Margaret River is one of the largest wine regions in Australia. It is also home of nice & gourmet fresh products (olive oil, cheese, chocolate) as well as local arts & crafts. If you are looking for a relaxing getaway, are a food & wine lover or like to have a walk in the woods or have a deep in the turquoise blue water of the Indian Ocean, then the Margaret River Region is the right destination for you.
How accessible is it from Singapore?
Margaret River region is located in Western Australia, a 3 hour drive South from Perth, on the west coastal Australia. It covers the area between Cape Naturaliste in the North and Augusta in the South, enveloping a cluster of towns, wineries & beaches.
The total door to door journey is 9 hours 45 minutes from (your home/office in) Singapore to your room in Margaret River. This includes a 5 hour flight to Perth and a 3 hour drive to Margaret River.
You will need a minimum of 4 days to enjoy the area given the long journey to get there and the number of sites to visit (and the distance between them). The best way to travel around is to rent a car at the airport.
How much is this going to cost us?
Australia in general is expensive (especially in comparison to South East Asian Countries). Margaret River is no exception.
Transport from Singapore will cost you about SGD 1200 return for 2. This estimate includes the flights and car rental for 4 days (about SGD 80 per day).
Accommodation wise… it’s also very expensive. Most basic hotels or B&B would range from SGD 180 upwards. You can find rooms for SGD 1000 or more… Even camping is expensive.
What about the kids?
Margaret River is very kids friendly. The region is super safe and there are many activities for kids in the region. The only challenge may be the long hours on the roads as distances are quite long between some sites. But if you pace your trip it should not be a problem
How remote and risky is it?
This is Australia. So it’s very safe and well equipped compared to other destinations in Asia. From roads to hospitals, everything is great. Driving is easy (but stay within the speed limits).
When should we go?
Connections from Margaret River
Margaret River can be a standalone destination from Singapore. If you have more time, you can extend your trip in Western Australia by going even further South (towards Albania), North of Perth, or by staying a few days in or around the City of Perth.
Getting from Singapore to Margaret River
To reach Margaret River from Singapore, you will need to take a 5 hours flight to Perth, followed by a 3 hours drive to reach the town of Margaret River, heart of the Margaret River region.
Scoot, Jetstar, Tigerair and Qantas have daily straight flights offering wide range of schedules and fares.
Getting there: SIN to PER : TigerAir : 03:20 PM – 09:10PM (5h flight)
Coming back: PER to SIN: TigerAir 09:45 PM – 03:00 AM
Return tickets from SGD 350.
Get your ticket NOW to enjoy the best fares. Use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flight or check directly on the airlines websites (as some flights may not be visible on Skyscanner).
Getting from Perth airport to Margaret River
Food, money change & car rental are available at the airport.
You can rent your car from the airport. Book in advance to be sure to have a car on arrival. There are a few car rental companies available (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Thirfty). You can see the details from the Perth airport website. Rates are from SGD 300 up for a simple car for 3 days. To find your way at no cost, you can use these free apps (you don’t need data roaming to use it): navmii for Australia and NZ or maps.me
Where to stay in Margaret River?
There are many accommodation options around the Margaret River area. There are a few hotels and a lot of nice and charming Bed & Breakfast. You can also rent a villa or small apartment by the beach for a few days, or even rent a campervan & stay in the many camping / caravan parks available in the area.
We recommend you to stay around Margaret River town to be in the heart of the region & travel around easily north & south. Most of the wineries & factories are in or near the town of Margaret River. If you prefer to stay near / on the beach, you can check accommodations around Prevelly (quite central near Margaret River town), Yallingup (North of the region but very nice beach).
You can check accommodations on
Or book your hotel with or www.stayz.com.au
To see & to do in Margaret River
Although some may say the main activity in Margaret River is just to eat & drink wine, there are actually plenty of outdoor activities (surf, kitesurf, walks, etc) & nice places to visit. The easiest way to find your way around the area is to print the official region map which features all the touristic spots. You can also find the map in most hotels and B&B or here. To find your way at no cost, you can use the free app (you don’t need data roaming to use it): navmii for Australia and NZ
Wineries & Breweries
Margaret River is a very famous wine region so of course you will have many choices of wineries & breweries to visit. Enjoy the nice wines, very nice food but also the nice landscape that the wineries have to offer. Most wineries are open for lunch but not for diner. We recommend particularly:
- Watershed: Nice food & wine, nice landscape. Perfect to have lunch.
- Cullen: Cute & small outdoor settings on a wooden terrasse with nice view on the wineries. Excellent food & wine.
- Hamelin Bay Winery: Nice outdoor terrasse with beautiful view on the wineries
- Wise Wine: Located north of the region near Cape Naturaliste, in the hills with spectacular ocean view looking down on the vinyards. Good food & wine as well. Nice to have lunch there on the way back to Perth for example. This is our favourite place in terms of landscape!
