Top Family Activities in Margaret River

Family-Friendly Fun at Margaret River!

With the wide range of activities, Margaret River is the ideal holiday location for the whole family. Whether you are looking for outdoor or indoor activities, there will be something for every member of the family.

There are a variety of adventures, some with free admissions and while others have entry fees. Don’t let the weather get in the way either, as there are indoor attractions that are excellent for rainy days. While when the sun shines there are lots of outdoor activities that the whole family can enjoy.

The bottom line is that there will always be something to do when you are visiting the Margaret River region.

Some of the most popular family-friendly adventures in and around the Margaret River area include:

Museums and Historical Centres

Visiting the past is always exciting and museums are even more delightful to explore on rainy days. Top tourist museums and history centres are:

• Augusta Historical MuseumThe museum covers the early settlement of the country beginning in the 1830s. Including items from local shipwrecks, how early settlers lived, various items from the 1920s. It’s a wonderful way to see how those in the past used to live on this very land.
• Margaret River Old Settlement Offering a trip back in time to the farming community of the 1920s, children can experience washing clothes on a genuine washboard, baking scones in an authentic Metters stove, and learning a classroom lesson while sitting on real, hardwood school benches. With various farming and dairy exhibits, artifacts and walking paths, this is a wonderful learning experience for the family.

Pottery Making Class

If your child has an interest in the creative arts, an excellent experience would be to learn the basics of handcrafted pottery making. Master pottery maker, Myles Happs, owner and craftsman of Happs Pottery in Anniebrook, WA offers individual pottery lessons for groups of six people. You and your family will learn how to work with clay and how to use a potter’s wheel. Best of all, you can take your creative masterpiece home as a special souvenir of your holiday.

Horse Riding

Horse riding is a wonderful way to get in touch with nature. Whether you are an experienced rider or a beginner, the Mirravale Riding School in Dunsborough, WA is a great way to spend an afternoon. The riding school offers trail rides, pony rides, riding lessons, and twilight rides for anyone aged 4 years and up. An adult must accompany young children at all times, so best have your riding boots ready!

Lighthouse Explorations

An escape to the outdoors can be all the better when it’s teamed with unparalleled views. Exploring some of the region’s lighthouses can expand your horizons with some spectacular views of the Indian Ocean.

• Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse – AugustaThis lighthouse was constructed of limestone in 1895 and is still an active maritime fixture. It is important to note that they do not permit children under the age of 4 in the lighthouse. There is an entrance fee that includes daily tours of the tallest lighthouse on the mainland, situated where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. This lighthouse is a perfect spot for the inner sailor in everyone to come to life. Offering a cafe, tours, walking paths and even sea life to look out for, there’s plenty to do.
• Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse – BusseltonWith a wealth of history, this lighthouse has been active lighthouse since 1904. It should be noted that an adult must accompany all children under the age of 17. There is an entrance fee, however, this includes one of the daily tours of the lighthouse which takes place every 30 minutes. With access to the tower’s balcony level via a comfortable 59 step stairway where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Indian Ocean and a magnificent view of the Geographe Bay coastline. Offering tours of the lighthouse restored period cottages and even a nautical-themed playground, there is a range of activities for the family.

Maze Gardens

One of the few inducements that fire up the exploration juices in big and small adventurers is the challenge to complete the full trip through a maze. Full size, outdoor, family fun mazes are hard to find. But, Margaret River is the exception to the rule by having not just one but two popular maze locations.

• A Maze’N Margaret RiverPerhaps the ultimate exciting outdoor garden maze. This family-oriented location has one large maze plus five additional mazes that vary in their level of difficulty. The centre also has an 18-hole mini-golf course, recreational games, beautiful flower gardens, sheltered picnic areas, and a café. An adult must accompany all children under the age of 13.
• Yallingup MazeA maze with a twist, as there are five timber mazes rather than your tradition hedge maze to complete. Once everyone has conquered the maze, you can play board games, card games and wooden puzzles on the café tables, enjoy the nature playground, and play in the bouncy castle. An adult must accompany all young children.

Movies in Margaret River

Don’t let a rainy day put a damper on your holiday adventures. Just move your plans indoors where you can relax and enjoy an afternoon of cinematic excitement. The Orana Cinemas centre in Busselton is a multi-screen complex that has daily movies appropriate for all ages, from the latest blockbuster to a movie the whole family can enjoy.

Margaret River Farms

If you’re looking to get back in touch with nature, get off the smartphones and tablets, looking at visiting one of the many farms around Margaret River is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. We have picked two days out that we feel are great for all of the family.

• Miller’s Ice Cream dairy farmIce cream is the treat that children and adults of all ages, from toddlers to seniors, this will surely get everyone excited. When you are looking for a delectable, mouth pleasing, fresh from the cow ice cream, Miller’s Ice Cream dairy farm in Cowaramup, WA is the best spot in the region. While enjoying a scoop of handmade ice cream may be the reason for your visit, there are other attractions at the farm. There is a milking shed where you can watch the milking of real cows or try your hand at milking a dummy cow. You can even bottle feed a calf. There is an adventure playground for the children, a café for everyone, and a gift shop.
• Country Life Farm in DunsboroughThis farm is a dream come true for the young at heart. The price of the admission includes all the farm’s activities. Children under the age of two have free admission. Attractions include feeding the animals, a large bouncy castle and an inflatable slide, boat rides, a merry-go-round, Dodgem cars, a playground for toddlers, an indoor playground, and a picnic area.

As a guest at Forest Rise Resort, our friendly staff will gladly help you with the plans for your daily activities. With a little notice, we can provide picnic hampers for your trips away from the resort. If there is a family-friendly activity that you are interested in, but we have not listed it above, let our staff know and we will try to locate that activity for you. Our goal at Forest Rise is to help you fulfil your holiday expectations.