A 30 km drive north east of Perth led us to the historic Western Australian wine region of the Swan Valley. The warm Mediterranean climate with cool evenings and low rainfall making it an ideal centre for wine growing.
Our first stop of the morning was to Guildford, a historic town and the gateway to the Swan Valley wine region. We’d parked close to the Visitor Centre so popped in there first.
The centre is located in the old courthouse dating back to 1866 which was voted best in WA in 2019 and in the same year was also awarded gold in the Qantas Tourism Awards. From the help and advice we received from the staff on duty, it was clear to see why the centre had received these accolades.
The centre incorporates a small museum documenting the history of the town so we took the opportunity of looking in there before exploring the town itself. The museum’s galleries informed us that Guildford was developed as one of the first three towns that made up the Swan River Colony in 1829 by Captain James Stirling. He named the town Guildford after his wife Ellen’s hometown in Surrey, England. Next door to the Visitor Centre stands the old gaol which is open to the public four days each week but not on the day we visited so we were unable to look inside.
With a walking map at the ready, we then set off for a stroll around the town’s colonial buildings. Much of Guildford’s history has been preserved through its heritage buildings with the town being one of only six National Trust classified towns in Western Australia. Of particular note is the old Post Office building, the art deco styled Town Hall and the Guildford Hotel.
Back in the car we set off on the Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail, a 32 km loop that takes in over 150 attractions including food producers, restaurants, cafes, wineries, distilleries, breweries and more. It obviously isn’t possible to visit all of them on a single trip so we picked out a varied selection along the route.
Our first stop was at Sandalford Wines which is one of the most well-known wineries in all of the Swan Valley with its origins coinciding with the early settlement of the Perth colony. Its founder, John Septimus Roe, was Western Australia’s first Surveyor General, who utilised his land grant on the Swan River to establish the vineyard.
The winery covers a large estate and boasts a sleek cellar door tasting room alongside a stylish restaurant with a large outdoor dining terrace overlooking the vineyards. As we were driving we weren’t tempted with the tastings on offer but instead enjoyed a stroll along the vineyard pathways.
The warm Mediterranean climate with cooling afternoon sea breezes and low rainfall are ideal growing conditions for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc and along with Sandalford more than 40 other large and boutique wineries have since been established in the region.
Moving on from there, we turned our attention from wine to coffee with a visit to the Yahava Koffee Works. Yahava sources coffee beans from around the world and roasts them to order. Visitors can take part in a coffee appreciation session and learn about coffee growing, harvesting and roasting.
These sessions need to be booked in advance so we were more than happy to enjoy some complimentary coffee tastings. Seated around a tasting table, a helpful member of staff discussed coffee beans, flavours and strengths guiding us through our preferred tastes. We then sampled four different coffees which were brewed specially for us along with some delicious chocolate covered coffee beans.
Afterwards we looked around the shop which stocks a wide range of coffee-related products including cups, cafetières and filter makers. Tea lovers are also well catered for with a wide selection of teas, teapots, infusers and other tea-related items. The KoffeeWorks was so nice that we decided to have our lunch there enjoying toasted sandwiches and cups of their delicious coffee sitting outside overlooking the scenic countryside.
Back on the Food and Wine Trail our next stop was at the Margaret River Chocolate Company, a large store filled with all things chocolate. At one end there is a viewing window from where you can watch the chocolate being produced.
At the time of visiting, only buttons were available for sampling which I thought was a little strange when they had such a wide variety of more interesting chocolates and truffles on sale that we could have been tempted with.
Leaving there, we took a slight detour off the trail turning down a narrow lane to visit the oldest church in Western Australia which is located on a small hill at Henley Brook overlooking the Swan River.
The church was built by Richard Edwards between 1838-1840 and is positioned where Captain James Stirling camped during his 1827 exploration of the area. His expedition ended in the Swan River as he was unable to venture further due to a lack of navigable water. A lychgate marks the farthest point inland that Stirling’s expedition reached. The church was closed but we were able to wander through the grounds and view the wooden memorial archway.
Continuing on our way, we followed a dirt road to the Bells Rapids Park located at Brigadoon just off the Great Northern Highway. The park is free to visit with ample parking, the only issue being that there were no white water rapids to be seen during our late November visit as it was during the dry period. Although the water flow was minimal, our visit was worthwhile, viewing the landscape and wildflowers.
The Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail is definitely a foodies paradise as The House of Honey was our next port of call. This honey emporium is a showcase of honey and bee-related items, with different varieties of honey, honeycomb, royal jelly, candles, beauty products, books and soft toys.
We tasted several types of honey and viewed the bees in action in the research hive. We were then invited to sample some of the meads on offer. I expected to find them too sweet for my liking but was pleasantly surprised to find the mildly spiced mead flavoured with ginger and cinnamon very tasteful.
Last but not least on the Swan Valley looped trail we made a stop at the Nikola Estate, which since its first plantings in 1929 has become Australia’s second largest winery.
On arrival, we were confused as to why the majority of the vines were cordoned off and shielded from view but on speaking to a member of staff discovered that Robbie Williams was ending his tour of Australia and New Zealand at the winery with two concerts in the coming days.
The estate contains a small museum which is free to visit featuring a collection of historic winemaking equipment and barrels. The estate also boasts a cellar door tasting room, restaurant and a dedicated wedding venue set amid the vines.
That concluded our splendid tour of the Swan Valley. If you’d like to enjoy sampling some of the region’s wines, it’s best not to drive so I suggest using King mini-bus charter who run Private Swan Valley Wine Tours alongside other chauffeured services in the Perth area.
We returned to our friend’s home in Perth to gather our belongings together for our late night flight home. Alison and Anthony had made us feel very welcome and for our last evening together we drove out along the coast to Clancy’s Fish Bar at City Beach which sounds like a fish and chip shop but is in fact a stylish beachfront restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean.
We were just in time to enjoy one last West Australian sunset from our window seats whilst enjoying a sharing plate of Thai fish cakes followed by a hearty serving of beer battered Snapper and chips, setting us up nicely for our long journey back home to the U.K.
I hope you have enjoyed following along with me on our travels through Victoria and Western Australia. It had been a long time since we last visited Australia but I’m certain we’ll be back soon as we enjoyed every minute of our fabulous trip as well as making a long lasting friendship.
