Margaret River itinerary — a day, a weekend, or the full south-west loop
A day worksBut the south-west rewards a week more than almost anywhere in Australia.
A day gets you the taste of it; six days gets you the whole south-west. Margaret River is about three hours south of Perth, so the day trip is a long drive bookended around wine, chocolate and a stretch of coast — from $259, with lunch and the tastings included and an effort rating of 1 out of 5. If you have longer, the 6 day Margaret River and Esperance loop from $1,299 keeps going round the bottom corner to Lucky Bay, where the white sand and the kangaroos are.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Margaret River is a wine region with surf beaches on one side and karri forest on the other, and the question is almost always the same: is a day enough, or should it be a trip?
A day from Perth
| Trip | What you get | Effort | Group | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Margaret River, Chocolate, Nougat, Wine and Coastal Tour | — | — | 6 to 48 guests | $259 |
Lunch at a Margaret River venue is included with wine tastings, and the chocolate, gourmet and nougat stops through the day are tastings, also included.
Effort is rated 1 out of 5 and comfort 4 — this is a sitting-down day, which is rather the point of a wine region. You leave Perth early and you are back for dinner.
What you actually see
- The wineries.Margaret River produces a small share of Australia's wine and a large share of its premium wine, and the cellar doors are close together.
- The coast.Surfers Point at Prevelly is the famous break; the capes at Leeuwin and Naturaliste bookend the region.
- The caves.Limestone caves run the length of the ridge between the two capes — Jewel, Lake and Mammoth are the ones usually open.
- The karri forestinland, where the trees run to 60 metres and you can climb a fire lookout up one.
The six day south-west loop
This is the trip worth knowing about. It leaves Perth, works south through York, the oldest inland town in Western Australia, down through Margaret River and round the bottom corner to Esperance and Lucky Bay — the white sand beach with the kangaroos on it — then back. Five breakfasts, one lunch and five dinners included.
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | What is included | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Day Margaret River & Esperance Tour | 6 days, 5 nights | Perth / Perth | Five breakfasts, one lunch and five dinners. Vegetarians are catered for. | $1299 |
Groups of 6 to 20. Comfort is rated 2 out of 5 — this is a camping and hostel trip rather than a hotel one.
South or north?
If you have a few days out of Perth and are choosing a direction: south is wine, forest and the Esperance beaches; north is the Pinnacles, Shark Bay and eventually Ningaloo. They are completely different trips. There is a full breakdown by length on our Perth itinerary page.
1 Day Pinnacles & Star Gazing Tourfrom $1691 dayA day at the Pinnacles, north insteadView trip
1 Day Pinnacles Sunset, Stargazing, Sandboardingfrom $2291 dayThe Pinnacles at sunset, with stargazingView trip
4 Day Perth to Monkey Miafrom $12994 days, 3 nightsResort/Motel4 days north to Monkey MiaView tripWhen to go
September to November and March to May. The south-west has a Mediterranean climate — dry warm summers and wet mild winters — so the shoulder months give you the vines looking their best without the heat. Winter is green, wet and very quiet, and the caves and cellar doors do not care about the weather.
Where this comes from. What each trip includes, effort and comfort ratings, group sizes, meals and prices are that trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. Distances are road distances from Perth.