October 22, 2025

Hiking and wining the Great Southern

Chiara Di TRAVEL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Albany, Australia's South West, Bluff Knoll, Denmark, Hiking, Road Trip, Travel, Wineries 0 Comments

When mum asked me for birthday trip ideas with the whole family, we ended up on a hiking and wining wander for two. And what a wonderful time we had.

We headed from Perth to Albany stopping at Riverside Roadhouse for some bakery delights (wasn’t expecting such good quality), and Mount Barker for one of the Country Bakery’s famous pies. I prefer mine flakier and crispier.

After a quick wine tasting at Plantagenet Wines, we set off on our first hike of the trip to Castle Rock in Porongurup National Park – one of my all-time favourites. It was a nice warm up hike for what was to come over the next couple of days, with a 4.7km return trail reaching an elevation of 274m.

And, the best part awaits at the top of the trail. Two sections of scrambling up Castle Rock to Granite Skywalk, with spectacular views overlooking Porongurup.

Our second hike took us 25-minutes from Albany, where we stayed for two nights, to Torndirrup National Park, where we hiked the 12.5km return Bald Head trail. This hike would have to be one of the most scenic in all of Western Australia overlooking two coastlines and full of wildflowers due to the season. In fact, all the hikes had stunning displays of wildflowers – October was a great time of year to visit for this.

It was also one of the most challenging I’ve experienced with an overall elevation of 626m, constant up and down, windy conditions and rain on and off. Getting to the tip of Bald Head sure was a relief, but it didn’t last long as we had to repeat exactly what we’d done on the way back.

After the hike, we checked out the Blowholes (could give them a miss), and the dramatic Gap and Natural Bridge, which were all in the national park.

Our final hike took us more than an hour inland to Stirling Range National Park to climb Bluff Knoll. It was a tough 3.4km hike up 684m which took 90-minutes – it felt tougher than my first attempt in 2020, likely due to it being our third day in a row of hiking.

Once we made it to the relief of the top, we were greeted with sunshine and clear horizons – very lucky! Then it was the journey down – much quicker and easier but a little hard on the knees.

It was then time to start our wine and wellness part of the weekend. The first stop was West Cape Howe Wines where we were hoping for some lunch but service didn’t allow for it so a wine tasting and art purchase later, we continued on to our final destination – Denmark.

In Denmark we stayed at the lovely Chimes Spa Retreat, atop Mount Shadforth. The adults only retreat would be the ultimate romantic escape, but it was perfect for mum and I to unwind and relax in their luxurious suites too. We were greeted with a cheese platter and bottle of wine as part of their Spring package, which went down a treat.

We were lucky to get a last-minute Spa Oasis booking in the Spa – a wellness circuit of hot and cold treatments. It included a steam room, cold plunge, sauna and Vichy shower. It was exactly what our bodies needed after the last few days of hiking.

We also enjoyed a one-hour massage and facial treatment on our last morning which was just divine and felt very indulgent. I would go back just for the Spa.

We were in Denmark for mum’s birthday and started the morning with a wander around William Bay National Park’s Elephant Rocks and Greens Pool. I convinced mum we needed to go for a birthday dip in Greens Pool. The water was gorgeous – we were told 19-degrees year-round.

It was then time for a full day of exploring the local producers. We started with Denmark Chocolate Company for mixed chocolates, Denmark Farmhouse for cheese and charcuterie and Bartholomews Meadery for honey treats and wine.

We then went for a pre-lunch tasting at Forest Hill Wines and Monkey Rock Winery, Cider and Brewery Co. Lunch was at The Dam at Raintree, offering a seasonal menu of local produce and house distilled hemp spirits.

Then it was more tastings at Rockcliffe Wines, Estate 807, The Lakehouse and finally Singlefile Wines – we saved the best for last. We grabbed a glass of red and whiled away the afternoon with a complimentary cheese platter.

During our trip, we also enjoyed pizza and pale ales at Boston Brewing, and back in Albany dined at Liberté, a Parisian inspired bar serving Vietnamese cuisine.

It was such a memorable weekend and I’m especially proud of mum for conquering all three hikes for the first time. She definitely earned her wine.

Until next time…

LWL xxx