Discover Margaret River

From mountain bike trails north of the town centre to riverside paths and cultural offerings, Margaret River brings together a range of themes to help you plan your trip. The trails vary in length and character; the river’s connection to the Wadandi, seasonally shaped sandbanks, and arts and cultural offerings add to the picture.

Trails and routes around Margaret River

The Pines Mountain Bike Network is north of the Margaret River Town Centre and includes more than 16 kilometres of mountain bike trails. For your planning, it is a distinct option alongside the area’s walking trails and circuits: mountain biking is the focus here, while other routes are specifically described as walking trails or circuits.

The Chimney Trail in Wooditjup National Park is an easy 3.2-kilometre circuit at the former site of Wharncliffe Mill. The Rotary South Bank River Trail is also classified as an easy circuit, but at 2.4 kilometres it is shorter. It runs along the north and south banks of the Margaret River. When comparing these two circuits, you can consider both their length and their connection to the landscape: the former mill site on the Chimney Trail or the riverbanks on the Rotary South Bank River Trail.

The family-friendly Wadandi Track is 25 kilometres long and runs from Cowaramup through Margaret River to Witchcliffe. This makes it quite different from the two shorter circuits. The Ten Mile Brook Trail leads to Ten Mile Brook Dam on foot or by bike. For day hikers on a section of the Cape to Cape Track, crossing the river at Margaret River Mouth is part of the route; the crossing is reached via soft sand. Conditions on site may vary.

These routes therefore take different forms: easy circuits, a longer track between three places, a route to the dam, and a section of the Cape to Cape Track with a river crossing. You can use the details on length, route type and destination to consider what kind of activity or connection to the landscape you would like to focus on during your trip, without treating the different routes as equivalent.

Riverside landscape and connection to the Wadandi

At Rivermouth Beach, seasonal changes in the Margaret River shape the surrounding sandbanks. The river thus informs not only descriptions of the riverside trails, but also a landscape whose sandbanks take shape with the changing seasons. At Margaret River Mouth, children paddle in the river on boogie boards. This is one specific local recreational activity; it describes this particular occasion and not all activities on the river in general.

Margaret River has cultural ties to the Wadandi. The Margaret River has been an important source of life for the Wadandi for tens of thousands of years. For those interested in the cultural significance of the area, this long-standing connection between the Wadandi and the river adds another dimension alongside the trails and riverside landscape.

Culture and seasonal produce

Arts Margaret River is a not-for-profit cultural community organisation and has been the central umbrella organisation for the arts in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River for more than five decades. It offers music, theatre and dance performances, visual art exhibitions and workshops. Arts Margaret River events take place at Nala Bardip Mia – Margaret River HEART and other venues throughout the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. The programme may change; if you plan to attend an event during your stay, check the latest dates.

The Margaret River Farmers’ Market sells seasonal fresh produce and artisan-made foods directly from farmers and producers. The offering connects food with the people who grow or make it, adding a seasonal dimension to the themes of trails and culture. If you would like to include the market in your trip plans, you can take its seasonal focus into account when choosing when to visit.

For planning a hike, the Margaret River Visitor Centre has Jane Scott and Ray Forma’s Cape to Cape Guidebook and official topographic map packs for the Cape to Cape Track. The stock of books and map packs may change. If you need a particular book or map pack, check what is currently available in advance.

Discover more destinations: Woodvale, Mindarie, Carbunup River, North Fremantle, Pelican Point, Meadow Springs, Wellington Mill, Rocky Gully

For the main travel overview: Western Australia.