The Margaret River Region on Wadandi Boodja in Western Australia is made for lovers! Whether you choose to glamp or stay in five-star luxury, there is something for everyone – from the forest to the sea. This 7-day honeymoon itinerary is designed for lovers – lovers of food and wine, lovers of the outdoors and adventure, lovers of culture and the arts, and lovers of luxe. Let’s dive into “A Lovers Guide to Honeymooning in The Margaret River Region” by Lisa Ikin for The Western Australia Issue!

Image: Jarrad Seng

Day One: Ocean Lovers

Suggested stays: Smiths Beach Resort, Yallingup

Smiths Beach Resort’s romantic Ocean View Villas are beautifully appointed with floor-to-ceiling glass and spacious balconies with sweeping ocean views. With a crisp Margaret River Region Chardonnay in hand, you can bathe in the free-standing bathtubs with views across the National Park. Situated on the pristine sands of Smith’s Beach in Yallingup, Smiths Beach Resort is conveniently close to all your favourite wineries –when you need to top up that glass!

Image: Rachel Claire

Image: Ord Photo

Image: Mark Boskell

Image: Hayley Janneson Bense & Bobby Bense

9 am – Breakfast with sandy feet

For stunning views of the bay, consider a delicious brekky at The White Elephant Beach Café in Gnarabup, a short drive from Margaret River town. Have your morning coffee served as close to the water’s edge as you can get.  Walk-ins are the deal, and sandy feet are welcome. Enjoy the beach from the café or swim in the sparkling ocean, where you may be lucky to frolic with a dolphin or two.

Images: Rachel Claire

11 am – Surf lesson at the Margaret River mouth

A trip to the river mouth where the magnificent Margaret River meets the Indian Ocean is a must. Hang ten and really enjoy the elements by booking a private surf lesson for two at Margaret River Surfing Academy at the river mouth. You’ll be in good hands; owner Simon Tien is an avid surfer and paramedic and knows the ocean like the back of his hand. Wash the salt off at the public showers by the beach.

Images: Ross Wyness

1 pm – Lunch with a coastal view (and brew)

The Sea Garden Café is in the heart of Margaret River Region’s surfing paradise, just a 5-minute walk from ‘Margies’ Main Break and Surfer’s Point in Prevelly. The Sea Garden Café has Australia’s longest Surfboard Fence, serves hearty plates, and is one of the few licensed venues in Margaret River with ocean views. Cheers to that!

3 pm – WA’s Surf Gallery

Make your way back up the coast to visit the first official Western Australian Surfing Museum. Surfing WA and Aravina Estate have teamed up to pay homage to surfing in WA.  The WA Surf Gallery has an extensive collection of rare and never-before-seen memorabilia, historical surf photographs, and surfboards from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, as well as trophies from the famous Pipeline surfing event winners, and much more.

Images: Tim Campbell Photo

6 pm – Moonrise over Bunker Bay

Indulge in the best of Margaret River produce as the moon rises over Bunker Bay and lights up the clear night sky. The Other Side of the Moon at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort offers guests a unique alfresco dining experience to fully immerse themselves in moonshine. If this isn’t the perfect honeymoon scenario, we don’t know what is.

Images: Pullman Bunker Bay Resort

Day Two: Outdoor Lovers

Suggested stays: Olio Bello Lakeside Glamping

Olio Bello Lakeside Glamping in Cowaramup offers 16 luxurious safari-style bungalows encircling a calm lake. Set on a 320-acre certified organic olive oil farm where sustainability, simplicity, and style merge to create a truly unique experience. This is where outdoor lovers’ go to connect with nature. There are also a bunch of things to do if you don’t want to leave anytime soon; in-tent massage, yoga classes, bushwalking, bird watching, olive oil tasting, a game of bocce…

Images: Russell Ord Photography

10 am – Farm-baked goods at your doorstep

Spend extra time lazing in bed this morning to enjoy the sounds of nature and the crisp fresh air from your glamping tent. To start the day right, you only need to stroll over to Olio Bello’s Café & Bistro for your morning beverage and delicious farm-baked cakes.

11 am – Put on your best hiking shoes

Pull on your boots and hike a section of the incredibly scenic Cape to Cape Track. Keep a keen eye out for native wildlife, including whales in the Noongar season of Djeran(September to November) and vibrant wildflowers. Prefer wheels over walks? Hire a bike from Life Cycle Bikes or go on a guided tour with Brooksey from Margaret River Mountain Bike Tours. The third option – do both! Check out Brooksey’s Coastal Cliff Hike to Forest Bike tour, offering equally awesome honeymoon selfie opportunities.

