Great Places To Visit South of Perth
Dwellingup – something for the whole family (including the dog)
Located just over an hour south of Perth, the town of Dwellingup is popular with nature lovers and is nestled in beautiful jarrah forests. The area offers a variety of adventure activities including mountain biking, white water rafting, abseiling and walking trails.
Dwellingup Adventures can point you in the right direction for booking most of these activities. For those who prefer a more relaxing getaway, why not try a creative course at the Forest Heritage Centre or simply settle in with a great novel at the
Blue Wren Café? If (like me) you can’t bear to leave your best friend (the dog!) behind, the
Dwellingup Forest Lodge offers pet-friendly, self-contained and air-conditioned chalets.
Enjoy the waterways of Mandurah
If you prefer the coast to the forest, and dolphins to Roos, then Mandurah might be for you. So you haven’t been there lately? Well, you might be surprised at how much it has changed! The city (yes city, that is not a typo) of Mandurah will take you less than an hour to get to by car. It is made up of sparkling waterways from the coast to the estuary. Along Mandurah Terrace, you will find endless lunch options. The Mandurah Boardwalk is the perfect place for family outings and caters to every budget. Perfect for a daytrip, you can also stay a little longer to enjoy the attractions of the Peel region. Fishing, crabbing and water-skiing and dolphin boat cruises along the estuary are a few suggestions to keep you busy. For more great ideas of what to do around Mandurah, go to
Anytime Adventures. Oh and did we mention dolphins.
Pemberton – tree climbing for the adventurous
If you have more time up your sleeve, why not travel further south to Pemberton? It takes 3.5 hours to reach the town of Pemberton but once there, you will want to stay for at least a couple of days. A personal favourite place of accommodation down this way is the
Karri Valley Resort located on the serene Lake Beedelup. There’s plenty to do at the resort including trout fishing, canoeing and mini golf. However, if you’re feeling more active I highly recommend the
Pemberton climbing trees. A word of warning though; they’re not for the faint-hearted. There are three climbing trees in the area; the Gloucester Tree, the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree and the Diamond Tree and they’re said to be over 250 years old. The trees were originally used as fire lookouts and the tallest of them (the Bicentennial Tree) is 75 metres above the ground! Cars require a National Park Pass to enter the national parks where the trees are located and you can even purchase a climbing certificate from the
Pemberton Visitor Centre!
Yes, going ‘Down South’ has been done to death. But our suggestions are a little different to the usual Margaret River/Dunsborough getaways. So use our tips to start planning your next Down South trip with a difference!
