In October, Shaun – part of our Sales team in Australia – experienced 7 days on our Western Australia Discovery tour with Cosmos.
Day 1
The tour kicked off with 2 nights at the Mercure Perth. Upon checking into the hotel, we met our lovely tour director Cherie. Cherie was amazing, had a wealth of knowledge and experience, and nothing was too hard or difficult for her!
Day 2
We began the day with a walking tour of the city followed by lunch at Ivy & Jack. The walking tour was run by a local company by the name of Two Feet and a Heartbeat. Our guide was lovely and pointed out some of the more iconic and historic buildings of Perth, along with the local street art scattered all around the city. We learned of Captain Stirling and the first settlers to the colony, of which there were only 2,000 upper class of convicts. This soon increased when they realised how much work was needed so they sent a request back to Britain to ask for any convicts with trade work abilities. The colony quickly grew to 10,000 and situated themselves all along the Swan River.
Day 3
We left early to make our way down to Margaret River with a visit to the famous Busselton Jetty along the way. The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,841 metres long! Most of our tour group decided to take the walk which costs $4, or you can take the train for a little extra. We had just under 2 hours here to explore and have lunch before carrying on. Another stop for today was at an amazing brewery called ‘The Cheeky Monkey’ where we were given a tasting pallet with a choice of hard or soft beers.
Tonight’s accommodation was the Stayz Margaret River; nice, clean and comfortable and about a 20-minute walk into town which several of us did. The restaurant at the hotel served some delicious food but there were also other options within a 10-minute walk.
Day 4
This morning started as all mornings should – with coffee! We visited the Yahava Koffeeworks where we were treated to a tasting. We also learnt about all the different types of coffee from around the world and how it is roasted and brewed.
Our next stop was a local winery, Bettenays. Not only is it a winery, it is also a nougat company specialising in all different flavours. We had a wine and nougat pairing tasting session here, both of which were great quality. After Bettenays, we hit the road to our next stop for lunch at Cullen Wines. The set menu for lunch was amazing, and you can add the wine tasting and pairing for an additional cost. The Wagyu beef and the locally grown honeycomb was, by far, the best food I’ve had in a long time!
Day 5
A highlight for me today was the Wilyabrup Dreaming Pottery for a demonstration. It was a great experience to see firsthand how a professional ‘throws’ a masterpiece.
Afterwards we headed on to a quirky little spot on the side of the road. Enter Gnomesville, a place where thousands of garden gnomes have taken residence. Some people were a bit reluctant before arriving, but this quickly changed once they began to explore the area. Everyone had a huge smile on their faces with plenty of photos to take home with them.
Day 6
Today was our group’s favourite part of our Western Australia tour. We took a short 30-minute ferry from Fremantle to Rottnest Island. Rottnest is a wildlife sanctuary, so no domesticated animals are allowed to visit or live on the island. This has made it a safe space for all the bird species and quokkas to feel at ease. Upon arrival, we had some free time to grab a coffee or snack, and for everyone to get their quokka selfies in!
At 11am we took a bus tour of the island which is the best way to get a feel for the island with numerous stops along the way. The highlights were the small coves and bays with their crystal-clear turquoise waters. A bonus stop was Seal Bay to see all the seals frolicking in the water in the near distance. We then enjoyed some more free time to explore and grab lunch before checking into our glamping accommodation at the Discovery Eco Tents at Pinky’s Beach. This was such an awesome way to stay at Rottnest! It was so luxurious with all the amenities you could ask for. This evening we had our farewell dinner at the resort’s restaurant.
Day 7
Our final day was at leisure until 3:30pm when we had to meet Cherie to board our ferry back to the mainland. To start the day, I hired an e-bike which made exploring so much easier as there are tons of hills! I highly recommend doing this as it’s the best way to get around, costing $70 for 24 hours usage, the safety equipment and a bike lock. All in all, it was a fantastic tour with a great bunch of people!
Is Western Australia on your bucket list? Uncover these highlights, and more, on our 7-day Western Australia Discovery tour.
