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Located in the southwest of Western Australia and about a three-hour's drive from Perth, Margaret River is a town located in a valley of the river of the same name (the Margaret River). It is justly famed for its magnificent surfing beaches (at Margaret River Mouth, Gnarabup, Suicides and Redgap) and swimming beaches at the Prevelly and Grace Town beaches. Over the years the Margaret River Surfing Championships (held every year in November) have been a popular event to go to.
Tourists also enjoy trying out the offerings of the local wineries and breweries, of which there are more than 65 in the area (for example, the well-known Abbey Vale Winery and the Bootleg Brewery). Make sure you obtain a copy of the Margaret River Regional Vineyard Guide (available at most tourist centers).
For those interested in arts and crafts, there are quite a number of places to visit such as Kookaburra Crafts and Margaret River Pottery. Also worth visiting are the Ellensbrook Homestead (a National Trust property) and Eagle Heritage, which has an excellent collection of birds of prey to see.
There are 350 limestone caves and caverns around Margaret River, of which 6 spectacular examples (the Jewel Cave, the Lake Cave, the Mammoth Cave, the Ngilgi Cave, the Calgardup Cave and the Giants Cave) are open to the public.
Between Margaret River and Albany is the so-called Tall Timber Country, where many ancient karri trees are growing. Many of these trees are huge, very old, almost primeval, and predate European colonization. Logging in these forests finally came to an end in 2001 after more than a hundred years of logging and timber getting. Tourism is taking over from logging as the mainstay of the local economy -- walks in this region's beautiful old-growth forests are very popular.
A short drive from the Margaret River township is the historic Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, situated at the most southwesterly tip of the continent of Australia.
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Author: David Paul Wagner
(David Paul Wagner on Google+)
