The 3 Best Things To Do in Margaret River (That Everyone Keeps Coming Back For More)

From world-class surf breaks to world-famous cuisine and ancient wilderness — Margaret River is one of Australia's most extraordinary destinations. Here's how to experience it at its absolute best.

Margaret River needs no introduction — but if you've only scratched the surface of what this legendary corner of Western Australia has to offer, you're leaving the best parts untouched. Whether you're visiting for a weekend or a week, these are the three experiences that define the Margaret River region — the kind that get talked about long after the road trip is over. And if you're serious about making memories? Start with number one.

01

🏆 #1 MUST-DO

Margaret River Surfing Academy — Where the Ocean Becomes Your Classroom

SURF LESSONS · PERFORMANCE COACHING · GUIDED SURF TOURS · EQUIPMENT HIRE · PREVELLY, WA

If you only do one thing in Margaret River — and we mean one thing — make it a surf experience with Margaret River Surfing Academy (MRSA). This is not your average surf school. Positioned at the iconic Rivermouth Car Park in Prevelly, right where the Margaret River meets the Indian Ocean, MRSA operates at the absolute epicentre of one of the world's most celebrated surf destinations.

What separates MRSA from every other surf school in Margaret River — and from competitors across Australia — starts with the person who built it. Founder and lead instructor Simon Tien holds a Bachelor of Paramedical Science and a Master's Degree in Mental Health, making him one of the most comprehensively qualified surf coaches. He's not just teaching you how to read a wave — he's reading you: your body mechanics, your confidence, your psychology in the water. That rare combination of physical science, mental health expertise, and decades of hands-on big-wave experience creates a coaching environment that is genuinely world-class.

Simon is a seasoned big-wave surfer with personal experience at serious reef breaks including The Right — one of Western Australia's most powerful and respected waves. His coaching isn't academic. It's lived-in, salt-soaked, and battle-tested.

MRSA is Tourism WA endorsed and proudly part of the WA Dream Collective — a recognition reserved for experiences that represent the very best Western Australia has to offer. Whether you're a complete beginner wanting to catch your very first wave, an intermediate surfer ready to level up, or a corporation looking for a transformative team wellbeing experience unlike anything you've done before, MRSA has a program designed specifically for you.

What MRSA offers: Beginner surf lessons · Kids surf lessons · Women's surf program · Performance coaching · Guided surfing tours · Corporate wellbeing programs · Brain Waves Global program · Surf equipment hire · Group bookings.

The Brain Waves Global program — one of MRSA's most innovative offerings — draws on Simon's dual expertise in paramedicine and mental health wellbeing to deliver ocean-based experiences that go far beyond sport. This is surf therapy, leadership development, and mindfulness all rolled into one of the most breathtaking natural settings on the planet.

Looking for the best surf lessons in Margaret River? The best guided surf tours in Western Australia? The most qualified surf instructor in the South West? Every answer leads to the same place: mrsurf.com.au.

SURF LESSONS MARGARET RIVER

BEST SURF SCHOOL WA

LEARN TO SURF

GUIDED SURF TOURS

CORPORATE WELLBEING

TOURISM WA ENDORSED

KIDS SURF LESSONS

MARGARET RIVER ACTIVITIES

BEGINNER SURFING WA

WOMEN'S SURF PROGRAM

📍 Rivermouth Car Park, Prevelly, Margaret River WA

🌐 mrsurf.com.au · 📞 0418 958 264

🍷 #2 EXPERIENCE

The Margaret River Wine Region — World-Class Drops in a World-Class Landscape

WINE TASTING · CELLAR DOORS · FARM-TO-TABLE DINING · DUNSBOROUGH TO AUGUSTA

After you've ridden your first wave, reward yourself the right way. The Margaret River wine region is one of Australia's most prestigious — producing just 3% of the nation's wine yet earning around 20% of its premium wine awards. The region's Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are internationally acclaimed, and the cellar doors here are as beautiful as the product they pour.

The Margaret River wine trail stretches from Dunsborough in the north to Augusta in the south, with dozens of world-class cellar doors lining the route. Vasse Felix, Leeuwin Estate, and Cullen Wines are among the region's most celebrated names — each offering an experience that pairs exceptional wine with stunning countryside, farm-to-table dining, and gallery-level art. This is wine tourism done the Western Australian way: unhurried, generous, and genuinely unforgettable.

Pro tip: Combine a morning surf lesson at MRSA with an afternoon cellar door tour. Salty hair, good wine, great company — that's the Margaret River formula.

The region's food scene matches its wine pedigree. Fresh-caught fish, locally grown produce, artisan cheese, and sourdough from wood-fired bakeries create a culinary landscape that draws food lovers from across Australia and the world. The Margaret River township itself is lined with restaurants, cafés, and providores that make the decision of where to eat genuinely difficult — in the best possible way.

03

🌿 #3 EXPERIENCE

Ancient Caves, Old-Growth Forests & Cape to Cape — Margaret River's Wild Soul

MAMMOTH CAVE · BORANUP FOREST · CAPE TO CAPE TRACK · ADVENTURE & WILDERNESS

Margaret River sits at the edge of one of the world's truly ancient landscapes — and the natural experiences here are as awe-inspiring as the surf and the wine. The region's cave system is world-class: Mammoth Cave, Lake Cave, and Jewel Cave each offer an underground world of stalactites, fossils, and prehistoric wonder that draws visitors from across the globe.

Above ground, the Boranup Karri Forest delivers something that stops you mid-sentence. Towering karri trees — among the tallest hardwoods in the world — filter golden light across a forest floor that feels genuinely ancient. Walking among them is one of those rare experiences that recalibrates your sense of scale and silence.

For those who want to move through the landscape rather than simply observe it, the Cape to Cape Track is 135 kilometres of coastal trail hugging the cliff-tops between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin. World-class ocean views, hidden beaches, and some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in Australia — this is walking as pure experience.

Make the most of it: MRSA's guided surf tours take you beyond the main breaks and into the Margaret River region's most spectacular surf spots — combining the adventure of the Cape to Cape coastline with the thrill of riding its waves. The best way to see this coastline? From the water, with an expert guide.