Ultimate Western Australia

7 nights - Fine wine country, the pristine Pilbara coast & Ningaloo Reef

For many travellers Western Australia is along way to go, but if you can take the time to give it just one week you will discover why so many new-comers to Australia decide to call it home.   First there is Perth -  an easy city to negotiate, a beautifully scenic river, the cosmopolitan port town of Fremantle and the sunny beach culture,  All this adds up to friendly & relaxed people!  Just 3.5 hours drive to the south some of Australia's best wine is produced in some of our most varied wine country.   The Margaret River region offers pristine beaches, majestic forests, excellent restaurants, boutique accommodation, weekend markets and a number of worthwhile tourist attractions that will appeal to all ages.   For most travellers the most surprising find on this journey will be Australia's 'other' reef.  Ningaloo is one of the world's longest fringing coral reefs and it is just a few metres from a white sand beach that stretches for hundreds of kilometres.   In part because of its isolation this reef is in magnificent condition and home to a  huge variety of corals, fish and marine mammals.  All year round the snorkelling and sea kayaking is superb and for 3 months of the year (April, May and June) you can swim with mighty whale sharks.   So do try and give the west a week if you possibly can!

 
 Day 1 – Perth, The Richardson Hotel

• Arrive Perth and collect your Avis hire car (full size sedan)
• Make your way to The Richardson Hotel, about 30 minutes easy driving.
• Your 2 night stay is in a Deluxe room, a spacious one bedroom style suite.  Breakfast is included.

Located midway between the city and Subiaco, a vibrant shopping & dining precinct, The Richardson Hotel is Perth’s newest and most stylish small hotel.  It comprises 16 hotel rooms and 58 suites, including the beautiful and spacious King’s Park Suite, - all have a private en suite bathroom and all suites have balconies as well as a separate lounge & dining area.  Furnished in blonde woods and bright colours the rooms are welcoming and offer many thoughtful extras – full size of bottles of wines, cheeses and gourmet nibbles (at very reasonable prices), a coffee making machine and more.

The first floor is the leisure floor and includes a superb spa, an indoor / outdoor relaxation deck and an inviting swimming pool.  On the ground floor there is a small cocktail bar and Opus Restaurant, which has quickly gained a reputation as one of Perth’s finest.

Day 2 – Around Perth

• A day to enjoy this beautiful city bordered on one side by the Indian Ocean and split by the Swan River.
• During your stay head down to Fremantle to enjoy this cosmopolitan town -

Located 19 kms southwest of Perth on the mouth of the Swan River, Fremantle was first settled in 1829.   Today it is home to the largest collection of heritage listed buildings in Western Australia and is perhaps the worlds best preserved example of 19th century port streetscape. 

Fremantle is best explored at your own pace and on foot.  Meander the streets to admire the gracious architecture of the past, visit the local markets, wander the fishing boat harbour and stop for fish & chips at Cicerellos or for a beer & tapas at Little Creatures brewery. Take a tour of Fremantle Prison and go underground to experience the prison tunnels or learn about Western Australia’s maritime history at one of the excellent maritime museums. 
There are galleries offering the work of local and indigenous artists and the Fremantle Tram for a guided tour.  Freo, as the locals call it, offers 7 day shopping, a local golf course, jet boat rides, parasailing, scooter hire, a huge number of popular restaurants and a vibrant night life.

Day 3 – Margaret River, Cape Lodge

• Drive south to the Margaret River region – a comfortable 3.5 hours away.
• Your stay at Cape Lodge is inclusive of a delicious breakfast daily, lunch to the value of AU$80 per couple at Vasse Felix winery, a 3 course a la carte dinner for 2 people on the first night of your stay, complimentary afternoon tea on both days and complimentary Cape Lodge twin pack of wine on departure

Cape Lodge is located at the heart of the wine district in rural countryside and close to the beaches of the beautiful South West.  A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the lodge is renowned for its lakeside setting, its classically elegant accommodation and superb standards of service and cuisine.  The hotel is surrounded by 10 hectares of forest, parkland, gardens and lakes.

Guests are accommodated in just 22 beautifully appointed rooms and suites, including the newly refurbished and oh-so-chic main lodge.  The original homestead contains the lobby, a guest drawing room, gift shop, an executive boardroom and the luxury Lodge Suite.  The remaining accommodation has been designed for luxurious privacy and is spread throughout the grounds.

The magnificent new restaurant sits over the main lake and features a wide over water alfresco decking, sumptuous guest lounge. One of the major features is a 14,000 bottle, temperature controlled cellar stocked with premium back vintage Margaret River wines.

Day 4 –Explore Margaret River

• Explore the Margaret River area at your own pace

Responsible for producing almost 15% of Australia’s wines, of which a significant number are premium labels, the Margaret River region is one of the most beautiful wine regions in Australia, with patch-work scenery of emerald-green pastures and neat rows of vines. Boutique breweries, dairy products, jams and condiment producers, a marron (freshwater crayfish) farm, olive groves and even chocolate and fudge factories add to the gourmet experience.  The local towns are also scenic and have a good collection of local craft and art galleries as well as antique and bric-a-brac shops that are fun to browse.

