Discover Western Australia's Southern Highlights

You will leave Perth today to travel to Western Australia’s premier wine region, Margaret River. You will pass through popular beach resorts of Busselton and Bunbury, where wild dolphins often swim right up to the shore. We suggest stopping at Ferguson Valley where you can wine and dine at one of the area’s fine restaurants or award-winning wineries while soaking up the stunning backdrop of forests, rolling pastures and vineyards.

The Margaret River region is renowned for its world-class wineries and dining as well as its top-rated surf beaches, coastal walks and ancient caves. Explore the underground caverns and exquisite stalactites and stalagmites of Ngilgi Caves. Visit one of Margaret River’s premier wineries to sample some of Australia’s finest chardonnays and cabernets. We suggest ending the day watching the sun setting over the Indian Ocean at Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.

Travel inland across karri and jarrah tree forests, stop at one of Nannup’s cosy tea rooms or peruse the art galleries and antique shops. At Lake Muir Observatory, a popular picnic spot, you can wander along the boardwalk through wetlands and a nature reserve. Continue to the charming city of Albany, this is where the first convoy of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, who became known as ANZACs, departed for the battlegrounds of the First World War.
Hotel – Beach House at Bayside

Albany’s coastline is breathtaking and it also here that the first European settlers set foot in Western Australia. Around 50 of Albany’s colonial buildings remain, many are now museums, galleries and restaurants. Take the 30-minute self-guided walk along the Amity Trail to learn more of the city’s history. Other highlights include the Historic Whaling Station museum and the state-of-the-art National Anzac Centre where personal stories unfold through interactive and multimedia displays.
Hotel – Beach House at Bayside

Pass through Porongurup National Park, one of the best areas to witness Western Australia’s abundant wildflowers from August to early December. Continue through Stirling Range National Park, home to Bluff Knoll, Western Australia’s second-highest peak. Pass the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fitzgerald River National Park, home to almost 20 per cent of Western Australia’s plant species. Visit July – October for the chance to witness southern right whales at Point Ann.
Hotel – Esperance Island View Apartments

Follow the 25-mile Great Ocean Drive circular loop taking in beautiful coastal scenery, and sheltered white sand beaches such as Twilight Beach and Ten Mile Lagoon where you can swim in their crystal-clear waters. Take a cruise through the Recherche Archipelago where there are regular sightings of Australian fur seals, dolphins and white-bellied sea eagles.
Hotel – Esperance Island View Apartments

Today you travel north into the outback, to Kalgoorlie, in the heart of the Goldfields. Call in at the small mining town of Kambalda on the north shore of Lake Lefroy, a giant Salt Lake popular for land sailing and sometimes used for land speed record attempts. Catch a spectacular outback sunset from Mount Charlotte then wander down Kalgoorlie’s lively Hannan Street, lined with pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
Hotel – Hospitality Kalgoorlie

Immerse yourself in Australia’s gold mining heritage with a visit to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder WA Museum where you can admire the largest collection of gold bars and nuggets in the state. Take a tour of the Super Pit, one of the world’s largest open-cut mines, which still produces 900,000 ounces of gold every year. Drop in at Kalgoorlie’s Royal Flying Doctor Service visitor centre for an insight into one of Australia’s legendary organisations.
Hotel - Hospitality Kalgoorlie

Stop at Coolgardie, the birthplace of Western Australia’s gold rush. The town is one of the nation’s best-preserved mining towns with many heritage buildings remaining today. Stop at Merredin to visit the railway museum where you will find a beautifully preserved railway station and 1897 steam engine. Enjoy afternoon tea in the historic town of York before the last leg of your journey to Perth.

A day to relax on the beach before your flight back to the UK.