From twilight wildlife encounters and towering karri forests to stingrays at Hamelin Bay and underground cave adventures, this guide explores a very different side of Margaret River, far beyond vineyards and cellar doors.
Margaret River wildlife encounters after dark
A little fella hops onto a log and starts nosying around.
He’s not quite what we’ve come to see, but he’s the forerunner of things to come. It’s a southern brown bandicoot, known in these parts as a quenda, and it’s in search of a feed.
Night is falling over the Margaret River region, and this is usually the time when people are getting home after their wine tour, wondering whether to open one of the bottles they’ve bought and call their massive haul of chocolates and cheese “dinner”.
But Ryan and Mick from South-West Eco Discoveries are determined to show there’s more to Margaret River, around three hours south of Perth, than cellar door tastings and charcuterie platters.
Which is why we’re sat on little hand-made benches in the middle of the bush, waiting for south-western Australia’s nightlife to spring into action.
Quendas, woylies and rare marsupials in Margaret River
Their secret wildlife viewing spot is a private conservation sanctuary that has been fenced off from foxes, the scourge of the local small marsupials.
The quendas, long anteater-esque noses attached to podgy bodies, are followed by the woylies. And this is the rare species we’ve come to see.
There are only a few thousand woylies, or brush-tailed bettongs if we’re being formal, left. Foxes and feral cats have massacred them.
They’re skittish things, looking like a cross-breed of a wallaby and a squirrel, and they seem constantly on the move even when eating or picking fights with each other.
When the kangaroos arrive to complete the set, it’s remarkable how well the three species tolerate each other.
They’re all content to nibble away while a small group of adoring humans looks on for a couple of hours. It’s a weirdly peaceful, intimate experience, seemingly shut off from the real world.
Boranup Forest and the giant karri trees
That’s also the case early the next morning, deep in the Boranup Forest.
Here, the tall, branchless trunks of the giant karri trees reach for the skies, hit by the dappled light.
The karris can grow to 90 metres high, although those in the Boranup are about half that. They’re still pretty intimidating when you’re surrounded by them, though.
Hamelin Bay stingrays and Margaret River beaches
Cam O’Beirne of the Margaret River Adventure Company starts here on his way down to Hamelin Bay, a knock-out white sand beauty of an Indian Ocean beach that has one very special addition: Stingrays.
“I could have done a wine tour, I guess, but I reckoned it’d be better to base activities around the things me and my mates used to do as teenagers when we came down here,” says Cam.
And that includes the stingrays, which originally started coming to shore because they knew local fishermen would gut fish at the water’s edge.
They still arrive, gliding through the shallows, the size of car bonnets and willing to hoover up pretty much anything as food.
They’re wild but unafraid of humans.
“This one’s called Stumpy,” says Cam, pointing to one that has lost its tail.
That makes him more approachable than the others. They still have those barbs on the tail to be wary of.
His skin is velvety to touch rather than slimy as expected, and he regularly brushes against the legs of his well-wishers.
Hamelin Bay is calm, but most of Margaret River’s beaches are revered for their surf breaks.
It was the surfers who discovered the region before the winemakers clocked that the climate was similar to that of Bordeaux.
Exploring Margaret River caves at night
Said surfers were also amongst the first to venture into the Margaret River caves.
For geological reasons that are rather boring unless you’re particularly into that sort of thing, the region is riddled with them.
Some (such as Mammoth Cave and Jewel Cave) are show caves, some are strictly for experienced cavers only, and Giant’s Cave hits that middle ground.
A middle ground that might perhaps be a little disconcerting for those expecting an easy walk through.
Cape To Cape Explorer Tours goes in at night after a sunset from a clifftop vantage point.
There are a lot of steps down, and a lot of stalactites dangling from the cavern roofs.
Everywhere that’s always been slightly out of reach for humans is covered in rock formations, created over millions of years of drip-drip-dripping water.
Often the icicle-like ceiling decoration is accompanied by the roots of the marri trees growing above.
They dangle into the empty cavern, in search of a foothold.
Underground adventure in Giant’s Cave
And soon, it’s the explorers trying to find footholds.
What starts as a walk down steps and a stroll suddenly become much trickier.
There’s a haul up a ladder through a gap so squeezy bags have to come off backs.
There’s using ropes to take on near-abseiling missions.
There’s going down on the bum to slide down slopes without the ropes.
Then, on the way out, there’s stretching the legs to find a safe enough grip to haul the body up the rockface.
By the end, the sweating isn’t entirely due to the humidity in the cave.
And, after two days exploring a wine region without a single drop, it’s time to open a bottle.
After all, drinking one of Margaret River’s famed cabernet sauvignons is also getting back to nature, right?
Nearby attractions in the Margaret River region
- Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park (15km): Coastal walking trails, limestone cliffs and secluded beaches.
- Prevelly Beach (10km): Popular surf breaks and ocean views close to Margaret River town.
- Mammoth Cave (25km): One of the region’s best-known show caves with boardwalk access.
- Canal Rocks (18km): Dramatic granite formations connected by a footbridge.
- Augusta and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse (45km): Where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.
Margaret River FAQs
| Where is Margaret River located? | Margaret River is in south-west Western Australia, roughly 270km south of Perth. |
| What wildlife can you see in Margaret River? | Common sightings include quendas, woylies, kangaroos and stingrays at Hamelin Bay. |
| Can you see stingrays at Hamelin Bay? | Yes, wild stingrays regularly glide into the shallows at Hamelin Bay and are accustomed to people. |
| Are Margaret River caves suitable for beginners? | Some caves are easy show caves, while others like Giant’s Cave involve ladders, ropes and climbing. |
| Is Boranup Forest worth visiting? | Yes, Boranup Forest is known for its towering karri trees and peaceful walking tracks. |
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