I stayed at the Ramada Resort Dunsborough in the Margaret River region on my first trip to Western Australia, which I hope will only be the first of many. I knew Western Australian would be beautiful but it quickly surpassed my expectations.
My sister travelled with me and we flew from Sydney to Perth in February of 2014. We picked up a hire car in Perth and drove down to the resort after stopping for lunch in Perth. Having grown up in Australia we are used to beautiful beaches but from our first glimpse of the Western Australian coastline in the Margaret River region, we were in awe.
We stopped a few times on the drive to the resort to take in the beauty of our surroundings. After arriving at the resort we only had to walk a few minutes to see the next amazing location, as the resort is built right next to Geographe Bay, it was literally a few minutes from the door of our room to the sandy beach of the bay.
Exploring several different beaches in the area during the week we were amazed by how many of them have crystal clear, calm water, the kind you imagine when you think about pictures of remote island resorts. Everywhere we stopped had unspoiled expanses of pristine sand, tempting water and rarely any other travellers, which was another fantastic surprise.
Having heard of the Margaret River region for so long we expected it to be more developed and the natural beauty that has been preserved in the region is a delight. To go for day drives and be able to easily see some of the most spectacular coastline in Australia, only minutes from being able to visit and enjoy some of the best wineries in Australia is an experience not to be missed.
We enjoyed our experience at the resort including breakfasts, happy hour, the resort pool, visiting Flametree Wines directly opposite the resort for wine tasting and I particularly loved watching the native ducks every day that call the resort home.
We did one formal day tour which took us to visit wineries including Evans & Tate (one of my favourites), The Grove (where we got to try some outstanding liqueurs) and the Bootleg brewery. Over the rest of the week we enjoyed visiting different places including Prevelly, known as one of the best surf beaches in Australia, the Cheeky Monkey Brewery and if you get the chance to watch an outdoor movie at Cape Mentelle over pizza and wine it is a lovely experience. If we had to pick a favourite place though, it would have to be Bussleton Jetty.
Busselton Jetty was one of the first places we stopped as we travelled down to the resort. We didn't know what to expect and it took us by surprise. We had to return and spend more time there. The jetty is over 1.8 kilometres long and it is the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere. You can walk it or catch a special train and at the end you can descend 8 metres to see the underwater observatory.
Extremely keen to see more of Western Australia, the Ramada Eco-Beach Resort in Broome now tops my list of places I’d like to travel to with WorldMark. I would love to spend up to a week in Broome before travelling through the Kimberley to spend up to a week at the Ramada Suites Zen Quarter in Darwin. This is a trip I’ve wanted to do for a very long time and think it will only see me fall deeper in love with the incredible country I live in.
I look forward to sharing more new adventures as they take place.
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