The Margaret River region is vast in size and equally as generous in it’s range of offerings for visitors to the region. A road trip to the region is really the best way to see and experience it for yourself.

Whether you are driving to Busselton from Perth or flying into the Busselton-Margaret River Airport, with so much to choose from, it’s easy to get side-tracked with the beautiful places on offer and then miss out on some real hidden gems.

There are 5 self-drive trails covering the Margaret River region from Busselton, to Margaret River, and further south to Augusta.

Plan your road trip ahead with the collection of experiences on each of the drive trails. Then feel free to get a little side tracked while finding new favourites or stopping into a hidden gem once you are on the road.

Behind each drive trail, are a bunch of locals who genuinely love  living and working in this special place.

Locals also happen to be a great source of information about what you must see or do while you are in the Margaret River region!

Why go on a road trip?

“Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anyone. We’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and the stories, feel the ground, and capture the spirit. Then we’ll turn it into our own story, that will live inside our history to carry with us. Always. Because stories are more important than things.”

Victoria Erickson – Author

When you’re behind the wheel, you can stop and explore whenever your instincts point you towards something intriguing.

On a road trip, you will meet new people, taste new food, discover new wine, and encounter different landscapes.

Discover the Top 10 Things to Do in Busselton:

Busselton has a remarkable abundance of natural beauty. Most of the area’s gorgeous coastline is made up of Geographe Bay with breathtakingly long expanses of beaches.

Journey inland, and the landscape south of the town of Busselton quickly changes to rolling farm lands, vineyards and forests, rising up to the Whicher Range.

Here is our list of top 10 things to do on a road trip in and around Busselton following  The Busselton Bay and Bounty Trail:

❶ Visit the Underwater Observatory at the Busselton Jetty

❷ Watch the sunset from the Jetty

❸ Go on a whale watching tour seeing humpback, southern right, minke and blue whales swim past you in Geographe  Bay

❹ Discover the secrets of small batch winemaking on Pick & Sip Experience in the wine sensory garden with the winemaker at small family owned winery, Whicher Ridge.

❺ Learn about brewing on a tour at Shelter Brewing.

❻ Drop into Discover Deadly and time your visit for the reptile feeding sessions at 10.30am and 1.30pm

❼ Taste gin and wine at After Hours Winery, a small family owned vineyard not too far away from Whicher Ridge

❽ Wander through the Ludlow – Tuart Forest on a nocturnal possum spotting trail

❾ Visit the Origins Market in Busselton. Taste the produce and talk to the region’s small food, wine and beer producers, all under the one roof.

❿ Take a walk through the Ambergate Reserve and get a feel for what the the native bushland was like in the inland coastal strip south of Busselton prior to European land settlement.

How many days should I spend in Busselton?

The recommendation is a minimum stay of 3 nights in Busselton. If you can stretch to a 1 week stay, you will see a lot of what the Margaret River region has to offer. Of course, for many visitors, there is never enough time to see everything and this is where the self drive trails come in handy!

Where to Stay in Busselton

Tree Chalets provides eco friendly, sustainable, luxurious accommodation for 2. They are located in Acton Park, 14kms south of Busselton. The 2 chalets overlook beautiful white trunked rosegums trees from the front decks with a wonderful vista of marri and jarrah forest at the back of the chalets.

Heyscape provide cosy, off grid tiny cabins with knockout views for 2 to 4 people. Set amongst the farming property of Whicher Ridge Wines in Chapman Hill, a 20km drive south of Busselton. Views from the cabins overlook grapevines, farmland and native bush.

Chapman Hill Cottages is located 14 kms south of Busselton and provides two accommodation options of a cottage and a studio which both sleep up to 4. Both are nestled into bushland settings, which means that there is abundant wildlife and birdlife here too.

Now over to you to make your ultimate road trip plan a reality! Time to pack up the car, roll down the windows, turn up the music and cruise into brand new adventures in Busselton and the Margaret River region.

These 5 road trips will take you on unmissable coast and country drives, show you hidden gems of places and experiences, and give you long lasting memories and stories to share with others .