WELCOME
Adventurers will feel right at home in Bunbury Geographe region where you can ride some of Australia’s best mountain bike trails, swim with wild dolphins, canoe and kayak on some stunning waterways and walk through ancient Australian bushland. This two-night itinerary ticks all those boxes and mixes it with some tastier adventures sampling artisan cheeses, boutique wineries, craft breweries and more.
Bring:
- Dinner provisions or stop at the renowned Crooked Carrot on the way to pick up some homemade meals
- Esky or cooler bag
- Mountain Bike if you have one
- Fishing gear if you like to fish
- Swimmers, towel, sunscreen
Book ahead:
Book accommodation in the Ferguson Valley for two nights
Peppermint Lane Lodge a romantic adults retreat in an ambient bushland setting where you wake to birdsong and a cooked breakfast. Book ahead for a home cooked French inspired multi-course dinner that includes fresh vegetables from the garden.
Skating Goose Farm, a luxury couples retreat delivering an indulgent experience in exclusive, private and architecturally designed “escape pods”, nestled within beautiful Marri Forest – think king size bed, Egyptian cotton, fire, and house made muesli and fresh eggs in a breakfast hamper.
Evedon lakeside Retreat Located on a charming lake in the beautiful rolling hills of the Ferguson valley. have a romantic retreat with that special someone or bring the whole family. There is something here for everyone!
Mountain Bike Hire Crank’n Cycle (if needed)
Bike Maintenance Course or use of the mountain bike trails at Cycletrek
Dolphin Cruise and Swim through the Dolphin Discovery Centre
DAY ONE: PERTH TO HARVEY
Depart Perth and drive just over an hour and a half to the town of Harvey and Harvey River Estate for a guided wine tasting and to see the famous Big Orange, which you can climb. It’s under ownership of the Sorgiovanni family (Kevin), a family with a long and significant history in the region’s agricultural story which includes one of WA’s biggest milk and juice producers, Harvey Fresh. Harvey River Estate began producing wine in 1999 and focus on minimal intervention, and making wines that people want to drink. Drive four minutes to GeoVino also owned by the Sorgiovanni family for a wine tasting and pick up some local produce, meat and cheeses for snacks and perhaps for light dinner in your accommodation.
Jump back in the car for a six-minute drive up the road is Harvey Cheese and St Duke’s Distillery using the freshest milk, the award-winning cheeses are clean, fresh and creamy in flavour with a soft and moist texture – absolutely delicious. If you haven’t made dinner arrangements for both nights, pick up a few cheeses for grazing later on. If you enjoy learning and cooking, there are cheese making classes too. Nothing goes to waste here. The whey, which is a by-product of cheese making, is used to make a popular alcoholic drink. The whey is fermented for a week, boiled, put it through a condenser and cooled down. The 96% alcohol is then put through a charcoal filter, water is added and then it is distilled with botanicals from neighbouring properties, and voila! Gin. Tastings are available from Friday to Sunday and it’s a good idea to book ahead.
Jump back in the car for a one-minute drive to your paddock-to-plate lunch stop at Brugan Brewery which is just behind the historic Wokalup Tavern. There’s a good choice of smaller and bigger dishes from free range chicken parmi to smoked brisket burger, roast beetroot risotto, beef and brogan pale ale pot pie, and Wagyu rump with creamy garlic prawns. The beer tasting gets interesting at Brugan with a vanilla porter, dark lager and citrus sour just some of the brews on offer. Take home a growler or two of your favourites.
From Brugan, drive 50 minutes to Cycletrek at Kambarang (booking essential), do some home bike mechanic training with Barrie to keep your mountain bike in tip top condition. After signing a waiver, tackle the 10 kilometres of single mountain bike trail that winds through 100 acres of Kambarang. From tough climbs out of gullys to flowing singletracks to fast downhills and technical rocky sections, mountain bikers will have a ball with all the variety. If you’re visiting in spring, you might like to book ahead and do a wildflower walk with Sherry to spot white fairy orchids, bright blue leschenaultia, or the tiny sunset coloured flame pea, chorizema.
After the exhilaration on two wheels, jump back into four and drive 10 minutes to Glen Mervyn where you can observe wildlife, go hiking along the Bibbulman track, enjoy a swim or kayak in the Glen Mervyn Dam, or drop in a line to see what you can catch. Or pull out a picnic rug and relax in the by the dam’s edge.
That concludes day one of your adventure. Drive 11 minutes to Skating Goose Farm or 19 minutes to Peppermint Lane Lodge, and unless you booked dinner at Skating Goose Farm, enjoy an easy dinner of cheese, meats, grazing delights purchased earlier and/or the home made meals purchased at the Crooked Carrot or on your way down.
