Finding a vacancy in Margaret River over the Easter break was quite challenging. Although Riverview Tourist Park was a little suburban, it is on the bank of the Margaret River and less than a kilometre from the town centre. The walk along the river into town was really lovely. On the opposite side of the river is the Keenan State Forest, with well established walking paths or cycling paths and various bridges over weirs crossing from one side to the other.

The town of Margaret River reminded us a little of Byron Bay: a little bit hippy, surfy and very relaxed. The main difference being the temperature, staying below 17°C for all but our last 2 days.

The Margaret River Farmers’ Market is excellent; the night market was OK.

The surf beaches are spectacular, with Surfers Point set up to accomodate large crowds attending the various surfing competitions.

When Surfers Point was closed due to bad weather, Cowaramup Beach at Gracetown seemed a favourite spot for surfers. They kept us entertained for a couple of hours one afternoon.

We later read that they are experimenting with drum lines and locator tagging of sharks along that coastline and that the first white shark had just been tagged and released off that beach.

The mouth of Margaret River meets the Indian Ocean near Surfers Point but is closed by a large sand bar each year until winter brings enough rain to flush it out.

Catching up with family over Easter was a real treat and we spent one of our two sunny days canoeing along the Margaret River.

We also took them to Hamelin Bay to see the giant stingrays.

While at Hamelin Bay we noticed a commotion further down the beach and investigated. The professional fishermen had brought in a net full of salmon. Wow! those guys worked so hard to get the net onto the beach, it took two 4WDs to pull it in; not an easy job, they deserve every penny they get for those fish.

Of course great wines is what Margaret River is best known for, so we checked out a few wineries as well as several breweries, which are also becoming numerous in the area.

The local produce stores were great to visit.

We found a fabulous art gallery not far out of town, Boranup Gallery. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Cowaramup is a small town not far from Margaret River and seems to have more than its fair share of cow statues. It is closer than the township of Margaret River to the majority of wineries in this region .

There are several limestone caves in the area. We visited Jewel Cave.

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly point on the Australian mainland and is where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Its lighthouse is the tallest in WA.

Until next time, Helen and Tim