Margaret River And Rottnest Island

The area of Margaret River is the big attraction of the South West Coast. It certainly appealed to us with its plethora of wineries and surf beaches. We did a bit of wine tasting taking it in turns to drive and had a delightful lunch at the Watershed winery, funded by the Lindseys [thanks Mum and Dad – D]. This was different wine tasting compared to our experience in Mendoza when we couldn’t get a single free drink. Here they had you sampling the whole cellar the moment you walked through the door – result! True to form Michelle filled her boots. Its not just wine there are brewerys and chocolate shops and cheese factories to check out as well.

We used some of our Christmas money to book a surf lesson. The conditions were perfect for beginners so we knew we had no excuse. Luckily we did ok, both managing to stand up on more than one occasion. It was great fun but challenging and very addictive.

The only negative thing about Margaret River was our hostel (the YHA) which had the filthiest kitchen and bathroom facilities we've seen in NZ or Oz. Luckily for us we were in a separate block with separate facilities from the poor folks in the dorms.

We headed back to Freo, via Bussleton (with its 2km long jetty) to allow us time to do a day trip to Rottnest Island. We were really glad we managed to find the time as it was brilliant. It is all about the beaches and snorkelling the reefs as there is a tropical current running past the Island. We were amazed at the huge and colourful fish and coral we found by simply walking in a few steps off the beaches. There are numerous pretty bays and no cars allowed so you cycle or take the bus around. If the weather is good, as it was for us, it is a great day trip form Perth or Freemantel.