Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Western Australia advice please

Am considering a trip to Western Australia in April and could use some informed advice, please. The main idea is to dive the Ningaloo reef (probably spend 4 or 5 days there, hoping to swim with the whale sharks). Then I thought we could tag on another 5 day trip somewhere accessible by car to Perth (which will be our gateway). Margaret River sounds very nice. Now the questions:

1. Am I crazy even thinking of doing these things during WA school holidays? Will accommodation be a nightmare?
2. Where does one stay in Exmouth/Coral Bay? (We would fly to Exmouth/Learmonth airport.)
3. Any preferred operators for the diving?
4. Any tips on where to stay/eat in the Margaret River area? What to avoid? Should one stay in one place and roam or is it more fun to keep moving?

Thanks in advance!

Am considering a trip to Western Australia in April and could use some informed advice, please. The main idea is to dive the Ningaloo reef (probably spend 4 or 5 days there, hoping to swim with the whale sharks). Then I thought we could tag on another 5 day trip somewhere accessible by car to Perth (which will be our gateway). Margaret River sounds very nice. Now the questions:

1. Am I crazy even thinking of doing these things during WA school holidays? Will accommodation be a nightmare?
2. Where does one stay in Exmouth/Coral Bay? (We would fly to Exmouth/Learmonth airport.)
3. Any preferred operators for the diving?
4. Any tips on where to stay/eat in the Margaret River area? What to avoid? Should one stay in one place and roam or is it more fun to keep moving?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, I'm not a diver so I can't answer those questions, BUT,
Perth is an absolutely terrific city. About 1 million or so population, and the drive down to and through the Margaret River will be delightful. Freemantle is worth seeing even if you are not a big sailor. You might want to move around a bit in the wine country - the police are absolutely DEATH on driving under the influence. They will ruin your trip if you tipple and drive and get caught.
You can pick a B&B and hq there and take the tour buses (mini's) that will get you back safely.
bb

You might wanna check if Easter coincides with your time in Margaret River. The whole area gets out of control at that time.

There's not much tourist infrastructure in Exmouth (small town that makes its money on harvesting, processing and shipping seafood (rock lobsters)) let alone the Cape Ranges/Ningaloo (next to nothing). It's at least 1/2 hr drive to the park entrance from there. Best way to really enjoy the place is to camp(!) but be prepared for fairly primitive facilities. We did this 3 years back driving from (and back to) Perth. If you want to ask more questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks, kind people. I may well try to push the trip into early May to avoid the Easter - and post Easter - crowds. And definitely not intending putting the Police to the test on DD. Luckily, my SO is a non-drinker so I have a permanent designated driver. (On the downside he's a boring drinking companion. And he finds me a boring when I drink. Ah, well.)

Bump ...

I'll be there June 3-6. Any other suggestions, or comments about that time of year? (I know the chance of rain is greater and it won't be as warm.)

actually, to tag on to that last question, I too will be in Perth in July though,

I have to consider packing options now, how warm should we pack? most of our time witll be in Kununurra and NOrthern Territoy (Kakadu) with 1 day SYD and 4 in Perth.

A specific question: is there any practical way to see the Margaret River wineries in a day trip from Perth? I'd rather use surface transport than fly, don't mind getting up really early, don't mind getting back really late. I'd rather not rent a car since then I'd be driving and - well, they're wineries, aren't they?

lots of wineries there, but a 3 hours drive each way from Perth.

We are going to be going with a friend, a Perthite, who lives near Perth. so he says its a 3 hours drive. of course, you could drive there, do an overnight at a local B+B and head back north the next day :)

...We are going to be going with a friend, a Perthite, who lives near Perth. so he says its a 3 hours drive. of course, you could drive there, do an overnight at a local B+B and head back north the next day :)Except, like I said, I don't want to drive because I want to be able to drink the wine, and taking two days out of a three-day visit seems like a bit much. Does anyone run one-day tours out of Perth, or is there public transport between Perth and the area with schedules that permit a reasonable amount of time there?

