OK, all you wine lovers out there.......
 

Leaving for SW Australia next week....landing in Perth, first night in Fremantle, then 4 nights in the Margaret River area (Yallingup, to be specific).

Need some input on what you think are the top wineries to visit while we are there. From the looks of it, we could visit 3 day and not repeat ourselves for about a month. So I want to target the top 6-7, particularly those that have good restaurants.
Any other must-do things in the area? I have gathered info on the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and we are going to be staying just down the road from the Cape Naturaliste area.
Any and all input is appreciated!

Oops....that should read "From the looks of it, we could visit 3 PER day..."

The Cape Leeuwin winery had a wonderful selection (very pricey). I brought home several bottles of it in 1995. My hubby liked it so much that we ordered a case! It was less expensive then. I have not seen it or bought anymore of it since about 2000. I would definitely check out the Leeuwin winery if in the neighborhood!

Hi Lindsey,
The Margaret River has a big range of wineries, and most are of a very high standard.
Would particularly recommend
- Leeuwin Estate
- Vasse Felix
I think both have great restaurants.
Try this URL - you might get some links to other wineries and ideas for itineries:
www.mrwinefest.org.au

Other activities - surfing/fishing, spectacular coastlines; having a look at the enormous old growth forests, some historical sites of the early settlers. Boutique dairy/produce...
The WA wildflowers are very spectacular around spring -its not too late in the season to find some.
When in Perth go up to Kings Park - fabulous view of the city.
Have a great time.
regards
Lori

Lindsey
I'm going on the identical trip you are
in March i.e. wine and surf in M.R. I
did a little research from an importer
in Napa. He recommends Cullen , Leeuwin Estate and Vasse Felix for the pioneers and Voyager,Howard Park, Evans and Tate, and Brookland Valley for the
'2nd wave. I haven't started thinking
about lodging yet so would love to hear
where you are staying in Freo and Yallingup. My e-mail jonathand51@yahoo
Thanks

Thanks everyone for the replies.
Have booked lunch for one day at Leeuwin and have marked Vasse Felix, Evans and Tate, and Brookland on my map. Based on other recommendations, I think we are also going to visit Xanadu, Moss Brothers and Juniper.
I've also discovered a few boutique breweries in the area, so I suspect we will check those out as well.

Regarding accommodation.....
in Yallingup we have rented a house that looks fantastic on the website. Hope it looks as good when we get there! The address is www.privateprop.com.
We also saw a huge number of all different types of hotels, motels, cottages, B&Bs, lodges etc at
www.margaretriver.com. Click the link for accommodation. It will sort by lcoation, type etc. You can even stay in a cottage on a winery estate. The house we rented is on a cliff over the beach because we wanted those great sunset views over the Indian ocean.

In Freo we are staying at Girton House B&B. (www.girton.com.au). Our first choice was the old prison cottages (sorry, lost that link, but if you do a search you will find it) but they have a 2 night minimum and we will only be there one night.
I will report back after the trip.