2 pm – Time to top-up

All that activity would make anyone hungry. Time to top up with a locally sourced artisan, gourmet picnic hamper from The Little Farm in Margaret River. Their salads and paninis are all made from locally sourced seasonal spray-free produce.  Organic produce is their speciality. Stroll down to Rotary Park and enjoy a feast by the river. There’s even a love-heart bench! Just follow the walk (on the north side of the river) a couple of hundred metres in. The perfect romantic picnic beside the water, under the shade of leafy trees.

Image: The Little Farm

3:30 pm – Scenic Drive: Caves Road

Take the scenic route back to your accommodation.   Caves Road is arguably one of the most stunning drives in the country, stretching over 111 kilometres with incredible Jarrah, Karri, and Marri forests that reach for the sky on either side of the road, row upon row of grape vines and rolling hills and paddocks.

There are opportunities aplenty to stop and grab a bottle of local wine or take in the view. Caves Road is like the arterial lifeblood of the region, with attractions and wineries at every twist and turn.

6:30 pm – Out and about

Chauff-Her provides premium transport for accommodation transfers, or they can whisk you away for a romantic dinner following your hike. They will also design personal wine and brewery tours for two. Let a knowledgeable local take you to the most romantic venues, hidden gems, and anywhere else you’d like to go. The Goose Beach Bar + Kitchen has just opened again on Busselton Foreshore, an excellent choice for a long drink with views over the Southern Hemisphere’s longest jetty – Busselton Jetty.

Images: Chauff-Her

Images: Busselton Jetty

Day Three: Culture Lovers

Suggested Stays: Jarrah Grove Forest Retreat

Jarrah Grove Forest Retreat is a romantic couple’s retreat set in 86 acres of secluded Jarrah, Marri & Karri tree forest in Rosa Glen, 15 minutes from Margaret River. The fully equipped, self-contained luxury chalets are built from rammed earth with two-person rain head showers and outdoor hot tubs, perfect for a soak under the stars. Another perk? Dogs are welcome – they’re part of the family, after all.

Images: Jarrah Grove Forest Retreat

8am – Bush history brekky

A must-visit while in Rosa Glen and Rosa Brook is the legendary and historical Darnell’s General Store. Built in 1932, the one-stop shop is a well-preserved time capsule, complete with an old-fashioned petrol pump. Here you’ll find a small kitchen that produces rolls and sandwiches and anything else you may need in terms of groceries, fuel, and farming supplies.

10 am – Experience the world’s oldest living culture

For over 60 000 years, the Margaret River Region has been the traditional land of the Wadandi (Saltwater) People and has many sites of cultural significance. Koomal Dreaming allows visitors to experience Wadandi and Bibbulman country through the eyes of the traditional owners. Check out the Aboriginal Food, Culture, Cave & Didge Tour.

Images: Elements Margaret River

2:30 pm – Cupid’s Corner at Ngilgi Cave

Caves used to provide necessary shelter to the Wadandi People Noongar during the colder months and are also beautiful crystal wonderlands. The ideal romantic interlude and the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer’s day, Ngilgi Cave has a specific honeymoon history dating back to the early 1900s when adventurous European honeymooners from Perth started exploring the attraction. Discover why it’s called ‘Cupid’s Corner’ during your visit.

Image: Tim Campbell Photo

4 pm – Eclectic fine arts & furniture

Art galleries for art lovers, like Yallingup Galleries on Caves Road, are prolific in the region. Yallingup Galleries feature recognised Australian artists and an eclectic fine arts and furniture range. Don’t miss the sculpture trail and gardens, with the lovely café open in summer. Yallingup Galleries also offer a wedding registry.

Image: Yallingup Galleries 

6 pm – Artistic dining experience

We’re continuing down the artistic path to find an equally eclectic curated range of Japanese sake and local wines at Miki’s Open Kitchen. But you won’t find authentic Japanese dishes served here in Japan. Instead, on the plate, you will meet with ingredients that Miki relies on, from the farmer’s hands that work the fertile soil borne by the salt-cloaked breeze and natural minerals.

Day Four: Lovers of Fine Dining

Alternative Stays: Bina Maya Yallingup Escape

Bina Maya Yallingup Escape is an award-winning self-catering luxury retreat set amongst 7.5 acres of Australian bushland, with two modern and spacious villas that are sustainably built for the conscious couple. Gourmet platters can be delivered to your villa, and you can stay in and request a private chef to cook up a beautiful storm for two. Perfect if your significant other’s love language is food.