In contrast to its domesticated hinterland, the nearby coastline is rugged, wild and known for some of the best surf breaks in the country.  The limestone coastline between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin is marked with rocky headlands, spectacular coastal cliffs, battered and moulded by the unfetterered force of the Indian Ocean.  The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park has a spectacular coastal walk, interspersed with numerous limestone caves and inland from the coast are stands of tall jarrah, marri and karri forests – some of the tallest trees in the world grow here.  During your time here you might like to -

• Spend a day walking a section of the coast in the Cape Leuuwin National Park.  Just arrange with your local guide or driver for a pick up point and take a pack lunch from your hotel
• Join local guide, Nola Gaebler, for a day touring the vineyards in some style in her Rolls Royce.  This will gain you entrance to vineyards and local winemakers, who would otherwise remain behind the scenes
• Dolphin & whale watching cruises are available from Augusta though this does involve joining more mainstream touring activities
• Fly fishing on the Blackwood River
• The Valley of the Giants treetop canopy walk near Walpole
• 90 minutes drive south-east from Margaret River, the 170,000 ha D’Entrecasteaux National park preserves rugged cliffs, beaches, sand dunes and pockets of karri forest but is accessible only to 4WD vehicles.

Day 5 – Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef

• Return your car to Perth Airport, allow 4.5 hours for the drive and time to check in
• Fly SkyWest from Perth to Learmonth Airport (not included in the package costing)
• Your guide will collect you on arrival and transfer you to Sal Salis, Ningaloo Reef.   Your 3 nights stay is inclusive of  Wilderness Tent accommodation, National Park entrance & camp fees, all meals, selected drinks from the bar, guided sea kayaking, snorkelling, Yardie Creek boat cruise and gorge walks

Stretching 280 kms along Western Australia’s harsh and arid coast, the Ningaloo Reef is an extraordinary yet strangely unknown jewel in Australia’s natural heritage.  Hidden in the dunes overlooking pristine beaches and coral reefs, Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef is an exclusive bush camp that exudes ‘Wild Bush Luxury’ and brings a touch of style to a remote region.

Accommodation is in five free standing, spacious tents on raised platforms. Each has an en suite bathroom with a natureloo (marketing jargon for state of the art composting loos!) and a solar hot water shower.  Designed to blend with the dunes and low lying coastal scrub, the tents have overhead fans and comfortable beds with fabulous views of the Indian Ocean.

The social heart of the camp is raised above the sand and coastal scrub and it too has views of the reef and the breakers beyond.  A bar and open lounge area with a small reference library provides a great spot to sit out the heat of day.

In the cool of the evening kangaroos and wallaroos appear from the bush for their evening graze.  Guests may help themselves to a selection of beverages from the open bar and perhaps watch the resident chef as he prepares contemporary Australian cuisine with hints of native produce.  Dinner is shared with other guests, your guides and hosts against a back-drop of rich orange sunsets.

Activities included in your stay are guided sea kayaking and snorkelling trips on the Reef, wildlife viewing and guided gorge walks in the Cape Range National Park as well as a boat trip on nearby Yardie Creek.  At additional cost the camp can arrange fishing charters, whale shark swims (in season from April to July) and reef excursions for more snorkelling and diving.   These boat trips will all depart from Exmouth Marina.

Day 6 &7 – Ningaloo Reef

• Enjoy a very relaxed pace getting to know the Reef and the Range behind the camp.

Ningaloo Reef is the longest western fringing coral reef and one of the last healthy major coral reef systems in the world.  Its profound biodiversity includes 500 fish species, 300 coral species, 600 mollusc species and many other marine invertebrates.  At certain times of the year Ningaloo is home to Whale Sharks, the world's largest fish and Humpback whales migrate through the area twice annually.  Endangered and vulnerable marine creatures including dugongs, loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles depend on the reef and coastal ecosystems for food, refuge, breeding and nesting.  Manta rays and populations of large game fish including sailfish and marlin abound in the reef's waters.  Sea birds and migratory waders, use the coast, wetlands and reef waters as resting, feeding and breeding sites.

On shore, Cape Range National Park covers 50,831 hectares comprising tranquil beaches, rugged ranges and magnificent canyons. The Range is a huge upward fold of limestone originally formed below the sea and its massive system of sinkholes and caves are home to an extraordinary collection of cave-dwelling and aquatic animals found nowhere else in the world, these 'troglobites', have adapted to their subterranean world over eons.  Below the caves lies a vast aquifer and it is home to yet another unique group of underground aquatic animals, collectively known as 'stygofauna'.

Above ground too there is plenty of unique Australian fauna that is much easier to find and enjoy!  Rock wallabies, red kangaroo, euros, eighty species of reptiles, and over one hundred species of birds live on the cape. 

Day 8 – Departure

• Your week in Western Australia ends with transfer to Exmouth’s Learmonth Airport for your departure flight.