DAY TWO: MOUNTAIN BIKING IN COLLIE
How good does it feel to wake up in the country after a good sleep thanks to the previous day’s activity? Savour breakfast, then drive 29 minutes to The Wagon in Collie bakery. Stock up on sandwiches for snacks and/or lunch and we recommend giving into temptation and include a sweet slice or two.
From The Wagon, it’s a five-minute walk (or two-minute ride) to the start of the Wagyl Biddi trails. Here you’ll find both easy and more challenging trails, and if you need, hire a mountain bike from Crank’n Cycle. Free and open every day, the Wagyl Biddi trail winds through the jarrah forest on the edge of the Collie River. The moderate (blue) trails to tackle include the rocky and densely forested Marri Meander (0.8km), Rocky Horror (1.5km), a single track that balances rocky and flow, and it’s recommended you ride it with Drop Dead Fred (1km) to complete a 2.5km loop. Allocate from one to three hours for your afternoon MTB session.
Wagyl Biddi is made up from two Aboriginal Noongar words – the Wagyl is the serpent that moved across the land in the dreaming creating the rivers, inlets and lakes, and Biddi means ‘path through the forest’.
After hours of fun on two wheels, you can either drive nine minutes for a delightful tapas style lunch and wine tasting at Harris River Estate or tuck into the sandwiches and slices you purchased earlier at The Wagon. Harris River Estate is set on 350 acres with 62 acres under vine growing six grape varieties namely Chardonnay, Verdelho, Viognier, Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz. They also brew a small amount of gin using local botanicals. With the next adrenalin filled activity requiring some co-ordination and concentration, it’d be wise to limit the sampling and purchase wines and gins to enjoy at a later time.
If you haven’t had a drink at Harris River you can spend the afternoon mountain biking. A short 12-minute drive from Harris River Estate, you’ll find the Arklow Trails. Ensure you have everything you need including ample water as there are no facilities here, but there are epic mountain bike trails. You will find the Arklow Trail Network head at Ray’s Trail car park, on the right hand side, and there’s over 35km of trails that will take you through Jarrah and Marri forest. Trails are a mix of fast flowing sections, jumps and more technical challenging rides. There’s an information sign about each trail there. The moderate (blue) trails include Ray’s Trail (7km), 220 Trail (6.2km), Dead Cats (2.6km), Bull Ant (4.5km), Far Lap (7.5km) and Morning Glory (2.1km). Allow 1 to 3 hours depending on how much mountain biking you want to do.
After an energetic afternoon, drive approximately 45 minutes back to your accommodation at Skating Goose Farm or Peppermint Lodge and spend the late afternoon and evening chilling out. For dinner, either self-cater, book ahead into the Skating Goose Farm restaurant, or drive (under 30 minutes) to Collie where you’ll find plenty of dining options.
DAY THREE: COASTAL ADVENTURES
Up early – we suggest 6am – for a quick coffee, check out of your accommodation and drive 22 minutes to Dardanup the famous Dardanup bakery . With so many tasty and freshly baked goods on offer, the hardest decision will be choosing what to have for breakfast. Stock up on house made pies – think creamy chicken, roast onion, mushroom and Margaret River brie, Chinese barbeque pork with apple and crackle and other mouth-watering specials. The doughnuts, flaky croissants, handmade pastries and sausage rolls are just as tempting and why not grab some freshly baked sourdough to take home with you. Leave by 7.40am.
From the bakery, drive 15 minutes to the impressive Dolphin Discovery Centre ensuring you arrive well before 8am. This is a special experience where you’re able to observe dolphins in the wild, in their natural habitat, and watch them feed, socialise, jump and play. For an extra special experience, jump in the ocean and swim with the curious creatures. Wetsuits, masks, snorkels and fins are provided, and if you’re not a confident ocean swimmer, there are buoyancy vests too. The cruise and swim takes about three hours. Spend some time in the informative and interactive Dolphin Discovery Centre to learn about the ocean and sea life of Geographe Bay.
From the Dolphin Discovery Centre, drive about 30 minutes to the Old Coast Road Brewery for lunch. After a swim, you’re likely to be thankful for the hearty dishes on the menu and there are also lighter bites. Think smoky barbeque pork ribs, woodfired pizza, Szechuan squid and plenty of vegan options too like tofu Thai salad. There are 12 brews available for sampling including bitter ale, wheat beer, amber ale, kolsh, stout and saison, and two ciders made from Donnybrook Apples including one with ginger and pear. Owners Andrew and Ivanka have Italian and Croatian heritage and pay homage to their roots with a 1000-tree olive grove reminiscent of those in the Mediterranean. Pick up some take-away beers and cider to reminisce about your BunGeo getaway once you’re back home.
From there, the drive back to Perth is just an hour and a half. Hopefully you did purchase craft beer, wine, cheese and more during your travels to enjoy at home.
