Best Walks in Margaret River: Cape-to-Cape Sections, Lighthouses, Karri Forest and the Coast

The walk to and around Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse at the northern tip of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge is one of the most rewarding easy-to-moderate coastal walks in the region — not because it's long or strenuous, but because it puts you on a headland between the Indian Ocean and Geographe Bay with 360-degree views and, between August and December, some of the best accessible whale watching in Western Australia. The lighthouse itself dates from 1904 and you can take a guided tour; the walking tracks from the car park range from a short 20-minute stroll to the point to a more substantial 5km loop that takes in multiple lookouts.

The whale watching is the seasonal headline: humpback whales migrate through Geographe Bay on their southward journey between August and December, and the elevated headland lookouts give you elevated, unobstructed sight lines over the bay that shore-based whale watching rarely matches. Outside whale season it's worth the drive for the views alone — the lighthouse working, the ocean on two sides, and the karri-and-peppermint heath that runs down from the ridge. The walk suits almost everyone: the shortest tracks are entirely accessible and the car park is close, making it manageable for older visitors and those with mobility constraints, while the full loop gives confident walkers a proper hour of sea-cliffs and heath. Wind layers are non-negotiable — it's an exposed southern-ocean headland at any time of year.

Of all the day-walk sections of the Cape-to-Cape Track, the stretch from Gracetown south to Cowaramup Bay consistently draws the highest praise from experienced walkers — a combination of dramatic sea cliffs, limestone rock platforms, peppermint woodland and a handful of remote coves accessible only on foot that captures the full range of what makes the cape walk exceptional. The ~15km one-way distance means you either arrange a car shuttle or commit to a longer out-and-back; most walkers do the car shuttle, leaving a vehicle at each end.

The sea cliffs above Lefthanders surf break, the exposed limestone headlands above dark-blue Southern Ocean, and the quiet karri-peppermint woodland sections between the coastal edges give the walk a rhythm that doesn't stay in one register for long — which is what makes a long day on foot feel like time well spent. It's best in the cooler months (April to October) when the heath is in better condition, the wildflowers can be extraordinary in spring, and the summer heat and direct sun on the exposed sections are avoided. This is a proper walk: it needs solid fitness, good shoes, sun protection, plenty of water (no reliable sources on the track), and the navigational awareness to know where the trailheads are. Reward it properly and it's the best single day's walking in the South West.

Cape Leeuwin is the southwesternmost point of the Australian continent — the place where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean officially meet — and the lighthouse that has marked it since 1895 is one of the most historically significant in Australia. The walk from the car park to the lighthouse and the adjacent waterwheel ruins is short and easy, under two kilometres with minimal elevation, and guided tours of the lighthouse tower itself are available and worth taking: the view from the top puts you at the literal meeting of two of the world's great ocean systems, with water on three sides and a horizon that stretches to Antarctica.

It's geographically and historically significant enough that first-timers to the South West should make the drive from Margaret River almost without question — the experience of standing at the cape, with the Indian Ocean lapping on your left and the Southern Ocean on your right, is genuinely unlike anywhere else in the country. The walk itself is accessible to almost anyone and the guided lighthouse tour is excellent for children who can manage the stairs. Augusta is about 48km south of Margaret River along the Bussell Highway, making it a half-day commitment from town — pair it with a whale watching lookout at Flinders Bay in season (August to December) and you have one of the better day trips in the South West.

The Meelup coastal walk in Meelup Regional Park north of Dunsborough is the most consistently family-friendly coastal walk in the region — a relatively short loop that links a sheltered, swimmable turquoise bay to a limestone coastal path with Geographe Bay views, wildflower heath and a moderate elevation that keeps things interesting without becoming difficult. The bay itself is one of the most beautiful in the South West: calm, clear, protected and swimmable for most of the year, with a gentle slope and the kind of water colour that belongs in a photograph.

The walk suits the widest possible group: families combining a swim with a coastal stroll, couples after a scenic loop that doesn't take all day, older visitors who find the full Cape-to-Cape sections too demanding, and dog walkers in the regional park (dogs are generally permitted on a lead in Meelup Regional Park, but check current rules for the beach sections). The spring wildflower display along the coastal heath sections adds a layer that makes the walk different in September and October from its summer version. It's paired naturally with Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse — both are within the same northern section of the region, and the two together make a full and satisfying northern day trip from Margaret River.

Boranup Karri Forest is the walk in the Margaret River region that has nothing to do with the coast — and it's more striking for it. Karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor) are among the tallest flowering plants on earth, and the Boranup section of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park puts you among specimens 60–75 metres high whose white, cream and orange trunks rise out of a surprisingly open, luminous forest floor. Walking among them on the well-maintained tracks has a hushed, cathedral quality that feels completely different from an hour on sea cliffs, and the scale of the trees is one of those things that photographs can't adequately prepare you for.

The trails from the Boranup car park range from an easy 1km loop suitable for almost any fitness level to longer tracks that push into less-visited sections of the forest. It suits anyone who wants contrast — a counterpoint to the coast and the cellar doors that makes the whole trip feel more rounded. It's an excellent wet-weather option when the coastal walks are miserable, a good stop on a Caves Road drive that combines the karri forest with cave tours and the southern cape, and a genuinely special walk for anyone who hasn't experienced old-growth karri before. The walk is mostly flat and shaded; bring insect repellent in spring and summer.

The Rivermouth walk from the township down to where the Margaret River meets the Indian Ocean is the walk you do when you don't want to drive anywhere — an easy, mostly flat trail through riverside vegetation that delivers you to an estuary and a surf beach without a car involved. The Rivermouth itself is a protected, wildlife-rich area: black swans on the estuary, dolphins sometimes in the surf, and Surfers Point — the premier big-wave surf break in the region — a short walk from the river mouth. It's the local's everyday walk and the visitor's orientation walk, and it connects the township to a stretch of coast that the main street can make you forget is only a kilometre away.

The walk suits the full range — families wanting a short easy outing from the township, couples linking a coffee with a beach walk, dog owners on a morning routine, and first-timers getting their bearings. It's at its best early in the morning when the estuary is still and the wildlife is active, but it works at any time. The honest caveat is modest expectations: this is a pleasant, accessible town walk rather than a dramatic cape experience — don't compare it to the sea cliffs north of Gracetown. Its value is proximity, ease and the natural beauty of the estuary and beach at the end.