- Leeuwin Estate: One of the only wineries where you can have diner only on Saturdays – book in advance
- Vasse Felix: Not the best scenery but very good Cabernet Sauvignon!
- Voyager Estate: Nice outdoor setting
- Bootleg brewery: Nice beer & beautiful outdoor area with a big garden right on the shore of a pond.
- Cowaramup Brewing Company: nice beer testing & nice outdoor setting
Food Factories
Margaret River is also home to various gourmet food factories, where you can taste & buy good local organic products:
- Cheese Factory: Small place but nice cheeses to taste & buy for your cheese & wine diner
- Chocolate Factory: Nice place to visit, particularly with children. Free chocolate tastings & interactive displays. You can also watch products being made.
- Providor: Gourmet food producer selling organic & fresh products such as chutneys, honeys, jams, olive oils, tapenades, dressings, spice mixes etc… You can have lunch there too and buy good food for your diner
- The Berry Farm: Taste & buy fruit wines, ciders, sparkling, liquerus and fortifieds, as well as gourmet jams, preserves and fermented wine vinegars.
Most wineries & factories are closed for diner and there are only a few restaurants in Margaret River. Hence you can enjoy the visit of those places to buy your gourmet food, cheeses & wine to organize your own nice diner.
Beaches & Coastal Walks
- Pravelly beach: Near the Margaret River town, Pravelly beach is beautiful and home of many surfers & other water sports
- Yallingup: Beautiful beach north of MR town, great spot for surfing, beach walks and swimming
- Smith Beach: Best beach to swim as it is a wide, flat beach of pure-white sand and crystal-clear turquoise water
- Hamelin Bay: One of the most beautiful beach in the region, very famous for pictures & postcards. Great spot for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving when water is calm.
- Cape Naturalist: Northernmost point of the region. Nice coastal walk toward the lighthouse & whale watching if you are there between September & December.
- Cape Leeuwin (South): Long, thin promontory at the end of which stands a 40m tall lighthouse, which you can tour and climb to the top of for a good 360° views.
- Busselton Jetty (North, on the way back to Perth) : the longest jetty of the southern emisphere. You can walk or take the jetty train to the end of which you can visit the underwater observatory (not a must…)
- Bunker Bay (North ): Nice & quiet beach with clear turquoise waters.
Arts & Crafts
- Gunyulgup Galleries – Very nice gallery worth visiting
- Olive Oil & Soap Factory (Vasse Virgin): Nice shop with artisanal soaps, bath & skin care products as well as natural olive oils
Caves
The Margaret River also offers quite unique cave experiences. Along the spine of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge and beneath soaring karri forest lie more than 150 caves. For example, Ngilgi, Mammoth, Lake and Jewel Caves run guided tours. We don’t think it is a must (actually we don’t like caves) but if you have kids and have more time in the region it can be nice to visit one of them.
More info to prepare your trip
Internet access is available in most B&B and hotels.
When you arrive, go to the Margaret River Visitor Centre (100 Bussell Highway Margaret River WA, 6285). It is located at the heart of the Margaret River town. They will help you find accommodations (although we recommend you to book in advance) and provide maps & information service for tours & attractions.
What to pack for Margaret River
Your main bag
That’s the one you leave at the hotel. Ideally you want to avoid checking in your luggage when flying. So check the weight and dimensions for hand carry luggage with your airlines (some airlines will allow only 7kg, some will allow up to 10kg). From head to toes.
- Short sleeves tops: your main outfit. Everybody will see them on all your pictures. You really want to take that old Mickey Mouse T-shirt? Be mindful that you will be in a different environment so it might be a good idea to adjust your wardrobe.
- Long sleeves tops: to protect yourself from the sun (if you’ve stayed for 5 hours on a motorbike with short sleeves you know what I mean) or to enter religious buildings or to protect yourself from mosquitoes in the evening.
- Pullover. Yes I know, you’re going to a country where the temperature never goes down below 25 degrees and you need to pack a pullover? You will thank us when you’re back. Remember that flight during which you were freezing? Or this museum where the aircon is set to the “polar bear” temperature?
- Short/skirt (you should be able to chose the appropriate one by yourself).
- Trousers for the same reasons you need to take long sleeves tops. Jeans are usually not a good option. They are heavy and keep you too warm.
- Underwear: well, you know. If you plan to walk or ride motorbikes for long hours, take something comfortable as the combination heat + friction can make you regret this sophisticated silk underwear. Cotton is good.
- Shoes: one pair of flip flap and one pair of confortable shoes. Remember that you are going to spend most of the time on your feet. Forget about high heels and leave your Westons at home.
- Swimsuit: even if you don’t plan to go to the beach, you never know. A nice river, a swimming pool, a heavy rain? Always have one with you.
- Raincoat and protection for your bag. Even if you are visiting the country during the “best season”, you never know what the sky will be like.
