Margaret River in winter is the version of Margaret River that locals quietly want you not to know about. The crowds thin out. The cellar doors have time to talk to you. Restaurants don’t need a six-week booking window. The fireplaces actually get lit. And the wine — particularly the chardonnays and cabernets the region is famous for — tastes the way it’s meant to be tasted, which is to say, in a cool room with food and conversation rather than on a 35-degree day in a tasting flight that’s been pre-poured for 90 minutes.

I went down for four nights in late June 2025 and again for a long weekend in August. This is the version of the trip I’d recommend to a friend in 2026. Three nights, two travellers, no kids, willing to drive.

Getting there and getting around

Fly Sydney or Melbourne to Perth, then it’s a three-hour drive south. You can fly Perth to Busselton if you want to skip the drive — Rex and Jetstar both run that route — but I’d argue against. The drive south through the karri forest is genuinely beautiful and you’ve got Bunbury halfway as a coffee stop. The hire car is non-negotiable. Margaret River is a region, not a town, and the cellar doors are spread across roughly 90 kilometres of country road.

A note on driving and tasting: the local police take this seriously and they should. Designated driver on tasting days, or book a wine tour for the heavier days. Cellar Door Tours and a couple of independent operators run small-group winery days that are good value if you want to actually taste rather than spit.

Where to stay

Yallingup, Margaret River town, or Dunsborough — those are the three obvious bases. Dunsborough is closest to the northern wineries (Vasse Felix, Cullen, Wills Domain). Margaret River town is central. Yallingup is for if you want the surf coast vibe and don’t mind the drive.

For winter, I’d stay around Margaret River town or southern Dunsborough. Cape Lodge is the prestige option and it’s worth it if your trip is special — it’s adults-only, the rooms have fireplaces, and the on-site dining is one of the best meals in the region. Pullman Resort Bunker Bay is the next tier and significantly cheaper in winter. There are also a stack of self-contained cottages on Stayz and Airbnb in the $250-$400 a night range that are great winter value.

Day one: arrival and dinner

Drive down in the morning, aim to be in the region by lunch. Stop at Bunbury for coffee. Once you’re in Margaret River, drop your bags and start at one cellar door for the afternoon — pick one big-picture place to anchor the trip.

I’d start at Vasse Felix. They were one of the founding wineries of the region (1967) and the current restaurant operation is genuinely excellent. Tasting flight, then a long lunch with the chardonnay. If you only do one chardonnay tasting in the region, this is the one.

Dinner first night, keep it simple — the Margaret River Brewhouse for a casual evening, or the Common Room in Dunsborough for something more put-together. Don’t overpack day one. Jet lag plus wine plus a long drive equals an early night, and you’ll thank yourself the next morning.

Day two: the wine day

This is the day to plan. I’d do four cellar doors maximum — anything more is a blur. My pick:

Cullen Wines. Biodynamic, brilliant chardonnay, fantastic food. Book the tasting and stay for lunch.

Leeuwin Estate. The Art Series chardonnay is one of Australia’s great wines. The cellar door experience is more theatrical than Cullen but the wine is undeniable.

Stella Bella. Smaller, less famous, doing some of the best cabernet in the region. Worth the detour.

Voyager Estate. Beautiful gardens even in winter and the rosé is a surprise package.

In between, stop at Margaret River Dairy Company for cheese and the Margaret River Chocolate Company because life is short. The official region guide has a useful map to plan the geography of the day.

Dinner — book Wills Domain ahead of time, or Settler’s Tavern in town for something more relaxed. The Settler’s wine list is enormous and well-curated, and you can have a great meal there for under $80 a head.

Day three: not just wine

A wine-only weekend in Margaret River misses the point. The other thing the region has going for it is the coast and the forest, and winter is the best season for both.

Spend a morning at Hamelin Bay (the famous stingray beach). You’ll likely have it to yourself in winter. Drive the Caves Road back up — Mammoth Cave or Lake Cave are both worth a tour. Boranup Forest is a 30-minute detour that puts you in the middle of a karri forest taller than anything you’ve seen on the east coast.

Lunch at the Studio Bistro in Yallingup — small, art-gallery-attached, beautifully done. Or Yarri in Dunsborough for fresh seafood.

Afternoon, one more cellar door if you can manage it, or a long walk along the cape on the Cape to Cape track. You can do small sections of it without committing to the full multi-day hike. The section between Sugarloaf Rock and Yallingup is two hours and worth every minute.

Day four: the slow drive home

Don’t try to do anything ambitious on the morning you drive back to Perth. Coffee at Sidekick in Margaret River town, a slow drive up through Cowaramup (which is the cow-themed town and yes, it’s actually charming), and back to Perth in time for an evening flight.

Realistic budget

For two people, three nights, mid-range accommodation, decent dining, four cellar door visits with tastings and one lunch booking: budget around $2,500-$3,500 plus flights and car hire. You can do it cheaper with self-catered cottages and fewer fancy lunches; you can do it more expensive at Cape Lodge with private chef experiences.

The bookings to lock in now

Cape Lodge or Pullman if you’re going premium. The Wills Domain or Cullen lunch booking. Anything fancy in Dunsborough on a Saturday night. Cellar door tastings at Leeuwin and Vasse Felix in winter you can usually walk in to, but ringing ahead is courteous and gets you the better staff.

If you’ve been putting off Margaret River because it sounds like a long way to fly for some wine, the winter trip is the version that justifies it. The crowds aren’t there. The food is at the top of its game. And there’s something about Margaret River chardonnay drunk by a fire in July that the summer version just doesn’t replicate.