Dunsborough

Dunsborough sits at the northern tip of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, a granite spine that stretches south to Augusta and forms the backbone of one of Western Australia's most celebrated national parks. The town is the gateway to Cape Naturaliste, where a 19th-century limestone lighthouse crowns the headland and offers guided tours with sweeping views across the Indian Ocean. Below the cape, Sugarloaf Rock - a craggy sea stack rising from a cobalt sea - is one of the most photographed natural landmarks in the South West, particularly at sunset when the light turns the granite a deep ochre.\n\nBeneath the bay's calm surface lies a world-class dive site: the HMAS Swan, a 113-metre former Royal Australian Navy destroyer escort that was deliberately sunk in 1997 as an artificial reef and recreational dive wreck. Resting at depths between eight and thirty metres in Ngari Capes Marine Park, the wreck is encrusted with marine life and regularly patrolled by large western blue groper, samsonfish, and schools of globefish. A diving permit is required and can be arranged through local operators who run daily guided dives to the site.\n\nFrom August through to early December, Geographe Bay becomes one of the most reliable whale-watching venues in Australia. Humpback whales pause in the sheltered bay to rest and nurse their calves on the long migration back from the tropics to Antarctic feeding grounds, and the calm conditions allow charter vessels to approach closely and respectfully. Southern right whales, blue whales, and minke whales are also spotted during the season, making this a genuinely exceptional wildlife spectacle accessible from the town jetty.\n\nThe Margaret River wine region begins practically at Dunsborough's back door, and the town makes an ideal base for exploring boutique cellar doors, craft breweries, and providores strung along the Caves Road corridor. Dozens of award-winning estates lie within a short drive, producing cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay that are exported globally. The region's food scene matches its wines: local olive oils, farmhouse cheeses, marron, and freshly shucked oysters feature heavily on restaurant menus throughout the town.\n\nFor walkers, the Cape to Cape Track begins at Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and threads 135 kilometres south to Cape Leeuwin, passing sea cliffs, karri forests, and remote beaches. The first section - from the lighthouse south to Yallingup - is among the most spectacular coastal walks in Australia and can be completed as a day hike. Meelup Regional Park, just west of town, offers shorter family-friendly walks through coastal heath to pristine coves, including the popular Meelup Beach, which is sheltered, patrolled, and often listed among the finest beaches in the state.