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After breakfast at The Goose on the Busselton foreshore, we went off to find Sharon, the owner of Southwest Charters … and our driver/guide for today’s quick dip into the Margaret River Region, known for its craft breweries, boutiques, and wineries.

The plan was to visit Canal Rocks, have a private wine tasting at a winery that was once a fruit orchard, enjoy lunch and another tasting at one of the premiere wineries of the region, stop for sweet treats at a chocolate factory, and then go in search of kangaroos in the wild … time permitting.

Once Sharon saw that all three couples were from the US, she switched things around a bit, putting the ‘roos up front. What a delight it was to find a mob of Australia’s iconic macropods lazing under the trees at an olive grove … specifically western gray kangaroos. We took our cues from the ‘roos, approaching quietly and with caution to ensure they weren’t stressed by our presence.

Our next stop then became Canal Rocks … a striking headland along the coast. The rocks here are gneiss, changed from granite … formed some 750 million years ago from molten rock many miles below the surface. The canal itself was sculpted by the waves crashing ashore from the Indian Ocean. Fractures and faults in the gneiss allow the water to penetrate, eroding it to form linear canals. Here, we went for a short walk along a boardwalk for a closer look at the amazing work of Mother Nature.

Rivendell is where we went for our private wine tasting. And private it was as we were the only ones there until shortly before we left. The setting was wonderful … the weather was terrific. Sitting at a table on the deck, we tried a bubbly, three different whites, two rosés, and three reds. A generous number of wines … more so than we’ve had at tastings elsewhere around the world.

Woody Nook was the next winery on our itinerary. Here, we again tried a number of wines, including a sweet dessert wine called Nooky Delight ☺️ By the time we were done with the tasting, we were ready to get some food into our tummies. Sharon had arranged for charcuterie boards for each couple to share. The quantity of food was overwhelming … but it was all tasty and there wasn’t much left on anyone’s platter by the time we were ready to leave.

We wrapped up our tour with a stop at the Margaret River Chocolate Company. OMG! We tasted some of the delicious chocolate, bought a bunch to take away with us, and purchased ice cream to eat in the van on the way back to Busselton. A sweet ending to our day.

The ride back to Busselton was a quiet one. I didn’t look back, but I think the others were napping … all that wine and food, dont’cha know 🤪

We were back at the Busselton Jetty with 45 minutes to spare before the last tender at 3:30p. It was well past our scheduled 4:00p departure when Regatta weighed anchor … Captain Giulio’s cautionary words about strong winds and heavy swells once we leave the protection of Geographe Harbor still ringing in our ears.Read more