A popular tourist destination due to its quiet coves, north facing sandy beaches, surrounding national parks, nature reserves and scenic walk trails, Dunsborough has something to please everyone. Cafés, bakeries and fashion stores line the main streets of the town, and there are many restaurants serving delicious regional delicacies and premium Margaret River wine. For art lovers, there are stunning galleries showing off fine handcrafted pottery, woodworks, sculptures and photography. For the adventurous there is Ngilgi Cave to be explored and Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to climb. Dunsborough is also a great place for water sports, and is located near some of the best wineries in the region.
HMAS Swan Dive Wreck
A favourite experience for those who enjoy diving is a visit to the
HMAS Swan Dive Wreck, which is considered a world-class site. The HMAS Swan was a River Class Frigate Destroyer Escort built in 1967. After serving the Australian Navy for 26 years, she was decommissioned in 1996 and laid to rest in 30 metres of water off Meelup Beach. Intensive work by the Geographe Bay Artificial Reef Society and volunteers prepared the wreck so that visitors can appreciate how a wreck can become an artifi cial reef, home and breeding ground for coral, fish and other marine life. Due to the protected nature of Geographe Bay, the site can be visited by divers almost 10 months of the year.
Cape Naturaliste
Take a drive to the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and Maritime Museum just 13kms out of town. Visitors can take a tour of the lighthouse and take advantage of the stunning views of the coast. There are several walking trails including the start of the
Cape to Cape Walk which follows the coast to Cape Leeuwin near Augusta. These walk trails provide excellent viewing of the wildfl owers in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, home to several rare species including the Naturaliste Nancy, Dunsborough Spider Orchid, Cape Spider Orchid and Meelup Mallee. Cape Naturaliste is the perfect vantage point for spotting
whales on their annual migration. Between September and December, southern right, humpback and blue whales are all commonly seen off the coast. Experience the magic of watching them bask and play in Geographe Bay from Cape Naturaliste’s purpose built whale watching platform or from a cruise. Sugarloaf Rock is another part of the striking coastal scenery. Located in the
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park it is an impressive formation that dominates the coastline, near Cape Naturaliste.
Secluded Bays
You’ll catch your breath at the beautiful turquoise waters of Meelup Bay, Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay. They’re all worth a visit, especially if you enjoy surfing, swimming, sailing, snorkelling, diving or simply enjoying this exquisite Dunsborough coastline. Meelup Bay is part of the Meelup Regional Park which offers numerous walk trails for the energetic visitor who enjoys wildflowers or bird watching.
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