I read somewhere what there are AIR TAXIS to fly you in/out of Margaret River. I know I read it somewhre......2001 frommers.

but look that up?

A specific question: is there any practical way to see the Margaret River wineries in a day trip from Perth? I'd rather use surface transport than fly, don't mind getting up really early, don't mind getting back really late. I'd rather not rent a car since then I'd be driving and - well, they're wineries, aren't they?
Other than hiring a driver, no. No trains, limited bus service (none at all to the wineries). Your best hope might be to join a tour if you can find one. There are wineries in the Swan Valley near Perth. I believe you can take a wine cruise up the river.

from frommers.com I knew I read something about it somewhere :)

Air Australia (tel. 08/9332 5011; www.airaustralia.net) operates charter flights from Perth's Jandakot airport and a Busselton-Margaret River air taxi service twice a day on weekdays for about A$140 (US$112) per person one-way. Leeuwin Estate winery (tel. 08/9430 4099; www.leeuwinestate.com.au) arranges charter flights from Perth for A$280 (US$280) per person, including flight, tour and tastings, and lunch in the restaurant

Except, like I said, I don't want to drive because I want to be able to drink the wine, and taking two days out of a three-day visit seems like a bit much. Does anyone run one-day tours out of Perth, or is there public transport between Perth and the area with schedules that permit a reasonable amount of time there?

I am dead sure there are day tours from perth, I did a Pinnacles tour with a company and I am sure they did this too, I know it was v early leave and v late back, I will try to find name of company..

OK I am not sure this is the company I used but here is an example http://www.pinnacletours.com.au/western-australia-tours.php?Tour=Perth&id=M3

Only one winery though, looks like a boozy lunch though... If you do some digging you could maybe find one with more...

Update: Just got back from the Australian Pinnacle Tours tour. Aside from simong, the lady at the tourist office also recommended it based on comments by satisfied customers. Add me to the list. Just one winery, but small tastes of eight of their wines, with informed commentary from the staff member who poured them. Lunch wasn't boozy but dinner (not included, but reasonably priced - A$9.50 for a big plate of fish & chips with salad) was at a place with a full license - and, I can vouch, a good shiraz. It was a long day, 8am - 10 pm, with 700 km (435 miles) of driving plus stops for morning snack, winery, raptor center (with lunch), Mammoth Cave, Leeuwin Lighthouse and dinner, plus a couple of "get off the bus, take the picture and get back on" photo ops. I guess there aren't any rules preventing drivers from working 14-hour days! Ours (Peter) had been working for Pinnacle Tours for eight years, was knowledgeable and personable. Cost, if anyone is planning to be in Perth, is A$163-191 depending on your choice of lunch options. (Most everyone took the A$179 buffet lunch option.)

(Now to sleep - tomorrow is Fremantle.)

Has anyone here stayed at Balsadine Manor, a B&B in Margaret River Valley. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

Also, for those who are familiar with the region, does it make any sense to go scuba diving in this area in July? Thanks.

...Also, for those who are familiar with the region, does it make any sense to go scuba diving in this area in July?Water temperature in July there is warmer than in July at Monterey Bay, so it depends what you want to do. Of course almost any place is warmer than summer in San Francisco (per Mark Twain). I'm not familiar with that particular B&B, but in general the B&Bs in that region are quite good. A lot like Napa in the 60's. Which is high praise.

Water temperature in July there is warmer than in July at Monterey Bay, so it depends what you want to do. Of course almost any place is warmer than summer in San Francisco (per Mark Twain). I'm not familiar with that particular B&B, but in general the B&Bs in that region are quite good. A lot like Napa in the 60's. Which is high praise.

What's funny is I was just in San Francisco and was surprised at how cold it is. Anyway, thanks for the advice. We're going to be coming from the Great Barrier Reefs, so we may not be prepared for Monterey-type temperatures.