- Torch: take a pocket torch with you if you visit countries where the power is not reliable… Can come very handy when stuck in the dark in your room.
- Toilet bag: Shampoo, soap, toothbrush & toothpath, deodorant, sun screen, tiger balm. Ideally, all these in miniature formats.
- Sleeping bag liner (if you plan to stay in very cheap or dirty places, not required if you are staying in a 5-star hotel…)
- Your IT stuff: iPad, eBook, laptop, chargers, memory card, batteries, etc.
- Dryer sheets: they will help keep a fresh smell in your bag.
Your small bag
That’s the one you keep with you, all the time. Hence, a backpack is the best option.
- Your passport, cash, credit cards and other life saving items like your insurance card with emergency contact details. Not a bad idea to put them in a zip-lock bag in case it rains. It will keep your documents dry.
- Your driver’s licence if you plan to rent a car or a motorbike (some countries are quite particular about this so take it with you in case you are not sure, even for a motorbike rental).
- Your emergency medical kit: painkillers, mosquitoes repellent, dressing/plaster, disinfectant, anti diarrhea, eyewash
- Tissues and toilet paper (you will thank me later). Remember that in a lot of countries, you will not be provided napkins when having a meal.
- Water – plastic bottles are a good option as they are lighter than a gourd/flask.
- Biscuits (always buy some before you go when you are not sure what you will find. Always have “emergency” biscuit and water in case you cannot find food around and need to recharge batteries)
- Sunglasses: you’ll need them. Take them even if it’s raining. Weather can change very fast in the region.
- Scarf (krama, or any kind of fabric that you can use to put around your neck, put on your head to protect it from the sun, cover your shoulders in temples, dry your sweat, etc). Can come very handy in some situation. It will not stay clean for long so it’s wise to pick a dark color…
- Camera and its protection.
Beach pack
Remember that this one comes on top of the Regular pack (above)
- Beach towel or equivalent (pareos / sarongs are lighter)
- Snorkeling equipment: mask, scuba, (fins?)
- Shoes you can wear on the beach or in the water (to protect your feet from being cut by corals)
- Dry bag if you plan to go on a boat and want to keep your stuff dry.
Well, you will probably adjust your bag after a few trips. Remove the stuff that you have not used and add the one that you missed. Post a comment to share your tips!
Happy packing (it’s the worse part of the trip but it’s worth it…) and travelling!
Australia

- Language: English
- Time zone: 3 different time zone accross the country: Western GMT + 8 hours, Central GMT + 9:30 hours and Eastern GMT + 10 hours ahead Singapore
- Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Phone: + 61
- Electricity: 240V 50 Hz
Immigration
Visit the Australia Immigration website for the latest updates. You must apply for a Visa before going to Australia. Depending on your citizenship, you can apply for:
National Public Holidays in Australia
Date | Holiday | Comments |
Jan-01 | New Years Day | |
Jan-26 | Australia Day | 26 January or, if that day falls on weekend, the following Monday |
Mar-02 | Labour Day | 1st Monday in March. WA only |
Mar-09 | Adelaide Cup | 2nd Monday in March. SA Only |
Mar-09 | Canberra Day | 2nd Monday in March. ACT Only |
Mar-09 | Labour Day | 2nd Monday in March, VIC, TAS Only |
Apr-03 | Good Friday | Friday before Easter Sunday |
Apr-06 | Easter Monday | Monday after Easter Sunday |
Apr-25 | ANZAC Day | |
Apr-27 | ANZAC Day (observed) | Western Australia only |
May-04 | Labour Day | 1st Monday in May. NT Only |
May-10 | Mothers Day | 2nd Sunday in May. Not a public holiday |
Jun-01 | Western Australia Day | First Monday in June. WA only |
Jun-08 | Queens Birthday | 2nd Monday in June. except WA |
Aug-03 | Picnic Day | 1st Monday in August. NT Only |
Aug-12 | Ekka People’s Day | Royal Queensland Show. Brisbane only |
Sep-06 | Fathers Day | 1st Sunday in September. Not a public holiday |
Sep-28 | Family & Community Day | 1st Monday of 3rd term school holidays. ACT Only |
Sep-28 | Queens Birthday | Last Monday in Sep, or 1st Monday in Oct. WA Only |
Oct-05 | Labour Day | 1st Monday in October. NSW/ACT/QLD/SA |
Nov-03 | Melbourne Cup Day | 1st Tuesday in November. VIC Only |
Dec-25 | Christmas Day | |
Dec-26 | Boxing Day | Known as Proclamation Day in SA |
Dec-28 | Boxing Day (in lieu) |
* check the exact date on this website as it varies from one year to another.
When Public Holidays falls on a Sunday, the following day will be Public Holiday
A million thanks to Severine & Nicolas for sharing this trip on tripinasia. If you like the photos (we love them) and want to discover more, visit http://www.nicolas-chemin.com !
Your website is awesome 🙂 Thank you!