The Ultimate 7-day Margaret River Itinerary
4 November 2022
If you’re looking for an epic Margaret River Itinerary, we spent over 7 months travelling Western Australia and have created this 7 Day Itinerary just for you.
Margaret River is a great place to visit for both short and longer vacations as there are so many things to do. With 1 week in Margaret River, you will be able to see all the best beaches in the region, have great outdoor adventures and try the best food and wineries in the area.
Most first-time visitors to Margaret River only stay in the center and go to one or two beaches. There are so many awesome things to do outside of the city center. This 1-week Margaret River Itinerary will show you the best of Margaret River, Dunsborough, and Busselton.
Overview of 7 Day Margaret River Itinerary
We try to plan our activities by geographic locations to avoid commuting back and forth and wasting time. So this 7-day Margaret River itinerary is based on location for convenience. Feel free to use this resource as you wish since we like to recommend a lot of things to do in Margaret River, Western Australia.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Busselton
Day 2: Dunsborough
Day 3: Yallingup
Day 4: Injidup/Wilyabrup
Day 5: Margaret River
Day 6: Augusta
Day 7: Repeat your favourite spots.
Day 1: Busselton
Busselton Jetty
Start your first day in Margaret River exploring the longest jetty in the Southern hemisphere in the quaint seaside town of Busselton. This jetty stretches 1.8km and you can either walk all the way to the end or ride the Busselton Jetty train. Closer to the end of the jetty, a snorkeling is incredible so make sure you bring your goggles and a towel.
Zipline through the trees with Forest Adventures
For lunch, fish and chips on the Busselton Foreshore is our preferred choice. If a pizza with a beer is more your thing, Shelter Brewing Co is the way to go.
After lunch, we recommend having a ziplining adventure with Forest Adventures South West. I tried to convince Charlie to do this with me for days! He was a bit hesitant, but as soon as he got there, he had the time of his life (more fun than me!). He was the one doing all the obstacles, ziplining from tree to tree like Tarzan. Some of the obstacles are amongst the 300 year-old trees that have grown up to 33m in height.
Cocktails and dinner at Tonic by the Bay
Cocktails and dinner at Tonic by the Bay is our evening recommendation. It’s LGBT+ owned, and the cocktails and vibe is amazeballs. I don’t usually go for salads when ordering out, but the pumpkin kale salad was delicious! This was one of the only spots we got drunk in the Margaret River… because the cocktails were so moreish #noregrets.
Day 2: Dunsborough beaches
Bunker Bay, Eagle Bay
Morning strolls on the beaches of Dunsborough is honestly what made Charlie fall in love with Margaret River region.
Charlies absolute favourite beach for sunrise was Bunker Bay. Every morning without question, it would be the place we’d have our sunrise stroll. Afterwards, check out Eagle Bay beach.
Whales like to visit the Geographe Bay coastline and you can see even humpback mothers and their calves from September to December too.
Lunchtime
Sunset at Meelup for the Kangaroos
My absolute favourite beach in the area is Meelup Beach. At one stage, this had been claimed as Australia’s best beach. Make sure you pop into Castle Rock Bay on the way which is about 5 minutes away too.
The reason we’ve put this as your evening activity is because Kangaroos start coming out at dusk and if you stay long enough, you’ll see them all up close. Super cute!
Another option for the late afternoon is to do a luxury cruise with South West Cruises if you’re travelling in the warmer months. It’s a 7 course meal, on a boat in Geography Bay, where you can go for swims between each course. We did this for our anniversary and loved it.
Day 3: Yallingup
A natural 'Aquarium'
Margaret River is home of one of Australia’s most famous multi-day hikes known as the Cape to Cape walk. Today, we’ve included one of our favourite parts of the walk for you to explore.
The section of the Cape to Cape Track from Smiths Beach Rock Pool to Canal Rocks leads you to a place called the Aquarium, and it’s one of the best swimming spots we’ve been to in all of Australia. This spot used to be a local secret, but it’s become quite popular with tourists and locals now. So the best time to visit would be early morning or late afternoon on a weekday.
We made a quick 5-minute YouTube video about the Aquarium, which you can watch below.
The best pizza & winery in Margaret River
Get ready for a foodgasm.
Swings and Roundabouts is our absolute favourite place to have pizza in the entire Margarer River region. As I’m writing this, I’m actually salivating remembering the pizza.
