BunGeo for Culture Seekers

DAY ONE: PERTH TO BUNBURY

Depart Perth and drive just over two hours to the Bunbury Waterfront where you’ll find beautiful paths, some interesting shops and cafes and a striking sculpture. The majestic five-and-half-metre steel bust sculpture called Wardandi Boodja represents a Noongar face created by local artists Alex and Nicole Mickle of Safehaven Studios alongside design engineer Mike Kimble. More than a year in the making, the bust commissioned by the City of Bunbury, was officially unveiled in February 2019.

Spend the afternoon meandering around the Waterfront and along Victoria Street. Stop in for a drink or two at Bunbury’s historic institution, the Rose Hotel and take your pick of nearby restaurants and places to have an aperitif or night cap along.

You might like to start your evening with a wine at Mojo’s Kitchen, Bar & Bottleshop which has one of the biggest wine lists in the region, including local Geographe wines, and museum wines from their cellar.

Small bar comes restaurant, Yours or Mine  serves incredible South American food with an eclectic wine list, craft beer and espresso martini. Devour pulled pork tacos, grilled marron with chimichurri or, once again, we recommend saying ‘yes please’ to the Feed Me menu option.

DAY TWO: BUNBURY ART AND HERITAGE

Wake up to ocean views. Walk ten minutes to breakfast. Try La Pause Miam for a French-inspired café breakfast that includes crepes, pastries as well as croque monsieur, duck burgers, omelettes, all kinds of eggs and more, or Benesse for a berry jumble soufflé, buttermilk pancakes, chilli eggs, brekky burger, rosti and more.

Call into the Bunbury Visitors Centre (13 Princep St) and pick up a map (or download one here) to explore the Bunbury CBD Mural Trail. The two hour walk through Bunbury’s vibrant outdoor gallery with 36 incredible works on wide streets and narrow laneways in the CBD. Works from artists including Stormie Mills, Anya Brock, and Andrew Frazer will inspire, provoke and engage you to consider how creativity in public space is essential to the wellbeing of any city and its residents.

You can’t buy happiness but you can buy doughnuts which is the same thing according to Natalie, the owner of café Guardians of Happiness, a perfect stop for morning tea. There is so much happiness in the form of cakes, pastries, cookies, macarons and more, just sitting there looking delicious, ready to tempt.

We’re not ones to BRAG, but the pink façade of Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (see what I did there?)  is worthy of a photo for the ‘gram, and a great stop for art aficionados. Spanning two floors of exhibition space, BRAG is home to the largest collection of public art in regional Western Australia and has an exceptional program of rotating art exhibitions. Entry is free Wednesday to Sunday.

Next stop just 500 metres away or a six-minute walk is the Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre open Tuesday to Sunday. There are tours and talks, audio visual presentations with stories about Bunbury’s unique shipwrecks, early Bunbury life, the port, and Bunbury’s built heritage. Interactive displays also allow visitors to hear the voices of Noongar people speaking their language and reflecting on their lives.

Lunch is next and we suggest a leisurely lunch at one of the great eateries on Victoria Street. Some suggestions include delicious Italian food at Nicolas Ristorante, Benesse (see above) and Kokoro Japanese.

Spend the afternoon strolling and seeing the sights of Bunbury. Walk up to Marlston Hill Lookout then round to the Back Beach and Wardandi Memorial Park, Boulter Heights lookout and back into town. There are some great little shops and places to explore in town.

For dinner, book ahead at Market Eating House in Victoria Street, co-owned by former head chef of Little Press in Melbourne. A custom-made charcoal grill and wood-fired oven take centre stage and the menu that changes daily heroes the region’s local producers. White bean dip, charred Beagle Island octopus, kingfish crudo, wood roasted eggplant, barbeque market fish with beurre blanc and finger lime, and 14-day aged club steak with bone marrow butter are just some of the mouth-watering dishes on offer.  On Friday and Saturday try the ‘feed me’ menu.

