FAMILY ADVENTURES

Things to do in Margaret River with Kids

Planning a Margaret River trip with kids? Here's a local family's guide to the best things to do, from feeding farm animals to beaches, bike trails and a bit of four-wheel-driving.

Margaret River might be famous for wine, but it's one of the easiest places in WA to keep kids busy and happy. In a few days you can feed farm animals before breakfast, fossick in rock pools, walk through a cave that's older than you can picture, get lost in a hedge maze and still find a beach for the afternoon. We live here and host families all year, so this is the guide we'd give a mate arriving with kids in tow, roughly in the order we'd do it.

Start the day on the farm

We're biased, but the best part of a family morning is the slow one. At Birchfield the kids are usually out in their pyjamas with a scoop of feed, saying good morning to the donkeys, alpacas, ducks and free-roaming guinea pigs while the kettle boils. It buys the grown-ups a coffee and gives the kids a job, and it sets the tone for an unhurried day.

Hit the beach (and pick the right one)

The coast is the main event down here, but not every beach suits little kids. For calm water and sandcastles, the sheltered beaches around Gnarabup and Prevelly are your friends, with a cafe close by for when someone needs a babycino. For rock pools, granite boulders to clamber over and a real sense of wildness, our closest beach, Redgate, is hard to beat at low tide. We've written a full guide to Redgate Beach and the Cape to Cape. Further south at Hamelin Bay, friendly stingrays glide through the shallows right at your feet, which kids never forget. Wherever you land, bring sun cover and watch the conditions: this is the open Indian Ocean and the surf can pick up fast.

Go underground in a Cave

There are around a hundred caves beneath Caves Road, and six are open to visitors. For younger children, Mammoth and Ngilgi are the easiest going, with open walkways and shorter routes. Lake and Jewel run guided tours that suit older kids with the patience for stalactites and stories. It's a brilliant rainy-day card to have up your sleeve, and the temperature underground barely moves whatever the weather's doing up top.

Get lost in a Maze

Five minutes from Margaret River town, Amaze'n Margaret River is a genuine all-day spot: a sprawling hedge maze, mini golf, giant lawn games and gardens to run around in. You go for an hour and leave after three. Worth keeping in reserve for a wet afternoon or a day when the kids have energy to spare.

Meet a few more animals

Our farm scratches most of the animal itch, but the region has more if you want it. Eagles Heritage runs flight displays with owls, eagles and other raptors, and Discover Deadly, the local reptile farm, lets brave kids get close to snakes and lizards (time your visit for feeding). Either makes an easy half-day.

Something Sweet

The Margaret River Chocolate Company at Metricup is free to walk into, you can watch the chocolate being made, and there are samples by the door. Lawn for the kids, coffee and cake for you. An easy, no-cost win on a day when you need one.

Burn off the rest of the energy

The Wadandi Track, a flat rail trail, runs right past the farm and is gentle enough for kids and trailer bikes; here's our guide to riding it. For older, braver kids, Margaret River Climbing Co runs abseiling on the dramatic cliffs of the Cape to Cape, and the four-wheel-drive tracks out to the Yeagarup Dunes are a proper expedition. Bushtucker Tours will paddle you up the Margaret River by canoe and feed you bush foods on the way.

Make the farm your base

Half the trick with kids is a base that does some of the entertaining for you. That's what Birchfield is built for: the animals, the trampoline and the room to roam are all part of the stay, so "what do we do today?" already has an answer before you've left the gate. Have a look at the cottages and pick your spot.