We’re all going to Dunsborough; magnificent market; three-quarters of the way there; review: Bayshore Beachside Resort; Gracetown and Cowtown; finger-lickin’ picnic spot
Having visited and stayed in the town of Margaret River several times now – check out these two blogs here and here, for example – I hankered to try somewhere different.
Good old Groupon directed me to the coastal town of Dunsborough. “I love Dunsborough!” exclaimed Carrie when I told her we’d booked a Monday-to-Friday stay at Bayshore Beachside Resort. It was a snip at $600 for four nights in villa “under the peppermint trees” with two bedrooms and a spa bath.
These past four months in Perth WA are by far the longest time Roy and I have spent in one spot since moving from Durban to Singapore via London more than 20 years ago. That said, we’ve had it relatively easy: in a place of our own, surrounded by fresh air and loving family.
(By comparison, our perenially peripatetic friends Gail and Neil Greenfield – who’ve been avid globetrotters for the past decade – have been confined to Ximongwe River & Safari Camp for well over a hundred days and counting.)
To market, to market
Dunsborough is 247km south of Perth, bypassing Rockingham and Mandurah. Next comes Bunbury – but to bypass the legendary Bunbury Farmer’s Market would be a shame.
“You’ve got to stop at Bunbury Farmer’s Market,” said son Carl. “You really should pop in at Bunbury for fresh provisions,” said daughter Blaire, whose in-laws, Marina and Howard, live nearby.
Then I awoke to a WhatsApp from our friend Kim Sadler, who grew up in northern Perth and is now a Margaret River local: “If you’re self-catering in Dunsborough, Bunbury Farmer’s market is right next to the highway and has an amazing selection of provisions.”
The sign speaks verily: this vast indoor market stocks just about anything a foodie fan could desire, from grass-fed local meat and live Tasmanian oysters to cheeses, charcuterie, gourmet delicacies, freshly ground nut butters and an enormous array of fresh fruit and vegetables. Including coffee, of course – always essential to keep the driver happy.
Speaking of which, this trip to Margaret River was the first time in recent years that we’d been able to take more than a couple of soft bags with us. In contrast to the gratuitously sexy BMW Z4 with its notoriously petite booty, our new Volvo C40 could be loaded whatever my heart desired: winter woolies, yoga mat, and essential groceries for self-catering .
Even the trusty Nutribullet blender found a place, together with its full accoutrement of supplements for breakfast smoothies: protein, collagen, ashwaganda and maca powders, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, frozen berries, coconut yoghurt and more!
Three-quarters there
You see, after dropping 15kg in as many weeks it behoved the newly svelte Roy to keep up the good work. He’s even fitting back into his natty 3/4-length chino shorts (pictured below).
They look so good, I thought to myself: surely they’ll start re-trending soon?
But wait! According to this website, long shorts or short longs are actually a thing – either once again, or still. (Roy seemed to rather fancy the Miami Beach bollock-huggers on the right, below. That’s Father’s Day sorted, then.)
Review: Bayshore Beachside Resort, Dunsborough
Bayshore Beachside Resort is located on Geographe Road, a five-minute drive from Dunsborough town, 15 minutes from Yallingup and 30 minutes from the region’s main town, Margaret River.
Our No. 10 two-bedroomed, two-bathroom villa gave us room to spread out. It’s a shame that none of the four-sleeper units looks on to the resort’s manicured gardens and the pretty stretch of water called Toby’s Inlet – for that, you’d need to book a six-sleeper or eight-sleeper. (So they weren’t picking on us because we’d booked a Groupon special.)
Apart from its lovely position between Geographe Bay’s long sweep of shoreline and a peaceful river inlet, what makes the difference are the little things:
- a comfortable king bed with the sort of bedding we like: sheets and a blanket, not just a duvet
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sharp knives (for a change), plus a knife-sharpener – so you can actually cook a meal without wanting to slit your own throat;
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a full set of pots, crockery, cutlery and implements – ditto;
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freshly made ice in the ice-maker – for the medicinal shot of Monkey Shoulder;
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a Nespresso machine, with pods available from the office at a dollar each;
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high-pressure showers, plus effective extractor fans; and
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a welcoming gas heater to instantly dispel the autumn chill.