End your night at the ultimate hipster hang-out, Lost Bill’s , a tiny bar that puts all its passion into booze which is evident on their menus. The craft beer list is banging, the cocktails are adventurous – think cawfee negroni and chai tea-inspired d’wishous, and a small but carefully selected wine list that focuses on quality local wines that offer good value. There are a couple of snacks on the menu but we recommend the BYO food option – grab a burger or Asian takeaway and enjoy with the great drinks at Lost Bills.

DAY THREE: EXPLORING THE REGION’S ART AND CULTURE

Check out of your accommodation and head out for breakfast. If you tried the Parisienne style La Pause Miam yesterday, perhaps try Benesse or vice versa. There’s also The Happy Wife that has inlet views and offers a fusion of the finest foods from handmade savoury crumpets, chia pudding with berries, and house made croissants.

Drive approximately 45 minutes from Bunbury to Wellington Dam Lookout for one of the world’s largest murals on the dam wall that spans 8000m2. The unlikely place for incredible work of public art, it’s called ‘Reflections’ is by Australian artist Guido Van Helten, depicting local life from yesteryear that includes portraits of migrants, Aboriginal children and locals. There is also Jade Dolman Art at the lookout and other art works at the Black Diamond Lake and the suspension bridge.

From there, drive 25 minutes to the town of Collie where you can explore the Collie Town Mural Trail. There are 40 public works on the trail, and the useful map will help discover colourful works by the likes of Ketones6000, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Amok Island, Andrew Frazer, Shakey and more, hidden down alleyways and brightening up schoolyard walls. The artworks tell a great story of the local flora and fauna, language, history, and culture. Consider doing a tour with Alison from Forest Explorers. You can also download the Wambenger Trail App which has more in depth information about the mural trail and also the growing network of trails in Collie and the Wellington National Park click here for the Apple App and here for the Android version.

The Collie Art Gallery is the next stop to see the Collie Collection comprises works from renowned Australian artists Norman Lindsay, Guy Grey Smith, Elizabeth Durack, Arthur Boyd (senior) and a host of others. The cornerstone of the collection is the Claude Hotchin bequest, 36 works of art gifted to the people of Collie by Claude Hotchin in 1954. Claude Hotchin was a self-made man from humble beginnings who left school at the age of 11 and went on to become one of the most significant art benefactors in WA history. It is claimed that over the following forty years, he purchased an average of one painting each week to give away to some other gallery or institution. Today the Collie Collection has grown to nearly 90 individual pieces. While you are in Collie make sure you visit the Collie Coalfields Museum and explore the replica coalmine at the Collie Visitor Centre across the road.

Time for lunch. Drive nine minutes from Collie to Harris River Estate for a to delightful tapas style lunch and tastings. 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.

Save some room for your next stop. Your eski is going to be handy. Drive 40 minutes to 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. They offer cheese making classes too. At Harvey Cheese, nothing goes to waste. 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 per cent alcohol is then put through a charcoal filter, water is added and then it’s 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.

Just ten minutes’ drive away is GeoVino where you can stop for a wine tasting and pick up some local produce, meat and cheeses to take home.

In Harvey located in the Stirling Cottage Precinct is Stirling Cottage, a replica of the 1880’s homestead built by the first Governor of WA – Governor Stirling. The gardens are beautiful to explore and there’s a delightful café with a verandah overlooking the tranquil Harvey River. Sit back, relax with a hot drink, cake or light meal. The tearooms are open seven days a week. Afterwards, stretch your legs as you walk around the stunning heritage gardens surrounding the cottage. May Gibbs (creator of those adorable gumnut babies, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie) lived in the original Stirling Cottage during her childhood. It is believed that May drew much of her inspiration for her bush stories and illustrations from her experiences while living in Harvey.

The Harvey Heritage Trail Walk starts at the gardens, and close by is the Italian Internment Camp Memorial Shrine, the only roadside shrine of its type in the world, that was built by prisoners of war in the 1940s.

From Stirling Gardens it’s just over an hour-and-a-half drive back to Perth.