Grape break in the West

DAZZLING beaches and award-winning vineyards lure David May to WA's Margaret River to discover how a surfing haven became a premium wine region.

Surfing WA ... the small beach village of Prevelly is blessed with some of the region's best surf breaks. Picture: Tourism Western Australia

FEELING south from Perth, a refugee from a 42-degree February heatwave, I soon found things were on the up and up.

First, there was Coodanup, then there was Yunderup, then Yalgorup, Myalup, Binningup, Boyanup, Wonnerup and Quindalup before finally I wound up in Yallingup.

As a first-time visitor to the south-west, I thought it odd that only in this remote corner of the continent did every other place name end with "up" until it was wearily pointed out by a patient resident that "up" in the local Noongar Aboriginal language meant "place of".

Well, there I was 265km from Perth in the "Place of Yalling", whatever that meant, with nothing better to do than admire from a limestone cliff top a dazzling vista of the Indian Ocean crashing on to a snow-white beach sandwiched between the Canal Rocks in the distance and the tangled brush of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park at my feet. Welcome to the wonders of the Margaret River wine region.

The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is 15,493ha of coastal heath and jarrah, marri and karri forests that support mobs of western grey kangaroos, brush wallabies, possums, bush rats and the occasional rockhopper penguin.

It hugs the coast all the way down to Cape Leeuwin with some of the world's best surfing beaches to the west, grass trees and forests in the middle and rolling agricultural land to the east.

Caves Rd, which clings to the national park, is the way to go for those eager to discover what Margaret River does best and it doesn't take long to find out.

A history check revealed that in 1965 the West Australian government sent a dirt expert to Margaret River to assess its agricultural possibilities.

Dr John Gladstone, bless him, noticed how the soil and climate almost exactly matched those of Bordeaux in France – a revelation that apparently triggered the viticultural equivalent of a gold rush.

Now the 120km strip, 40km across, that became the Margaret River wine region has 70-odd wineries and although they produce less than three per cent of the national wine output, they are responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia's premium wines.

Brookland Valley was the first one I encountered, in a beautiful setting on the banks of Willyabrup Brook where a Gallery of Wine Art shared space with the cellar door.

Down the road, also astride Willyabrup Brook, is Vasse Felix, the region's first commercial vineyard and winery established in 1967. I drove along an avenue redolent of Provence lined with an honour guard of tall trees, then through the vineyard right between the vines and past a lake so stylish I almost expected

to see strutting pink flamingos, but there were only ducks.

It was a properly impressive entrance to a property owned and supervised by Mrs Janet Holmes a Court.

In the Vasse Felix complex was the tasting cellar with the most helpful and pleasant staff, a gift shop, the Old Winery Gallery – which houses regular exhibitions from the excellent Holmes a Court Collection – and the award-winning Balcony Restaurant.

I crossed the Margaret River, which isn't really much of a river, and found Margaret River township, a relaxed, artsy little place full of galleries, craft shops, coffee cafes and restaurants.

Ten minutes away was the small beach village of Prevelly blessed with some of the region's best surf breaks where Indian Ocean swells enhanced by those of the Southern Ocean send lines of powerful waves booming on to the reefs and shores.

Every autumn, international surfers turn up to these beaches for the Margaret River Masters, now the Margaret River Pro which, this year, will run from March 26-April 1 at Surfers Point.

I decided to risk my rental car insurance and explore the dirt road through the karri trees of Boranup Forest where the pale-barked monsters, the world's third tallest trees, stood 60m high, filtering the late afternoon sun into fingers of golden light.

Beneath the trees, carved into the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, are six accessible limestone caves. From the CaveWorks Eco-Centre I stumbled 300 steps down into an ancient sinkhole known as Lake Cave to confront a tranquil but startling scene of stalactites and stalagmites sculpted over centuries, illuminated by coloured floodlights and reflected in a glassy, subterranean lake.

Working up a decent thirst stumbling back up 300 steps, I headed straight for the Leeuwin Estate Winery where a frosty Art Series Chardonnay dutifully worked its magic.

At their Gold Plate Award-winning restaurant, I cast an eye over the menu that has caused so much fuss and was stirred by the thought of braised beef cheeks with parsnip skordalia (puree), red cabbage and asparagus and was seriously unsettled at the prospect of Pemberton marron with warm mustard cream and fragrant salad.

"Sorry," said a passing Leeuwin staffer. "Dinner's only on Saturdays."

The Sunday Telegraph