The Margaret River Region is a virtual grazing platter! The ultimate in fine dining is a tailored degustation menu, and your honeymoon is the perfect occasion to serve it all up.

Images: Husbands That Travel

Images: Rachel Claire

8 am – Seasonal and sensational start

What’s better than a brilliant buffet breakfast? À la carte and buffet breakfast is served daily in Cape Lodge’s stunning lakeside restaurant, and you won’t be disappointed with what’s coming out of those kitchen doors. The ingredient-driven menu is curated daily, utilising the finest produce from the on-site kitchen garden and neighbouring farms. Bookings recommended.

10 am – Farm Foraging with Forage Safaris

Jan Stewart’s passion for farming, food, travel, and adventure is the inspiration behind Forage Safaris. Create a custom-designed tour with Jan, experience the perfect partnership between sustainability and luxury, the simple joys of country life, and sample the Margaret River Region’s famous flavours on an exclusive and bespoke epicurean adventure. Can we call it the region’s Big 4? Quite literally a full day of Food, Farm, Fine Wine, and Fresh Produce.

2pm – Degustation, degustation, degustation

Rustico at Hayshed Hill’s romantic degustation menus and fine wine will have you wanting to propose all over again (perhaps even to the chefs!). FYI, they also offer pop-up weddings, Big Love Pop-Up Weddings at Rustico Hay Shed Hill, for those who might want a degustation celebration lunch for their wedding. Also guilty of a mouth-watering menu is Voyager Estate. Their world-class seven-course degustation experience paired with their delicious wines is sure to impress even the pickiest of tastebuds.

Image: Rustico at Hayshed Hill

Image: Paris Hawken

Image: Rustico at Hayshed Hill

Image: Voyager Estate

6 pm – Back to the hot-tub

Floating luxuriously in a steamy hot tub might be the ideal way to close the day. If you’re still feeling snacky after this day (which we doubt), make sure you’ve pre-ordered a gourmet platter via the friendly folk at Bina Maya Yallingup Escape or nibble on your findings from the day’s adventures with Forage Safaris. You can always buy those gifts again tomorrow.

Day Five: Lovers of Indulgence

Suggested Stays: Walk Talk Taste Margaret River

Walk Talk Taste Margaret River is so exclusive that only one luxury tent is available. How’s that for privacy… You will have complete seclusion when you book the luxe bell tent with a private bush bath, outdoor shower, and campfire. To top it up, your hosts will provide you with premium artisan produce during your stay. Yum.

Image: Kassie Lee Photography

9:30 am – The Brunch Tour

Book a Walk Talk Taste Walking Brunch (breakfast and lunch) Tour and experience some of the region’s best food, beverage, stories, and secrets baked into one morning – in town, in the fresh air, and on foot. This is a unique insider’s experience custom-made for visitors and locals alike who want a deeper experience of Margaret River, including breakfast, lunch, coffee, wine, and more. There’s an evening tour available too.

Image: Kassie Lee Photography

9:30 am – The High Life

Live the high life and indulge in the ultimate honeymoon experience for two with helicopter transfers and a premium wine tasting at Gralyn Estate – the Margaret River Region’s oldest cellar door. The Estate has been making fine wine since the 1980s, and the exclusive experience will take you to three wineries, including a degustation lunch. Set aside five well-spent hours to feel on top of the world together. The bird’s eye view of the region’s dramatic landscape is something you’ll remember forever.

Images: Gralyn Estate

Image: Jessica Wyld

Day Six: Lovers of Pampering

Suggested Stays: Pullman Bunker Bay Resort

Pullman Bunker Bay Resort is a five-star luxury resort set right next to the ocean in Bunker Bay, Dunsborough. The romantic and luxuriously appointed self-contained studios and bungalow-style villas offer an outdoor deck and direct boardwalk access to the beach. Pullman’s is a pampering paradise for loved-up partners, complete with a spa, tennis court, hotel bar, restaurant, pool, and gym.

Full to the brim with love, what honeymoon is complete without a bit of pampering together?

10 am – Eagle Bay breakfast and balms

Eagle Bay Olives is a family-owned grove of 1200 olive trees at Eagle Bay, offering some of the finest quality extra virgin olive oil, condiments, olives, coffee, and freshly baked goodies! Opening again for the season in September, take your time walking the grove and savouring your breakfast before browsing the farm shop – we were delighted to find that they stock fine olive oil-based balms and skin care products.

