Margaret River

When I first planned my trip to Australia, I added an extra week onto the trip so I could explore the country a bit. I thought I would see some kangaroos, perhaps a dingo, and a bunch of cool rocks and stuff. What I didn’t realize is that Western Australia is really, really big. It is also really remote.

I also wasn’t sure how I’d feel given the craziness of my recent travel schedule. After a few hours of research and a lot of discussions with locals from the conference I was at, I decided on Margaret River. It was a close call between Margaret River and Dunsborough, however the prospect of a hotel with a view of the ocean won me over.

Most of the time when people think about Margaret River they focus on the wine, then the beer. There are tons of wineries and breweries around here. I’m not here for that. Instead, I’m focusing on the caves and the ocean, and time away from cities. The weather here is getting toward winter, so the temperature is dropping and they are finally getting much needed rain. This timing isn’t ideal, but having a place near the ocean for a couple of days means I can watch the storm over the Indian Ocean from the comfort of my room.

The sunset here is unbelievably gorgeous with the clouds and the waves. Here they didn’t build directly above the beach, but a bit further inland. This protects the structures from the ocean a bit better. The town is a few miles further inland and is more popular than the more rural area near the coast.

Sunset from the open windows of my hotel room.