What to do on a weekend getaway in Bunker Bay

Finally coming from the most isolated city in the world has turned in our favour, making isolation our strength. It’s now time to get out and explore our incredible and unique state, starting with a getaway down south.

We couldn’t wait any longer. Our regional borders are open and we’re thrilled to be able to hit the road to explore some wineries, and indulge in a weekend getaway at Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, just in time to celebrate Steve’s 60th birthday.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more #instaworthy region in Australia than down south and there has never been a better time to rediscover beyond our back yard than now.

With our accommodation booked, bags packed and the car fuelled and ready to go, there was nothing left to do, but jump in the car and get going. It was time to drive.

But we didn’t have to drive for long. An hour into our trip we come across The Crooked Carrot, a quirky café on Forrest Highway in Myalup. It’s a great place for a comfort stop and a caffeine hit. If you’ve driven down south and not stopped here, you are missing out. Apart from the great coffee, wholesome food and selection of pickles, jams and honey for sale, there’s a huge grassed area for kids to run off some pent up energy.

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We’re not back in the car driving for long before we sight Fergus at the information board for Ferguson Valley. Not long now until we will arrive at next stop.

Less than two hours from home and we had arrived at the port city of Bunbury, Australia’s fastest growing city back in 2005/2006. With a median age of 38 this vibrant city has been revitalised by a series of murals painted by renowned street artists.

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There’s a Dolphin Discovery Centre on Koombana Bay, which is also home to Wardandi Boodja. Wardandi is a clan of the Noongar Nation whose land extends from Bunbury to Cape Leeuwin. Wardandi is the permanent guardian looking out for the land and people. He is firmly grounded, but floats and reflects the ebb and flow of the landscape. He is 5.5m high and now an iconic piece of history of Bunbury.

Bunbury is a bustling little city and there’s plenty to see and do, but we can’t stop too long, we have a cosy bed at our luxurious accommodation waiting for us and we still have to make one more stop along the way.

Our final stop, half an hour along the way is at Busselton. We headed straight to Busselton Jetty, the longest timber jetty in the southern hemisphere.

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We don’t take a walk along the 1841 metre long jetty as it’s time to eat, and the jetty is home to The Goose Beach Bar & Kitchen. Offering uninterrupted views of Geographe Bay, the view alone is worth a stop. The Goose’s menu offers some of the best sourced seafood and produce from the Margaret River region. The menu was tempting, but the dish that was the star for me was the Pan Roasted Gnocchi. It was served on a bed of Jerusalem artichoke puree, with four large braised field mushrooms and pine nuts with burnt butter sauce. I have to say, this was the best gnocchi ever and nothing on the plate was a disappointment. I had never tried artichoke before, and I was really impressed. Steve ordered wood fired fish, beer battered chips and salad. We sat outside and enjoyed our meal while soaking up the winter sunshine. Despite the social distancing and capacity restricted to just 20 patrons, the staff ensured the atmosphere and food was as good as the exceptional views.

Update: Unfortunately in April 2021 a fire gutted The Goose Bar and it will be closed for a year to rebuild.

There is a fabulous play area nearby for kids. In keeping with the location it has a nautical theme with a ship and giant whale tail.

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Busselton lies south of Perth, a short 40 minute drive from Margaret River. The Margaret River region consists of Busselton, Dunsborough, Yallingup and Augusta. Margaret River itself is a small town but within the region you can find some of the best wineries in the world. But we chose not to dilly dally any longer, and made our way down to Bunker Bay, only a 30 minute drive away.

Bunker Bay, 10 minutes from Dunsborough, is a sheltered bay with pristine pure white sands, perfect for swimming, snorkelling or fishing. Having acquired a taste for the 5 star comforts Pullman offer during our stay at Pullman Bali we booked our stay at the Pullman Bunker Bay Resort, the largest beachside resort in the area and an award winning luxury resort.

There was no better place we could have booked, it was perfect for us. The main building is built from stone and the interior incorporated reclaimed timbers and cathedral styled timber ceilings. Our one bedroom villa is very close to the main building and carpark, and features a curved ceiling, limestone wall, polished timber floor, king sized bed, marble ensuite with a deep freestanding bath, bathrobe, and Bigelow Apothecaries amenities. Our villa has a well equipped kitchenette with electric cooktop, microwave and dishwasher, a private terrace with native garden views and not one, but two TV’s. For those in villas further away, the concierge will arrange you and your luggage to be chauffeur driven in one of the buggies.

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The 150 villas at the resort are 1,2 and 3 bedroom bungalow styled garden view or lake view villas. The resort spans 35 acres, and sprawls throughout landscaped native gardens to allow for plenty of relaxation and privacy. The world class facilities including a 25 metre heated infinity pool, on-site day spa, tennis courts, gym, 24 hour room service and an award winning restaurant with a menu that pays homage to local and indigenous ingredients and decadent desserts prepared by a Michelin-star pastry chef. Despite being almost at capacity it was still quiet, parking was easily accessed, and we were seated quickly at the restaurant on each occasion.

