Sometimes, the best travel experiences happen during our winter months. And no, it’s not because that’s the time we generally trot off to somewhere like Paris for the Euro summer.
Scattered across WA, there are some great winter experiences that everyone should have on their bucket list. Here are seven to add to your list, if they’re not already there.
Follow a dog to a buried truffle near Manjimup
Black truffle season in Australia’s South West runs from roughly early June to August, and the Southern Forests around Manjimup produce the bulk of the country’s crop. The truffle hunt: you walk through an orchard behind a trained truffle dog, wait for it to stop and dig, and watch a guide lift a knobbled black lump out of cold ground. It’s a fun day out that generally ends with a tasting so you can try the truffles and find out what all the fuss is about.
Watch the humpback whales start migrating up the coast
The northern humpback migration begins in late May and runs through to August, when the whales travel up the WA coast from their Antarctic feeding grounds toward warmer breeding waters. Augusta, at the south-western tip, is one of the first places to see them in good numbers. Boats leave from the Augusta Boat Harbour, and in July and August, you might just spot mothers and calves resting in Flinders Bay.
You don’t have to be on a boat to see the whales. From the cliffs at Cape Leeuwin, or from headlands further south, if you’re patient, you’ll more than likely spot them.
Watch stormy weather roll in from The Gap
The Gap at Torndirrup National Park is a channel cut into 40-metre granite cliffs, with a viewing platform that pushes you out 40 metres above the water. In calm weather, the sea heaves around below. In a winter storm, it slams the rock hard enough to feel through the steel, and the wind comes off the Southern Ocean like there’s nothing between you and Antarctica.
Sleep in a forest cabin with a wood fire going
Around Pemberton and through the Margaret River hinterland, a number of self-contained cottages and chalets sit within stands of karri forest; most of them have wood fireplaces, which become the centre of attention during winter. The forest is wet, the light is low by late afternoon, and there is little to do except split a bit of wood, get the fire going, and watch the flames dance around. Add in a glass of red wine and a hearty winter pasta, like ragu or lasagne, and it’s the perfect experience.
Walk among the tingle trees in the cold
The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, between Walpole and Denmark, carries you 40 metres up through the crowns of red tingle trees, a species found nowhere else on earth. It is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, closing only in hazardous weather. In winter, there is almost nobody else around; it’s colder and foggier, making it a very different experience from summer.
While you’re in tall-tree country, Pemberton’s Gloucester Tree is climbable again. The famous karri had been shut since 2023 for a $3 million rebuild, and it reopened in late June with a new lookout platform 37 metres up the trunk.
Catch the first wildflowers of the season
WA’s wildflower season builds slowly through winter before peaking in spring. Coalseam Conservation Park, in the Mid West near Mingenew, starts colouring up from July, with carpets of pink, gold, and white everlastings spreading across red soil and rocky outcrops. Around Mullewa, the late-winter weeks bring the first dramatic roadside displays.
Try your luck with the aurora australis on the south coast
This one comes with a warning. The aurora australis can be seen from WA’s south coast, and winter, with its long, dark nights, gives the best odds. Albany and Esperance, with wide southern horizons over open ocean and darker skies, are the places to be if you want a chance to see it.
But it’s rare. A sighting needs a strong geomagnetic storm, no moon, and a clear sky all at once. Treat it as a long shot to keep an eye on rather than a plan. If a major storm is forecast while you are down south, find a dark beach facing south and watch the low sky. Either way, the night sky over the Southern Ocean is worth the look regardless.
