Margaret River, WA

Our final destination on our Western Australia adventure, nestled in the southwest corner of WA, you have Margaret River, a small but world-renowned region famous for its premium wines, pristine beaches and laid-back charm. Once a quiet surf town, it has grown into one of Australia’s leading wine regions, producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends.

The highlight of our trip to Margret River was a wine tour with Wine for Dudes (not that I’m saying I’m a dude!), a relaxed and entertaining day that showcased some of the region’s best vineyards, cellar doors and local producers. Basically you have a driver who takes you around the vineyards, providing information and history of the region. We had wanted to attend a wine tour here and this company ensured we had the best experience possible and it always helps when the other attendees are good fun.

Our first stop was Walsh and Sons, a boutique family-run winery where creativity and character shine through in every bottle. The wines are vibrant and expressive, perfectly reflecting the region’s coastal influence. This wasn’t a favourite of ours but not bad for our first pit stop.

Next, we visited Peacetree, a charming and welcoming spot surrounded by rolling vineyards. The wines here were beautifully balanced and elegant, a real taste of Margaret River craftsmanship.

After that came Gabriel Chocolate, where we discovered that wine and chocolate truly are the perfect match. The rich, handcrafted chocolate is made directly from cacao beans, and it was hard to leave without a little bag (or two) to take home.

Lunch was at Swings and Roundabouts, a rustic winery known for its relaxed atmosphere and incredible woodfired pizzas. We also got to try our hand at wine blending, which was both fun and surprisingly competitive, creating our own blend to have with lunch.

The next stop was Windance Estate, a family-owned, organic vineyard with a strong focus on sustainability. The wines were fresh and full of character, and the hospitality was warm and genuine.

We finished the day at Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co., swapping wine glasses for craft beers with a view over the lake. It was the perfect way to wind down after a full day of tasting and touring.

In town, The River Hotel and Bar was a favourite spot for good food, great drinks and a lively atmosphere. For dinner, The Grande Escape offered an excellent locals’ night menu, relaxed, friendly and full of flavour. The $5 glasses of house wine were the ticket and we were literally a five minute walk to our air b’n’b, winner winner, chicken dinner!

Loved this pub for a couple drinks and a bite to eat

Another highlight of our trip was Cape Mentelle, one of the pioneering wineries of the region. The setting is stunning, surrounded by vineyards and native bushland, and the wines, especially their signature Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2022 Zinfandel were outstanding. It is very easy to see why Margaret River has become such a celebrated destination for wine lovers, we absolutely loved it!

On a side note, Margaret River town was very charming with its stunning cafes, restaurants and boutique stores. We also found a very cheap launderette which was great for washing our clothes (I’m easily pleased) as we were coming to the end of our trip.

That rounds up the end of our WA trip. We drove back to Perth for a final night with our friends and were able to share our experiences from our unforgettable trip. Perth you have a piece of our heart, the most amazing place, we can’t wait to return.

October 17, 2025 20

Wayne’s Word – plonk 🍷

It’s a little nod to Wayne’s World, but instead of ‘party time, excellent’ (if you are aware of the cult nineties classic) I will be diving into one WORD each day. It could be something I learned, something bizarre that happened, a favourite word that I have rediscovered or just a thought that won’t leave me alone.

If you’re joining in on today’s word, feel free to use this tag to connect your post to the series: #WaynesWord

Today’s word is PLONK.

This word is a cheeky British and Australian slang term for wine, usually the cheap and cheerful kind. If someone says, “I will bring a bottle of plonk,” they are not thinking about vintage Bordeaux, anything drinkable will do. This is appropriate for us today as we head out later for some wine tastings at the local vineyards in Busselton, WA.

September 29, 2025 15

Mudgee – a photo blog

I am excited to show you all a snippet of this wonderful place in NSW, Australia known as Mudgee. First of all, what a great name. It is an Aboriginal name meaning ‘nest in the hills’ which is very apt as it is geographically located within the Cudgegong River Valley.

The reason I have always wanted to visit Mudgee as I have heard that it’s the place to visit for wine tasting. I know we have Hunter Valley nearby (I have so many posts on this) but I was excited to try somewhere new and visit a more rural location. Mudgee, being further inland of NSW and a 3.5 hour drive from Sydney is the perfect getaway. I had heard that Mudgee has a lot of character and is extremely rustic and quaint. These traits are right up my street and boy did Mudgee deliver.

We were only there for a weekend so we didn’t have the chance to explore everything on offer. However, that just means we will have to return one day! I will show you where we stayed and the places we managed to check out, including 3 wineries. Also the people here! The people are amazing here and so, so friendly.

This is where we stayed. This is Perry Street Hotel, part of the Peppertree Hill Group. Gorgeous place to stay and very central location.

The architecture in Mudgee was fantastic. I love seeing the old style buildings and churches. It adds a bit of character to the place and showcases the history of the area.

Even the solicitors office looks impressive

We booked a wine tour with Mudgee Wine Tours and we planned the half day tour. This offered three vineyards to visit and to be honest this was just the right amount. We have done a full day wine tour in the past and it’s a long day of drinking wine 🤪. Others on our tour were carrying out the full day and they were exhausted by the end. Our tour guide was with the most fabulous woman we could have met. Lindy was professional, personable, extremely friendly and honestly made the tour very memorable for all the right reasons. She would interact with the different vineyard staff also which was really lovely to see and to be honest this was a first for us. Most tour guides will simply wait outside and operate mostly as a driver for the day.

1 – Our first vineyard was Walter Wines. A lovely place to visit and we also had the most amazing pies here for lunch.

2 – Pieter Van Gent Winery – really delicious fortified wines with an exquisite interior featuring some awesome old church furnishings.

3 – Bunnamagoo Estate – beautiful area to sit outside

A couple of places where we had drinks and dinner. These are all popular spots in Mudgee and worth checking out.

Kelly’s Irish Pub (why do Irish people always have to find the Irish pubs?!)

Beers at Mudgee Brewing Co – the food was amazing here too

Breakfast at Alby and Esthers – amazing outdoor space, feels like you’re eating in a secret garden.

Paragon Hotel – Our favourite pub just beside our hotel. Perfect for a wee night cap 😉

We loved walking around the town and even managed to stumble upon a pretty park just by the river.

A lovely walk along the Cudgegong River.

We also took a ten minute drive outside Mudgee to visit Windamere Dam. It is really stunning and you can also visit on your way home from Mudgee as it’s on the route back to Sydney.

Thanks for checking out my Mudgee blog. I hope you liked the photos and maybe feel inspired to visit yourself one day. It is a truly wonderful place that I would happily visit again.

Wayne ✌🏽

February 7, 2022 31