FINE FOOD, WINES AND ART IN Western Australia

In this edition of Unique Places to Stay you will find the best possible choice of accommodation when visiting the Margaret River wine region of South West Western Australia.

One of the key features of the wine industry in Australia is the development of a wide range of lifestyle activities and attractions for tourists, and nowhere is this more evident than in Margaret River. The vineyards are young by any standards, with the first plantings dating back to the mid 1960s. Growing conditions are near perfect in this region, which accounts for a significant proportion of Australia’s premium wines.

Luxury accommodation & cottages in Western Australia

A good place to start your exploration of Margaret River is at Vasse Felix, the Homes a Court owned vineyard, where the first plantings by Dr Tom Cullity took place in 1967. This is where the good things of life converge – wine, food and fine art.

The winery has a spacious, light-filled restaurant overlooking the vineyards, which specialises in locally sourced produce and the fine Vasse Felix wines. The Vasse Felix Old Winery Gallery houses regular exhibitions from the Holmes a Court Collection of works by Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Lloyd Rees and other prominent Australian artists. It’s arguably the best collection of Australian art outside the state art galleries, and the beauty is, you’re not having to brace city traffic and hordes of visitors to enjoy them.

Wine aside, scuba divers have the opportunity to dive on the wreck of the Swan, a navy vessel that was sunk in 30 metres of water some years ago and which now has a complete marine eco-system developed around it. There’s also a thriving whale and dolphin-watching business in the region.

If your interests are more terrestrial, the limestone Ngilgi Caves are located about eight kilometres from Dunsborough. A 300 plus stairway leads down into Lake Cave, some 17 kilometres south of Margaret River. The fine stalactites and stalagmites make the haul back up well worth the effort.

Air services from Perth and other centres of Australia to Broome in far north-west Western Australia have improved significantly in recent times, and if you haven’t yet been, put your plans for Fiji or New Caledonia on hold and treat yourself to Broome.

One of the world’s leading centres for pearling, Broome has a rich history, and today you’ll still find some very colourful characters around. Ride a camel along Cable Beach at sunset, explore the footprints of dinosaurs and take in a film at the heritage-protected outdoor Sun Picture Theatre, in business since 1916.