Day Trip From Perth To The Geographe Wine Region

Over the last long weekend, Mr. Spittoon and I decided we wanted to do something a bit different from the usual but didn’t really want the expense of an overnight stay. Of course, I had a myriad of wine-related ideas and well, Mr. S never says no to booze! For a while I have been hanging out to get down and explore the Geographe Wine Region a bit more so I thought I’d plan a day trip!

The Geographe is only 2 hours from Perth city, which makes it a great place to escape to for a day or two. Plus they have a ton of fabulous wineries and eating spots, so you really can’t go wrong. The region is made up of approximately 5 areas, Harvey, Ferguson Valley, Donnybrook, Capel & Busselton. If you’re a regular wine festival goer, then you have probably tried a few of the Geographe wines already such as; 52 Stones, Fifth Estate, Windfall Wine Estate/Bonking Frog, Barton Jones, Angelicus, Oakaway Estate and Talisman to name a few.

From that list you can already see why a 2 hour car-trip from Perth is totally worth it! There are at least 30 wineries in the Geographe Wine Region, some don’t have a cellar door and their wines are only available online however there are some fantastic cellar doors to visit and you’ll find that most are manned by the family who owns the wine label.

I was a lucky duck on this trip as I got to drive down and Mr. Spittoon offered to drive back which was very nice of him! So where did we go?

Our Itinerary:

The trip didn’t start off as smoothly as I hoped. We got 45 minutes down the road and I realised I forgot my camera. D’oh! So it was iPhone photos for the day, which is not too bad as I have to admit they take pretty good pics!

We left home around 8am which is nice, a more relaxed start to the day than getting up at the break of dawn. We didn’t see any point in leaving earlier as most cellar doors don’t open till 10ish anyway. And we wanted to be back around 5-6pm so we didn’t pack too much into the day as typical me likes to hang out at the wineries chatting and asking questions.

1st stop: Barton Jones Wines

It took us about 2.5 hours to drive from Perth to Barton Jones, however it was a cellar door I have been eager to get to for so long now. And it most definitely didn’t disappoint. We ended up spending quite some time here chatting to Jackie, tasting wine and eating cheese which was lovely. You can read all about our visit and my favourite wines in my blog post here.

2nd stop: Windfall Wine Estate (previously Bonking Frog Wines)

Seriously how can you not stop at a cellar door that refers to bonking frogs!  A unique, laid back cellar door with lovely Metal Art by Inge dotted around the property and chickens, dogs and cats roaming the property. They even have some very lovely looking accommodation on the property if you are looking for an overnight spot! Check out the Bonking Frog website for more details. Read about my favourite Bonking Frog wine here.

3rd stop: Vineyard 28

Another one we came across on our way home along Old Coast Highway. The cellar door was very friendly and inviting, it was nice to look out the windows over the vineyard. I think what interested me most about this spot was the different grape varieties they grow and their passion for alternative varieties. It was nice to try some Arneis & Nebbiolo made in WA. Read more about Vineyard 28 on their website. And FYI if you didn’t know, ’28’ refers to a species of parrots called ’28’s’.

On a separate trip we visited Myalup Vines which is just off Old Coast Highway too and it was a hit with the crowd we were with.

All up it was a good day. I would however probably think twice before doing just a day trip again. It was fairly exhausting and I wanted to see so much more! I can’t wait to go back down for a full weekend so I can explore the wine sensory garden at Whicher Ridge Wines, eat and drink at Smallwater Estate which I hear is superb and I’m also quite keen to hit up Mandalay Road to try their Chardonnay, Durif and Zinfandel! Heck, I just want to visit them all!!

If you’re planning a trip yourself, make sure to check out the Geographe Wine website so you can suss out where to go whether it’s on a day trip from Perth or your splurging on a much-needed weekend away!