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From the moment we walked in to check in, to the moment we checked out, the staff made us feel like we were the most important guests and worthy of their undivided attention. The staff were outstanding and handled the difficult situation with the restrictions very professionally. Our room was clean, comfortable and well appointed.

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We arrived late in the afternoon and as soon as we dropped our bags off we took a short stroll down the boardwalk to arrive at Bunker Bay beach to watch the sunset. This is one of the few north facing beaches in Western Australia and is protected by the rocky outcrops of Cape Naturaliste promontory either side of the bay.

In the morning, we took a walk past the lake view villas, along the boardwalk leading directly to Bunker Bay Beach which was very secluded.

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After our walk back to the resort to enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast of eggs, charcuterie, pastries, homemade muesli, fresh fruits, juices, and yoghurt served overlooking the Indian Ocean. The views are spectacular and when we finished breakfast we continued with a visit to the other side of Bunker Bay, Point Marchant and Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse at Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

We had planned to spend the rest of the day in Margaret River exploring the abundance of wineries, craft breweries, chocolate producers, cheese factories, and more pristine beaches.

Margaret River region is fringed with national parks, towering forests, pristine coastline and rugged granite outcrops and is the classic West Australian holiday destination. There is spectacular crystal clear waters from Castle Rock to Bunker Bay, hiking trails like the Cape to Cape or Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock,  or whale watching. View the Southern Right Whale, majestic Humpback, the larger rare Blue whales, Pygmy whales or the Minke whales and their calves during their annual migration September to December.

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Margaret River is one of the most geographically isolated wine regions in the world. But in the west, isolation is no barrier. The area is one of the nation’s largest wine producers, with more than 25% of Australia’s premium wines being produced here. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot, Chenin Blanc and Verdelho are all local varieties to swill, sip and spit.

The Mediterranean style climate and gravelly loam soil in the Margaret River region creates pristine conditions and a beautiful backdrop for growing quality grapes to produce superb wine.

Established less than fifty years ago, some of the top wineries are Leeuwin Estate, Vasse Felix, Brookland Valley Estate, Cape Mentelle, Cullen Wines, Fermoy Estate, Gralyn Estate, Hay Shed Hill Wines, Howard Park, Sandalford Wines and Steve’s favourite, Lenton Brae topping more than 215 wineries in the area. There are lots of small boutique wineries and every time we visit the area there are another few new wineries to drop by for a cellar door visit. I absolutely love a fortified wine and Gralyn was the first winery I ever visited and is still my favourite. I remember driving along the winding Caves Road and seeing the Gypsy caravan and just had to stop and buy a bottle or three to take home.

It’s not only wine the region is famous for. For just about every wine lover there is an equally passionate beer fan. Twenty years ago a lone trailblazer established a craft brewery in Margaret River. Popularity quickly grew and now the region has 12 unmissable craft breweries and distilleries in the area.

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But Margs has also become one of the gastronomical stars of the world and is a hot spot for food lovers.

Meat and veg have come a long way with ingredients like Kangaroo, Emu, quandong and saltbush featuring as regular ingredients to whet tourists appetites. Some of the world’s top chefs like Nigella Lawson are attracted to the food festival, Gourmet Escape. Its  not all foraging for bush food, epicurean delights like locally grown olives, venison, award winning cheeses, chocolate and the abundance of seafood are all showcased in award winning restaurants and vineyards to tempt every palate.

Local restaurants serve dishes like woodfired prawns with XO sauce and saltbush, venison tartare with sunflower, and tempura battered Abrolhos Island scallops with spring onion puree.

Being home to some of the best food tourists also have an expectation for great coffee. Nearby to our resort is Bunker’s Beach House Café or White Elephant Café 10 minutes away both satisfy the demand for a decent coffee.

Some of our other favourites are Yallingup Woodfired Bread, Dunsorough Bakery and Margaret River Bakery. Margaret River Bakery has the best breakfast and bakery goods, with chandeliers adding a touch of whimsy. The serves are hearty, it feels like eating at Grandma’s.

A pretty little, picture postcard guesthouse is the iconic Bridgefield Guest House. At the entrance to Margaret River township this charming, old world guesthouse is heritage listed and right on the main street.

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Back at the resort we had booked in for dinner at their onsite restaurant, Other Side of the Moon. Our meal was exceptional, we shared Manjimup Cauliflower Fritters with Apricot Quandong Chutney for entree, Steve had Mamak style Pemberton Marron with Snapper and Banana Prawn Mousseline  and I had Seafood pappardelle with Shark Bay Prawns, calamari, scallops and chilli buerre blanc. I couldn’t manage dessert and just sipped my Tom Collins while Steve ordered a phenomenal panacotta from the desert cabinet.

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There’s definitely something magical about winter in Bunker Bay, this is what holiday dreams are made of and if you haven’t visited this coastal paradise, we highly recommend you consider it for your next holiday.

Does this sound like an ideal place for your next getaway? Do you have some local wineries you would include on your roadtrip?

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*Pullman Resort Bunker Bay kindly provided one night complimentary and we received a media discount for the 2nd night of our stay and as always, all opinions are our own. 

Thank you to the Pullman team for the surprise birthday present of handcrafted soap and Credaro Five Tales Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Steve