Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

It’s a bit of a drive but the view from Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the tallest on mainland Australia, is worth it (www.margaretriver.com). This is where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet and the area is teeming with incredible wildlife including sea lions, dolphins and whales.

Arts and culture

All that wine is obviously proving inspirational as the region is peppered with some great galleries representing local and Western Australian artists. Yallingup Galleries (www.yallingupgalleries.com.au) and Gunyulgup Galleries (www.gunyulgupgalleries.com.au) are both excellent and exhibit paintings, prints, ceramics and glass. For contemporary fine art head to the Purist Gallery (www.puristgallery.com).

Something for nothing

This area is a fisherman’s dream so the options for catching your own dinner are endless. Cast your rod from a boat, jetty or riverbank and you’ll find bream, herring and yellowfin whiting snapping at your line.

Shopping

If there’s room in your case after visiting the vineyards then head to the amiable town of Margaret River to check out its galleries and boutiques. At the Natural Olive Oil Soap Factory (www.oliveoilsoapfactory.com.au), watch their feel-good body products being made on the factory floor and snap ’em up afterwards. If you’re unfamiliar with the tipples that hail from here, the Regional Wine Centre (www.mrwines.com) can point you in the right direction. Cape Mentelle (www.capementelle.com.au) offers a superb lunch to accompany your viognier, Windance (www.windance.com.au) produces one of the best semillon sauvignon blancs in the region and Amberley Estate (www.amberleyestate.com.au) is worth visiting for the views alone.

Daytripper

Several hundred caves lie within the craggy limestone coastline but only a handful are open to the public. Of these the most famous are the multi-chambered Mammoth Cave, which was first discovered in 1850, and the enormous Jewel and sparkling, crystalline Lake Caves (www.margaretriver.com).

Best beach

Margaret River’s sublime beaches should tempt you away from winery-hopping. Eagle Bay offers kaleidoscopic snorkelling opportunities, Yallingup Beach has a sheltered lagoon and Meelup, near Dunsborough, is another great swimming spot. Diving here is also excellent, with the purposely scuttled HMAS Swan wreck a big draw.

Perfect picnic

Pack your picnic hamper with brie and camembert from the Margaret River Dairy Company (www.mrdc.com.au), grab a bottle of your favourite wine and get set for some alfresco dining either on the beach or near the vines.

Walks

At 135 kilometres, the spectacular coastal and forest Cape to Cape Walk (www.capetocapetrack.com.au) might be too much of a schlep but there are plenty of access points along the way, so you can join the track for as little or as long as you like; maps are available from the visitor centre (www.margaretriver.com).

Children

A handful of wineries such as Xanadu (www.xanaduwines.com) and Cape Mentelle (www.capementelle.com.au) have play areas to keep the kids occupied while you get busy behind the cellar door. The Yallingup Shearing Shed will have everyone oohing and aahing at the baby lambs (www.margaretriver.com), and at the Wonky Windmill Farm & Eco Park (www.wonkywindmillfarm.com.au), little ones can hang out and feed pigs, ponies, alpacas and emus.

Activities

Margaret River is the surfing capital of Western Australia, so why not learn to cut some waves like the locals? The coastline between Capes Naturaliste and Leeuwin offers clean waters, world-class rips and year-round powerful reef breaks (mainly left handers). Yallingup Surf School is a good port of call, offering group, private and couples classes, as well as three-day courses (www.yallingupsurfschool.com).

And

For an alternative view of the area, canoe up the Margaret River with Bushtucker Tours (www.bushtuckertours.com), while exploring Aboriginal culture and feasting on wild foods. Trips depart from Prevelly Beach, running 10am–2pm, and costing AU$85.