Margaret River - WA

The Margaret River is a 60km long river in southwest Western Australia. The catchment for the Margaret River is considered small, consisting of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. Water quality in the Margaret River itself is considered to be good, due in no small part to the fact it originates in state forest and has a relatively continuous buffer of fringing vegetation for much of its length. The river system maintains unique aquatic fauna, including the "hairy maron" - this hairy species of the large, iconic freshwater crayfish endemic to the southwest of Australia is only present in the Margaret River.

Whilst the middle section of the river reaches pass through land cleared for agriculture, especially viticulture the river foreshore has been fenced to restrict grazing and its resilience further improved by coordinated weed control programs. Other protections in place include two "fish ladders" to re-establish upstream migration of native fish and lamprey. In addition, a rain garden built on the edge of town captures stormwater preventing nutrients and sediments from reaching the river.

There is a weir across the river just above the town. And typically, the mouth of the river (Margaret River Rivermouth) is a small estuary and is closed to the Indian Ocean by a sandbar that opens only seasonally.

The town is named after the river and is located 9km inland from the ocean. In 1850, the first Europeans came to live in the area. By 1910, the town had a hotel which also operated as a post office. After World War I, the WA Government's "Group Settlement Scheme" attracted new settlers to the town. In 1922 over 100 settlers moved into the district.

These days, the name Margaret River also encompasses the whole Cape to Cape region - from Busselton to Augusta. The Margaret River Wine Region is world-class with many wineries open to the public with cellar door sales, restaurants and accommodation on offer. The region boasts itself as a nature playground with beaches, surfing, caves, pristine forests and bushland to explore and enjoy. Food, wine and nature-based tourism dominates the holiday attraction for international tourists, locals and families year-round.