11:30 am – Get serious about spas

We’ve rounded up some favourites. Take your pick!

• Vie Spa Pullman Resort Bunker Bay offers an extensive treatment menu and two couple suites furnished with ergonomically designed massage tables. Booking is essential.
• BODHI Wellness Spa Retreat offers luxurious spa journeys for two. Bodhi Escape for couples combines massages and treatments to leave you rejuvenated and relaxed.
• Uniquely Balanced offers a sound bath and sound massage to restore equilibrium for couples in their Margaret River Studio.
• Empire Spa Retreat, Caves Road, Yallingup, where couples can enjoy a massage in a private double treatment room or experience the Relax Together package.

Images: Bodhi Wellness Spa Retreat

2 pm – Tonic, but in your glass this time

Now that you have experienced the rejuvenating tonic of a spa, it’s time to try some tonic in your glass. Gorgeous ocean-vistas property, Wise Eagle Bay, crafts premium gin and spirits produced and hand bottled on site. Enjoy a fabulous beverage (and feed) on the Wise property, overlooking the vines and the ocean. Not only is Wise using their own chardonnay and other grape varieties grown on-site but Captain Barnacles, Tom and Jetty (the three custom-built 380-litre column stills) are getting in on the action. The team utilises pristine rainwater and other traditional distilling methods. Cleansing from the inside, we think.

Images: Allysha Cartledge

5 pm – Private yoga class

Finish the day with a one-hour private rejuvenating yoga class for two at Yallingup Lodge Spa Retreat & OM Day Spa. In the warmer months, your yoga class will be held beneath the peppy trees in the calming garden, and during the colder months, by the cosy open fireplace—a great way to connect with your better half.

Day Seven: Road Trip Lovers

Alternative Stays: Rivendell Winery Estate

Ten minutes from Dunsborough is Rivendell Winery Estate. Private villas with balconies overlooking 44 hectares of rolling hills, incorporating vineyards, native bush, and incredible wildlife, are waiting at your doorstep. Rivendell Winery offers honeymooners a selection of premium wines, gourmet grazing boards, lunches, High Teas, and a fully stocked bar to enjoy.

8 am – Breakfast, road-trip style

We’re heading for Augusta, and what says road trip more than having breakfast on the go(and pulling over at the nearest lookout so as not to spill)? A beautifully designed drive-through coffee shop is Red Feather Coffee in Cowaramup. Great coffee, great food. You can’t miss it; as you hit the northern end of town, you’ll see a ginormous red-tailed black cockatoo painted on the side of the building to your left.

10:30 am – Augusta: Where Two Oceans Meet

When you arrive in Augusta, visiting the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia is a must. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was built in 1895 (and was beamingly refurbished in 2022). The lighthouse is perched on the southernmost tip of Western Australia, where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. The knowledgeable guides can take you on one of their regular tours, and there’s a brilliant interpretive centre. Have your breath taken away by the wind and the view!

Images: Holly Winkle

Image: Jarrad Seng

12:30 pm – Pub grub at its finest

Head to the Augusta Hotel for lunch where you can enjoy stunning views of the Blackwood River.  Order a hearty meal from the kitchen team or Jimmy’s pizza bar with a wide range of local beers and refreshing drinks. The history is long and strong at Augusta Hotel, and a tip is to check out the wall of faces as you walk in – ask the locals for more info.

2:30 pm – Explore the Blackwood

You need to dip your toes in the Blackwood River and watch the flying locals – the many Pelicans, birds that wade and nest in and around the river, and the kite surfers on a windy day! Turn your road trip into a boat trip, book a guided tour with Graeme at Augusta River Tours, or hire a houseboat with Blackwood River Houseboats.

Images: Tim Campbell Photo

5 pm – Drive through the Karri Forest

Falling in love with more than each other is easy in Augusta. The picturesque and slow-paced coastal town has so much to offer; even the drive there and back is stunning. On your way back, make sure you turn off the highway onto Caves Road; you’ll be driving through the towering Boranup Karri Forest. It’s sensational in the afternoon, but keep alert and drive safely as we share the space with local wildlife (read: kangaroos). Pull over at the designated parking spot in Boranup and stroll through the forest. Those trees will take your breath away.

Images: Zac Whitee

This itinerary is like a delicious degustation menu, just enough of a taste to have you coming back for more. So, if you only managed some of these activities in 7 days, it’s time to start planning your second visit to The Margaret River Region.

Written y Lisa Ikin for Margaret River Busselton Tourism, Western Australia for The Western Australia Issue.