Giants Cave, Margaret River: Why do an adventure tour?
Several Margaret River cave tours visit show caves – they’re an easy walk through. But Giants Cave in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park offers more of an adventure.
The Margaret River region of south-west Western Australia may be better known for its wine tourism, but it does a nice line in natural beauty too. Head away from the cellar doors such as those at Cullen Wines and Vasse Felix, and you can meet stingrays at Hamelin Bay on a Margaret River tour. Or perhaps hang out with endangered marsupials over tea and biscuits. Or maybe taste free chocolates at the Margaret River Chocolate Company.
Margaret River show caves
Popular with second-time visitors to Australia and a three hour drive from Perth, the Margaret River region teems with caves. Lake Cave, Mammoth Cave, Ngilgi Cave and Jewel Cave are all standard show caves. They can be walked through reasonably easily, looking at underground lakes and sparkling stalactites. Margaret River cave tours to these show caves can all be booked via the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association.
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Giants Cave tours from Margaret River
But for something more adventurous, Giants Cave in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park might be just the ticket.
Giants Cave is where Cape To Cape Explorer Tours’ evening excursion concentrates on. It starts with a drive along Caves Road through the Boranup Forest. Here, the branchless trunks of the enormous karri trees can reach 90 metres high, and a beautiful dappled light pours through them.
9 Margaret River experiences worth booking
1. Wine tours. 2. Wine & chocolate tasting. 3. Whale-watching. 4. River canoeing. 5. Cave tours to Lake Cave, Ngilgi Cave, Jewel Cave and Mammoth Caves. 6. Nature and culture tour. 7. Surfing lesson. 8. Stand-up paddleboarding. 9. Coffee discovery experience.
Margaret River cave tours: Giants Cave
Once at Giants Cave, however, it quickly becomes clear that it is offering something more than a standard walk through a show cave. Getting inside involves an awful lot of steps down, and getting through requires perhaps more scrambling than initially expected.
The main caverns are impressive, full of dangling stalactites formed over millions of years of dripping water. It’s also possible to see the roots of the marri trees above breaking through the cave roof too.
Getting between the major caverns, however, is a mite trickier. Sometimes this involves scrambling for footholds. At others, it means sliding down a slope on your bum. And, near the end, grabbing on desperately to ropes to navigate downwards before slinking up a ladder through what feels like the very narrowest of gaps. What starts as an evening out to look at some cool cave formations soon become an all-action adventure.
The Sunset, Forest and Cave Explorer tour to Giants Cave isn’t hardcore caving, but it’s certainly not novice level either. The late afternoon/ early evening adrenalin experiences cost $160, lasting around three hours.
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Why you should stay in the town of Margaret River
There are plenty of great places to stay in the Margaret River region. But stay in the town itself has one massive advantage – you can walk to the bars and restaurants in the evening after a day’s wine-tasting.
If you’d like to avoid driving in the evening, these are the best accommodation options in the town of Margaret River.
- For apartments with a pool (honestly, this is the best choice): Margarets In Town.
- For chalets by the river: Riverview Tourist Park.
- For a centrally-located motel: Margaret River Motel.
- For a bit more style: Prideau’s of Margaret River.
More wine regions in Australia
Margaret River isn’t Western Australia’s only wine region – the cellar doors of the Swan Valley are closer to Perth, too. In other states, options include Hunter Valley wine tours near Sydney and a day trip from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula. The best wines arguably come from South Australia, however. Try looking for a big Shiraz in the McLaren Vale at the top of the Fleurieu Peninsula near Adelaide.
More Western Australia travel
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Where to stop on a Perth to Manjimup road trip.