Afterwards, grab probably the worlds best chocolate chip cookie from Gabriel’s Chocolate. Oh my god. They were honestly the best cookies we’ve ever had in our lives and we would go back to the region JUST for these cookies. You can even ask for a cookie that has bigger chunks of chocolate chip. It just melts in your mouth (I’m salivating again).
Then, visit Windows Estate winery. Of all the wineries we experienced in the area, this was our favourite. It involves a little stroll through the property, tasting the wine, and learning about the biodynamic and organic processes from Estate owners Chris and Jo.
Related: Stay overnight at Windows Estates Petit Eco Cabin, one of our favourite LGBT+ welcoming accommodations in the region.
Sunset at Sugarloaf
After you’re done having a foodgasm, soak up the sun at Yallingup Lagoon. The views are incredible, the lagoon leaves the water super calm, and the vibe is just perfect for a post-foodgasm food coma.
Before the sun starts to set, head over to Sugarloaf Rock for one of the best sunsets in the region (below).
Day 4: Injudip / Wilyabrup
Injidup Spa
Another section of the Cape to Cape Track that shouldn’t be missed is from Canal Rocks to Injidup Spa. Injidup Spa is a natural rockpool where the ocean crashes on the opposite side of the rocks, leaving the water flowing into this rockpool to make it seem like a spa. On the right day, it can honestly feel like you’re in paradise.
Lunch and beers at Beerfarm
Beerfarm is a food and beer lovers must. This is our favourite spot to eat in all of the Margaret River region. Please trust us.
If you love Gnocchi, chicken wings, and artisan beers, do not miss Beerfarm. When Charlie’s sister joined us in the Margaret River region, we took her here. And you know how when you’ve gone home from a holiday and you talk about your favourite moments? The gnocchi at Beerfarm is always something we talk about with Emma. My tombstone might even read: “Hthe gnocchi at Beerfarm, lived a happy life”.
Wilyabrup Cliffs
Another local spot that not many tourists venture to is Wilyabrup. It’s another section of the Cape to Cape Track, but you can visit it without doing the entire hike. We recommend punching Wilyabrup Climbing and Abseiling Sea Cliffs into Google Maps and heading there for an afternoon walk, and sunset on the cliffs. It’s such an amazing spot.
Day 5: Margaret River
Mountain Bike in the forest
Start your day in Margaret River mountain biking around the Boranup and surrounding forests of Margaret River. Brooksy from Margaret River Mountain Bike Tours knows the trails of the area super well. Not only that, Brooksy is actually one of the kindest, loving, most easy-going souls we met on our trip. He even gave us so much knowledge about mountain biking to take home with us too. If you love nature and cycling, you will love this trip.
Brewhouse
Redgate Beach and/or outdoor cinema at a winery!
After lunch, head to Redgate Beach. You can either stay and watch the sunset here, or if you fancy an outdoor movie night in the Margaret River, then you’re in luck.
In the summer, Cape Mentelle offers outdoor movie nights at their winery, and this was one of the chillest and nicest moments we had with our friends in the Margaret River area. Take some pillows and a blanky, grab a red wine, and prepare for an epic outdoor movie night.
Day 6: Augusta
Hamelin Bay
Augusta isn’t as well known as the other regions of Margaret River, but that’s not to say it’s less beautiful.
Take the trip down Caves Road towards Hamelin Bay, an incredible beach that stretches so long that it kinda feels like you’re in another planet. You’ll also be able to see stingrays come right up close to shore in the mornings, so don’t miss this photo-worthy opportunity.
On this drive from Margaret River, you’ll drive through the incredibly lush Boranup Karri Forest- which was pretty badly effected in the 2021 bushfires but is regenerating.
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Lunch
Cosy Corner Nudist Beach
Time to get naked at Margaret River’s finest unofficial nudist beach Cosy Corner. This beach is absolutely spectacular and has made it on our Top Nude Beaches in Australia list.
If letting it all hang out isn’t what you’re after, Margaret River is home to loads of cave systems, and a cave tour at Jewel Cave is a must. It’s Western Australia’s biggest show cave with three massive chambers. Roots from the trees can actually be seen hanging next to the stalactites above you. 8th Wonder of the world, perhaps?
Day 7: Repeat your favourite activities
We always love having an extra day to enjoy the best parts of our trip. So leave your last day to go back to your favourite beach, eat your favourite meal, sip on your favourite wines, and just soak up the awesomeness that is the Margaret River region.
What next?
Exploring other areas near Margaret River? Check out our 2-week road trip in Western Australia.
Otherwise, we hope you enjoyed this Margaret River Itinerary!