#1 Sunset Beach Walk
After checking in and hastily gobbling a late lunch of hot smoked salmon from Bunbury Farmer’s Market, and with only an hour or so remaining before sunset, I couldn’t wait to cross Geographe Road and follow the short path to the beach.
Recent storms had deposited lot of seaweed. Otherwise, this is a nice, protected bay lapped by tiny waves. It would be perfect for a family with little ones.
#2 Jog to Dunsborough
Not too early the next morning, yet with no small effort, I tore myself from my husband’s toasty body to run the walk-cycle path towards Dunsborough.
This path is a great community facility. It has frequent access to the beach, plus children’s playgrounds and fitness equipment for grownups.
Could I live in Dunsborough? Possibly… though it’s seriously small-town, I can almost imagine myself in one of these two-storeyed, sea-facing Geographe Road houses. Most of them feature big, deep balconies to make the most of the view.
Where to eat??
Bayshore Beachside Resort’s receptionist found it difficult to recommend anywhere for dinner. With the COVID-19 restrictions so recently lifted, she was unsure which of the list of local eateries* might be open. As things turned out, our well-equipped villa kitchen proved most useful.
* For next time: High on the list are Blue Manna Seafood and the award-winning Yarri Native Australia, followed by Palmers Winery, Little Fish Restaurant, La Casina Italian Restaurant, Pourhouse Bar & Restaurant, Bamboo Spice Thai, Oh Delhi Indian, Bayside Burgers and more.
There are also local breweries that serve food (Eagle Bar, Cheeky Monkey, Bootleg, Occys and Wild Hop), and wineries with food such as Swings & Roundabouts, Rustico at Hayshed Hill, Barnyard Restaurant (which offered only cakes and three very similar varieties of pasta salad the lunchtime we popped in).
In fact, here’s the actual list of Dunborough eateries provided at our accommodation:
On our fourth and last night, we finally had a meal out – at the unpretentious Dunsborough Hotel’s Tavern. It was its first night open for normal business since March and the start of The Iso (Oz-speak for COVID-19-related isolation, lockdown or quarantine).
Dunsborough Hotel Tavern is one of those featureless, barnlike spaces that you quite often find in Oz; but we hadn’t been out for a while, and the people-watching was pretty good. What’s more, our crispy-skinned Tasmanian salmon fillet with sage-buttery veggies ($27) was spot-on.
It’s a relief when it works out that way – when you can get a piece of fish, chicken or meat served with veggies and/or a good salad. But that’s not always the case. And, to be frank, I’d rather continue to cook every night than have be forced to choose between burgers, pizzas and pastas on a carb-heavy menu.
Gracetown and Cowamarup
There’s plenty to see and do in the Margaret River area – like driving south from Dunsborough to the sleepily chi-chi seaside village of Gracetown and stopping for a coffee at Gracies General.
They won’t have the almond milk you want, predicted Roy, but of course they did, and the coffee was perfect. The place even stocked organic brown rice cakes and live sauerkraut, for goodness’ sake!
Then through Cowaramup*, stopping at Seven Seas Tea & Spice to buy several varieties of dried herbs and a bar of the locally crafted Temper Temper chocolate – magnificent stuff, to which I am now irretrievably addicted; they do a dark (vegan) slab sprinkled with chilli that’s to die for. (Click on the link and drool.)
- The suffix “-up” in the local Aboriginal language means “place of”. So, Cowaramup means“place of the cowara”, or purple crowned lorikeet. But that’s a mouthful, and the village is generally known as Cowtown.
From there, on to Margaret River. Its riverside Rotary Park was an ideal spot for the picnic we’d packed. Roy had forgotten the forks; so it was interesting to watch him eating salad with his fingers, without feeling personally responsible for the circumstances.
Part 2 will be coming up shortly, with any luck.
