneath us. First we pulled into Gabriel’s Chocolates, an amazing bean to bar chocolatier. I was very impressed by all the samples available and the range of natural ice creams too. My friends all indulged and I bought some dark mint chocolate which I have been really enjoying, slowly, bite by delicious bite.

Then we went to a winery called House of cards. The grounds were gorgeous, autumn red and yellow grape vines, natives, and expansive lawns contributing to the peaceful atmosphere.  We sampled a few different wines, I tried the Rosé and immediately bought a bottle, that is how good it is. Flowery rose tones, blossoming in your mouth after every sip. A rather sweeter light drink, and one I shared a few days later at a dinner party at my home, success!

On we travelled along Caves road, enjoying the scenery, kangaroos and wild bird life. Our next stop was the Venison Farm where we sampled delicious meats and cheese. I always buy a venison kransky and eat it cold immediately, THAT is how good it is! I also bought some dried peach leather, another favourite of mine.

We then made our way to Boronap Forest, a spectacularly dense region of high Karri trees, close to the coastline. I love this part of Margaret River and always enjoy wandering through the trees, smelling their fresh leaves and bark and listening to the trill of bird life. It feels so peaceful and calming.

We really jammed a lot into only a few days; it was a great trip seeing as many places of beauty as we could find! We even explored one of the magical caves called ‘Lake Cave’. It’s main impressive feature was a suspended table over water and a colourful light show, well worth a look! My friend managed to get a good photo of it, as you can see in the collage above.

The last day was spent exploring the Dunsborough region. We went to Sugarloaf rock, Meelup Beach and walked along the bush path to Castle Rock; one of the most spectacular mini walks in the south west. After a quick throw of the frisbee and a final lunch in the centre of town at Dome, we were ready to make our way back to Perth. We were all sad to leave! I am sure we would have been happy to stay another week easily!

I highly recommend a trip to the south west. It is a wonderful part of WA and well worth exploring!

Anita xx

Have you been to the south west of WA?