Kite Surfing, Motorbiking & Wine tasting. This and much more in one of our favorite places in the world – Western Australia.
Already on our Harley, we head to Perth downtown for breakfast at this cozy resto Etro cafe, and from there we drive about 50 minutes south towards Rockingham, where we spend two days Kitesurfing. We stayed at the Bed & Breakfast Manuel Towers. Simple, charming & beach front.
If you’re not into Kitesurfing, then there is not too much going on for you at Rockingham. The beach is nice, blue sea, but the water is cold. The kitesurfing spot is called West Oz Kiteboarding. They offer kite lessons and equipment rental. Food wise there are no restaurants close to the beach, so we just grab a sandwich from a Kiosk at the Penguin Island which is walking distance from the kite spot. Enjoyed the atmosphere of this little Aussie town.
Next day late afternoon we are back on the road and start our journey towards Margaret River. We take the beautiful Old Coast Road via Mandurah and Wannanup. From there we drive through the scenic route via Estuary to Vittoria road and continue the Old Coast via Tuart Dr to Busselton, which is a lovely beach town but again not too much going on there. We stop by to look around and had lunch at a nice place next to the Jetty The Goose beach and bar + Kitchen.
We drive to Dunsborough, reaching Yallingup already in Margaret River. Looking for an accommodation there was not an easy task. We haven’t booked any room for that night. Finally, we find the Sienna Estate Bed & Breakfast. We try to have dinner at Caves House but unfortunately, we got there after 9 pm and the kitchen is already closed…
On the 24th we kick off the day with some great wine at Leeuwin Estate vineyard where we also have a fabulous lunch. Still a bit tipsy we move on to Moses Rock and watch a beautiful sunset by the beach. Wine & beach, a perfect combination. By the end of the day, we reach our fantastic hotel Cape Lodge where we spend Christmas Eve.
Morning of December 25th, we enjoy a relaxed breakfast on the terrace of our hotel room and have a pleasant day on the Injidup beach with the Christmas hamper provided by our Cape Lodge.
Next day early afternoon we taste some good wine at Xanadu wines vineyard and from there we drive along the stunning Cave Road to Augusta. Visit the Jewel Cave, which I don’t like so much, just before we head to the Augusta Hotel for lunch. From there we continue our tour towards the southern tip: Cape Leewin Lighthouse and then we drive back to Margaret River town. Stay this time at a different hotel Forest Retreat B&B and have dinner at La Scarpitta Trattoria.
Next day we bike around Margaret River town. Have a yummy lunch at El Rio restaurant before we drive back to Rockingham for one more kitesurfing day. Relaxed and happy we have some food & drinks at R Bar. We have too many drinks that we literally forget to check in at our hotel and by the time we get there the reception is already closed. Happens very often in Australia. We drive back to Perth to find somewhere to spend the night. It works out.
We enjoy our last evening in Perth at the cool restaurant Must. Great food and vibrant atmosphere.
We did a road trip across the south of Western Australia: Perth, Rockingham and Margaret River – from December 21st to December 28th, 2013 (7-day trip). Stayed at in Rockingham at Manuel Towers, in Margaret River at Sienna Estate Bed & Breakfast, Cape Lodge and Forest Retreat B&B. Had our meals at Etro cafe, The Goose beach and bar + Kitchen, La Scarpitta Trattoria, Must and some extraordinary food and wine at Leeuwin Estate and Xanadu wines. We flew to Perth with Jet Star.
In the bag: Even though it was summer time the weather at WA was really chilli during the day but especially in the evening so I recommend to bring a jacket; Sweater; Long pants; Comfortable shoes and swimwear (in the case you are willing to go swimming in the cold sea, like me).
My comments about this awesome trip in AUS continue in the next posts…