Lots of bus tours to the M River area, with and wirhout wine, meals and other sights

What's funny is I was just in San Francisco and was surprised at how cold it is. Anyway, thanks for the advice. We're going to be coming from the Great Barrier Reefs, so we may not be prepared for Monterey-type temperatures.Of course the place to go for diving is Ningaloo, but it is a bit far from Perth (but considerably warmer!). See http://www.ningaloocoast.wa.gov.au/marine_park.html
You can monitor the temperatures there at http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/facilities/weather-stations/ningaloo-temp.html

Lots of bus tours to the M River area, with and wirhout wine, meals and other sightsDefinitely. The tourist office person gave me a choice, then recommended the one I took based on what I said my interests were. The driver said that the tour companies often cooperate to consolidate a few similar tours into one bus, sharing the privilege among them, rather than run several smaller and/or half-empty buses on the long trip, so there may actually not be quite as many tours as it seems from the brochures!

Note to anyone planning to walk from Perth to Fremantle: it's lovely, mostly along the Swan, but the advertised 12mi/20km city-to-city distance assumes you're driving along a nice, straight highway.The riverbanks unfortunately were not planned quite as well for this purpose, so figure 15mi/25km along the right (north, Perth side) bank. Also, it's possible to go off course in some city-street portions in the middle - so carry a good map, ask, pay attention or be prepared to backtrack.

For anyone who might know the SW coast area of Western Australia:

My partner and I are planning a week or so in WA as part of a monthlong trip in September. We were thinking of using the first day to drive from Perth down to Pemberton/Margaret River and stay overnight either in that area or Albany on the coast.

The next day we plan to drive to Hyden/Wave Rock and spend the night in Hyden, and on the third day we would drive down to Esperance and spend one night there. We have found an inexpensive flight back to Perth with Sky West Airlines (http://www.skywest.com.au/) at 11:40 am on the 4th day, leaving us another 3.5 days to do Perth/Fremantle/Rottnest Island.

We know the distances are pretty great... the drive from Perth to Esperance is similar to the drive from San Diego to the Northern CA wine country. We hope that by doing a one-way car hire with Budget and flying back, the three days of driving won't seem so onerous.

Has anyone tried a similar itinerary? Are we attempting to do too much in 3 days? We both enjoy driving, and one key goal of this trip is to see as much of the WA early-spring wildflowers as we can.

Thanks in advance for any guidance anyone can offer.

That's a good plan, but triple check on the car rental cost with the dropoff charge (my experience is that it will be much more than double the rental price). Very beautiful country but the distances are substantial.

For anyone who might know the SW coast area of Western Australia:

My partner and I are planning a week or so in WA as part of a monthlong trip in September. We were thinking of using the first day to drive from Perth down to Pemberton/Margaret River and stay overnight either in that area or Albany on the coast.

The next day we plan to drive to Hyden/Wave Rock and spend the night in Hyden, and on the third day we would drive down to Esperance and spend one night there. We have found an inexpensive flight back to Perth with Sky West Airlines (http://www.skywest.com.au/) at 11:40 am on the 4th day, leaving us another 3.5 days to do Perth/Fremantle/Rottnest Island.

We know the distances are pretty great... the drive from Perth to Esperance is similar to the drive from San Diego to the Northern CA wine country. We hope that by doing a one-way car hire with Budget and flying back, the three days of driving won't seem so onerous.

Has anyone tried a similar itinerary? Are we attempting to do too much in 3 days? We both enjoy driving, and one key goal of this trip is to see as much of the WA early-spring wildflowers as we can.

Thanks in advance for any guidance anyone can offer.
Gee that's a lot of ground to cover. Can I suggest- first night to Albany. Go to the whale musuem, Denmark, Walpole (for the treetop walk) or to the Stirling Ranges. Definitely a grat place to see wildflowers. Then across to Esperance.
Wave Rock is quite far inland and unless you're really aching to see it you'd be stretching yourself a bit thin with your original schedule.