This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our small business.
Margaret River packs more into a 50 km stretch of coast than most regions do in a whole state: 200-plus wineries, four show caves, two lighthouses, world-class surf, and the 135 km Cape to Cape Track. This guide runs through the attractions worth your time, with locations, opening hours, and ticket prices, so you can plan days that mix cellar doors, caves, and beaches without doubling back, as part of the full Margaret River travel guide.
Things to Do in Margaret River: Wineries and Cellar Doors
Vasse Felix
The region’s founding winery, established by Dr Tom Cullity in 1967 on Caves Road in Wilyabrup. The cellar door sits next to an art gallery and the estate’s fine-dining restaurant, which serves a five-course degustation lunch with matching wines. Tastings run daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and the flagship Heytesbury Chardonnay is the one to try.
Leeuwin Estate
Founded in 1972 and famous for its Art Series labels and the outdoor Leeuwin Concert Series, listed in the Margaret River events and festivals calendar, held each February. The cellar door is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and the restaurant serves a la carte lunch overlooking the lawn and karri forest. Book a tasting of the Art Series Chardonnay, one of Australia’s most collected whites.
Cullen Wines
A certified biodynamic and carbon-neutral estate founded in 1971 in Wilyabrup. The Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon is the benchmark red, and the on-site restaurant plates produce from the estate’s own garden. The cellar door is open daily from 10:00 to 16:30, and walk-ins are fine outside peak season.
Voyager Estate
Known for its Cape Dutch-style buildings and formal rose garden, Voyager Estate runs structured tasting flights rather than casual pour-and-go visits. The estate on Stevens Road is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and the Wine Room tasting costs around AUD 20 per person, refunded with a bottle purchase.
Things to Do in Margaret River: Caves and Lighthouses
Lake Cave
The deepest of the region’s show caves, on Caves Road about 20 minutes south of town. A guided tour descends through a sinkhole into a chamber with a permanent lake and the 4,500 kg Suspended Table crystal formation. Adult tickets cost around AUD 26, and tours run daily from 9:00, with the last entry around 16:00.
Mammoth Cave
A self-guided cave with an audio tour in five languages, best for visitors who want to explore at their own pace. The cave holds more than 10,000 fossils and has the easiest wheelchair-accessible entrance of the group. Entry costs around AUD 18 for adults, and it is open daily from 9:00 to 16:30.
Ngilgi Cave
The northernmost cave, a short walk from Yallingup Beach. The Ancient Lands Experience is a guided tour with storytelling and light displays tied to the local Wadandi people’s creation stories. Adult tickets cost around AUD 23, and the cave is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, closing earlier in winter.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
The tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia at 39 metres, standing where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet at the continent’s most south-westerly point, 8 km south of Augusta. It has operated since 1895. Grounds entry costs around AUD 10, and guided tower climbs run on a schedule from about 9:00 to 16:30.
Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse
The northern bookend of the region, a 20-metre tower opened in 1903 near Dunsborough. Guided tours run every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 16:00 and cost around AUD 17, and the boardwalk and lookouts below the tower are free. From September to December, the cliffs here are a prime whale-watching spot.
Things to Do in Margaret River: Beaches and the Coast
Surfers Point and the Margaret River Mouth
The region’s main surf break, in the beachside hamlet of Prevelly about 10 minutes from town. The World Surf League Margaret River Pro is held here each April at Main Break, where winter swells produce waves that break for 300 metres. Check the Margaret River weather by month guide for sea temperatures by month before you plan a beach day. This is a surfing beach with strong rips, not a swimming beach; swimmers should head to the patrolled spots elsewhere.
Hamelin Bay
A sheltered bay north of Augusta where stingrays come right into the shallows to feed and are accustomed to people. It is one of the best swimming and snorkelling spots in the region, with calm, clear water and a boat ramp. Augusta, the nearest town, is covered in the Margaret River neighborhoods guide. Get here early in summer; the small car park fills by mid-morning.
Bunker Bay
A north-facing beach near Cape Naturaliste, protected from the prevailing south-westerly swell, which makes it the calmest swimming beach on the coast. The sand is white and the water stays shallow for 50 metres out. The Pullman resort sits behind the dunes, but the beach itself is public. The best time to visit Margaret River guide explains when the water is warm enough for swimming.
Cape to Cape Track
A 135 km walking trail linking Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin along the clifftops, beaches, and karri forest. Most people walk it in five to seven days, but day sections from Prevelly, Yallingup, and Hamelin Bay are easy to arrange. The trail is best walked from September to November, when the ground is dry and the wildflowers are out. See the Margaret River travel tips guide for getting there and what to pack.
Things to Do in Margaret River: Forests, Breweries and Food
Boranup Forest
A stand of karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor), the third-tallest flowering plant in the world, lining both sides of Boranup Drive south of Margaret River. The pale trunks and filtered light make it the most photographed road in the region. Pull into the gravel pull-offs and walk among trees that reach 60 metres; there is no entry fee.
Eagle Bay Brewing Co
A family-run farm brewery near Dunsborough with an ocean-view lawn and a kitchen that does wood-fired pizza. The core range includes a kolsch and an IPA brewed with rainwater from the farm’s own dam. It is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00, and kids are welcome.
Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co
A large brewery, restaurant, and beer garden on Caves Road in Wilyabrup, with a kids’ playground and a lawn that fills up on weekends. The West Coast IPA and the summer ale are the house standards, and the kitchen runs a full lunch and dinner menu daily from 11:00.
Margaret River Farmers Market
A Saturday-morning market selling local produce, cheese, bread, and coffee, held at the Margaret River Heart complex on the edge of town. It runs from about 8:00 to 12:00 and is the cheapest way to stock a self-catering stay, whatever your base from the where to stay in Margaret River guide. Arrive before 9:00 for the best produce and the shortest queues.
Busselton Jetty
The longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at 1.841 km, 40 minutes northeast of Margaret River in Busselton. A small train runs out to the end, where an underwater observatory sits 8 metres below sea level surrounded by fish and coral. Train and observatory tickets cost around AUD 38 combined, and it is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00.
