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Pair'd Festival Natures Table, Margaret River Region. Source: Tourism Western Australia.
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Rottnest Cruises. Source: Tourism Western Australia.
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Sandalford Wines, Swan Valley. Source: Tourism Western Australia.
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Gage Roads, Fremantle. Source: Tourism Western Australia.
Western Australia is one of the world’s great food destinations. The state offers a remarkable variety of produce, wine and culinary experiences. With nine wine regions, an abundance of fresh seafood, world-class truffles and a thriving craft beer and distillery scene, WA rewards the curious diner.
So, what sort of food traveller are you? Do you head straight for a craft brewery and a burger? Are you more likely to be found with a flight of white and a pile of empty oyster shells? Or does your food journey end barefoot in the sands of the Margaret River Region coast with a glass of bubbles and chargrilled lobster surrounded by fellow festival fans?
The foodie festivalgoer
The Margaret River Region is where adventure meets indulgence, where the rugged coast collides with vineyards creating some of the country’s finest wine. It is also home to Pair’d (19–22 November 2026), unique among Australia’s food festivals for its maritime setting.
Pair’d is no stuffy wine tasting, instead you are likely to be foraging along limestone cliffs before dining on a table set up in the sand, sipping a gin and tonic on the wharf served with fresh bush limes, or sampling seafood so fresh it tastes like the waves of Margaret River crashed straight on to your plate. There are also music and cultural activations and some of the world’s best chefs offering masterclasses and cooking demonstrations; this is a culinary catch-up that is as individual as this wine-making region.
The wine wanderer
For those wine lovers who really take their drop seriously, a road trip across some of the state’s renowned wine regions might be just the ticket. Only a short drive from Perth‘s city centre, the Swan Valley is the closest wine region to any Australian capital city. Grapes were planted here by European settlers in the 1830s and the vines are nearly as old as the city itself; try verdelho, shiraz and fortified wine. For fans of emerging regions, the Geographe has many boutique wineries popping up in Ferguson Valley, Donnybrook, Capel and Harvey; try the excellent shiraz, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon, or discover vineyards in Albany / Kinjarling, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker and Porongurup from the Great Southern wine region; try the exceptional riesling and cabernet sauvignon.
The peckish pescatarian
Western Australia has more coastline than any other state, clocking in at over 20,000 kilometres of waves, sand and fantastically fresh seafood. There is so much to sample along the coast from Geraldton / Jambinu and Rottnest Island‘s / Wadjemup’s western rock lobster to South West marron, yabby and trout. Way up in the North West you will never taste a better barramundi and the Shark Bay / Gathaagudu scallops will spoil you for any you taste thereafter. For crab you need to visit Mandurah / Mandjoogoordap whereas Fremantle is famous for its octopus. And should you make it as far north as Broome / Rubibi, the pearl meat is a local delicacy. Add in a sunset view and a cool craft beer or a crisp local wine, and it’s a true west coast experience.
The tap room traveller
Hop to it in Fremantle / Walyalup, the birthplace of Australia’s craft beer scene, where the scene first bubbled to life at the Sail and Anchor bar. This seaside setting is also where Gage Roads Brewing opened its first venue and is home to the trailblazing Little Creatures, newer offering Running with Thieves, or the creative Beerpourium that knows that beer just tastes better by the ocean. In Perth you can head for Blasta Brewing Co., Bright Tank, Long Neck or Phat Brewing. Western Australia is home to more than 60 craft breweries across the state so most regions have their own unique brew available at vibrant tap rooms where you can eat, drink and be merry.
The table trailblazer
The Western Australia food scene is constantly evolving. The west draws innovators and entrepreneurs following their food dreams at new places like Pearla & Co‘s elevated seafood on Leighton Beach or the expansion of Little Creatures into Elizabeth Quay in the CBD. Cutting-edge cuisine can also be found at Tigerfish, bringing Southeast Asian flavours to the coast and the paddock-to-plate agrotourism at Capel Marron Farm.
The cultured connoisseur
Before food festivals and sea trawlers, the Aboriginal people of Western Australia had been practising sustainable hunting and gathering methods and using local foods for medicinal, nutritional and cultural significance. Aboriginal cultural tours allow food travellers to discover “nature’s supermarket” in each region of Western Australia. In the Swan Valley, explore Aboriginal agricultural practices and sample bush tucker fruits, nuts, seeds and herbs on Whadjuk Country or learn traditional fishing methods in the South West on Wardandi Country. For dessert, dig for honey ants, the sweetest of bushfoods, in the Golden Outback on Wongatha Country.
This feature was originally published in Issue 13 of Dream by Luxury Escapes.
