Lunching in Yallingup, Margaret River – November 2025
Lunching in Yallingup, Margaret River; winter migration options; Yallingup Forest Resort; honey, fig jam and the continued pursuit of coffee; why just lunching in Yallingup?; stalking Jack and Nannette; Aravina Wine Estate & Restaurant; loitering in Margaret River; organic wines at House of Cards; superb banquet at Chow’ s Table; kangaroo balls and other rude lollies; NY heads-up
Being a few hours’ drive south from Perth, the Margaret River region tends to be several degrees cooler and a couple of centimetres wetter than our home suburb of Iluka, just north of the city. And though our summer months – arguably November to April – are fabulous, winters in Western Australia can be longer than we’d like them to be.
Many locals, therefore, will take flight northwards, or to Bali where the hot weather is guaranteed. As a friend said the other day, a week in Bali for two – including flights, a decent hotel and world-class restaurants – will cost the same as three days in Margaret River. (Roughly from A$2,000.) And the journey takes about the same time: three-to-four hours.
Roy is less than keen on (a) flying to Bali, or (b) making the Groot Trek north by car to Exmouth or Coral Bay. But now, as summer was arriving, he fairly happily agreed to three days in Margaret River.*
Note: When I think about my recent proposal for a getaway: (c) driving halfway across the Australian continent, through the Nullabor Desert to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, I suspect Roy realised the was getting off very lightly. Hmm.
Yallingup Forest Resort
And if you’re wondering why we ended up in the forests of Yallingup again, so soon after our January getaway to this area earlier this year (read about it here), it’s because I had left it too late to book suitable accommodation near the beach… at the Seashells apartments next to Caves Rock Hotel, for example, or at one of several options at Dunsborough.
Luckily, booking.com led me to a two-bedroom (one bath) wooden, stilted chalet in Yallingup Forest Resort that turned out to be spacious and thoughtfully equipped. Generously separated from the other chalets by load of natural forest, it was good for morning walks – though too far to Yallingup Beach (about 6km away) to go by foot.
In case you were wondering, I came back after my walk to buy the last remaining jar of fig jam, and put the required $9 in the cash box.
And then we drove to Dunsborough for a spot of shopping… but mainly to drink coffee once more at Yallingup Coffee Roasting Company, and also buy a couple of bags of beans to bring home with us. (They do deliver; click here for the website.)
Why Lunching in Yallingup?
As I have mentioned before, it’s not easy to find a good dinner out in the Margaret River region. That’s because many of the better restaurants are located on wine estates, which often have cellar doors (like our favourite Vasse Felix) where you can taste and buy their wines, and they understandably concentrate on the lunch-time crowd.
Roy and I aren’t in the habit of lunching largely, but I can see how it could become a thing. What’s more, it’s healthier to have your main meal at midday. It’s also why we prefer self-catering accommodation… hotel food quickly loses its appeal.
Fortuitously, we were able to do a pre-lunch wine-tasting on both days:
Day #1: Aravina wines at Aravina Estate (natch); and
Day #2: House of Cards wines before lunch at its immediate neighbours, Chow’s
Table.
Day One – Aravina Estate
Stalking Jack and Nannette
Might as well admit it – I was stalking Nannette and Jack. They were spending the week at a Dunsborough caravan park, about a 15-minute drive from our Yallingup accommodation, and I chose our dates so we’d coincide with them.
Anyhow, they suggested Aravina Estate for lunch. Deb and Blaine had taken us to Aravina in January this year, when the four of us converged on Lynn and Kim at their wonderfully rebuilt home-in-the-bush. (See here.) That time, we’d popped in at Aravina only to admire the landscaped gardens of this popular wedding destination, and to see its excellent Surfing Gallery – all covered in this blog post.
Prologue: Wine tasting at Aravina Estate
Tasting happens in the big foyer, beyond the chubby Botero sculpture at the entrance to Aravina Estate. Bubbly Kelly from Kiwi-land presided over the corkscrew – no, not really: it’s all screw-tops Down Under – and explained that tasting up to six wines was thrown in for diners. (Otherwise, it’s $10 pp.)
Sensibly dissuading ourselves from signing up as members (you commit to six bottles, three times a year), we ended up buying just two bottles of each of our tasting favourites: the 2024 Wildwood Reserve Chardonnay; and the 2022 Wildwood Ridge Reserve Stella BDX (a Bordeaux-style blend).
Lunch at Aravina Estate
Another good thing about lunching largely is that I get to photograph the food in daylight, which makes all the difference! Here’s a link to the menu: Aravina Menu
Day Two – House of Cards & Chow’s Table
Following Lynn’s recommendation, I wanted to do a tasting at Altair Estate, which she had described as “a newish winery” where they had met Josh Vince, a “young gun” winemaker. She also mentioned a yummy lunch at Chow’s Table, only a few kilometres away from Altair.
Instead of Altair, which will no doubt still be there when we visit the region again, we ended up driving into Margaret River town for a stroll up and down the main street and an excellent cup of coffee at Riversmith.
Prologue: Tasting at House of Cards
Producing single vineyard, 100% organic wines, this award-winning winery was one we had never before visited.
Here is Megan, from Canada via Melbourne:
And here’ s the tasting list. We so enjoyed the Queen of Diamonds Blanc de Blancs that we subsequently ordered it with lunch at the neighbouring Chow’s Table, and also brought a couple of bottles home with us.
Also for sale at House of Cards, this charming coffee-table book – Wine Dogs Australia – would make a lovely gift for the right person. It includes this memorable quote:
Everyone thinks they have the best dog. And none of them are wrong. (Attributed to W. R. Purche)
Lunch at Chow’s Table
Fully embracing the spirit of lunching largely (that didn’t take long, hey!), we ordered the Banquet Menu (below).
From the first bite of crunchy achar through the rare wagyu skewers to the roast meat, mixed greens and fish curry, it was all delicious. Highly recommended!
Homeward Bound
One last recommendation is for a coffee stop on the way back to Perth – Midway Farm Stall in Pinjarra. Heading north, you’ll see the sign on your right, just after the big, commercial Midway fuel stop to your left.
Less famous and mercifully a lot less crowded than The Crooked Carrot, Midway Farm Stall has an obvious South African feel – what with the Afrikaans-sounding name Maasdorp, biltong, delicious house-made rusks and Maynards wine-gums, not to mention packs of mini Eet-Sum-Mors and other Bakers biscuits.
Stepping away from sugary temptation, I took the opportunity to stock up on some regeneratively farmed dorper lamb: a square-cut shoulder, a kilo of loin chops, and a kilo of lamb mince that will be perfect for either bobotie (a famous South African dish) or moussaka. All grass-fed, grass-finished and completely hormone-free.
Australiana postscript: rude lollies*
- Lollies = sweets
Spotted inside Carbunup River General Store, where we stopped for fuel. Such a relief to see that they’re all gluten-free!
Up next?
We’ll be celebrating New Year in style in Singapore, not only with Paul and Salinah Baragwanath, but with the whole Campbell tribe (Ellie, Steve, Payton and Prescott) who will be coming all the way from California. Until then, a merry Christmas to you all!
If you like, take a look at the two recent posts on my other blog, Living Long & Strong with Verne and Roy – or simply go to vernemaree.com.