Today we traveled south from Perth to explore Western Australia’s Margaret River region that is famous for its natural beauty, wineries, forests, caves, and unspoiled coastline.

Day 25, Monday, September 30: Margaret River region

The journey started at 8 am on one of the big buses of the Australian Pinnacle Tours company with 30 people onboard. We drove through coastal small towns and farmland with grazing cattle. By 10:40 we reached Busselton, a good place for fishing and swimming in the waters of Geographe Bay.

One of the absolute icons and most popular tourist attractions of the region is the historic Busselton Jetty. It’s the longest timber jetty (1.8 kilometers) in the southern hemisphere, built in 1865. People can stroll along the jetty or ride the red electric train to the end.

Driving into the heart of the region by many vineyards, we headed to one of Margaret River’s boutique breweries (Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co.) for lunch with complimentary beer.

Before lunch, we enjoyed wine tasting at the adjacent Di Latte Estate, a family owned winery.

Following lunch, we reached Mammoth Cave, just a 15-minute drive from Margaret River town. This limestone gothic cave was offering a glimpse of the world in prehistoric times.

Around the cave, in the forest, we saw the giant karri trees. They have smooth bark and were extensively logged in the past for their high-quality timber.

Continuing south, we reached the historic Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse on the extreme south-west corner of the continent. It’s the tallest lighthouse (39 meters) on the Australian mainland, constructed in 1895 from local limestone. It’s still a working lighthouse flashing its light every 7.5 seconds, overlooking the point where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. Did we see the exact meeting point of the oceans? Hard to say. But we definitely took in the breathtaking panoramic views of the two oceans.

Around 4 pm, we headed north, back to Perth, stopping briefly in Margaret River town. On our short walk there, we found art/mural installations on buildings.

We were back in our hotel by 9:30 pm. Throughout the day, we had a nice experience except for our driver/guide. He was – let’s just say politely – a big talker, talking nonstop and very loud for hours and hours, bombarding us both with vital and not necessary information, which was a bit tiring. Other than that, and the long hours of sitting on the bus (did I mention earlier than Australia is a country of long distances?), we had a very good day.