Spend a Weekend Amongst the Vines at These Margaret River Chalets
Surrounded by gum trees, these chalets make an ideal home base for a weekend in the vines.
As you drive along a track sprinkled with wildflowers to one of the three luxury chalets at 8 Paddocks, you’ll probably notice you’re not alone. Though each of the wooden cabins is private and spaced carefully away from the others, it doesn’t stop the three resident Highland cows – Sundae, Monday and Salt – peering at you from their adjoining paddock on the 72-hectare property, three hours south of Perth. They might hang around as you sip fresh-brewed Cowaramup coffee overlooking sage-coloured fields at sunrise, when you run a bath on the patio in the early evening or sit by the firepit with a chardonnay.
Inside your one-bedroom bolthole, you’ll find more Margaret River treasures. Owners Kristie Friend and Shane Thomas have furnished their corner of the south-west with local luxuries such as marri timber benchtops and pastel-hued watercolours by Busselton artist Mandy Ferreira. Even the included treats – a generous haul – are gathered from close by: Beerfarm beer and cider, Nourish Me Up granola and Bahen & Co chocolates. Your breakfast eggs have no exact provenance but only because they’re foraged on nearby vineyards where free-range hens roam.
Some of the prettiest villages and vineyards in the area are less than 30 minutes away. Head to Fine Food of Margaret River for gourmet goodies and stop for a wild plum G&T at West Winds Distillers, both in Cowaramup (“Cow Town” to the locals). A bit further south you’ll find one of the country’s best and friendliest spots for homemade curry, Dahl Daddys in Margaret River town. Be sure to carve out enough time for the wineries: it’s a short skip to Cullen Wines, Frui Momento and arguably the region’s top restaurant in the vines, Vasse Felix.
But sometimes the best way to experience a wine region is simply to enjoy the setting. All you need is a roaring fire, the scent of eucalyptus and a peaceful, pastoral view.
