WA locals: Felicity Palmateer, professional big wave surfer & artist

Professional big wave surfer and artist, Felicity ‘Flick’ Palmateer talks about art, community, and her soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water.

How did you get into surfing?

I was a beach baby and Dad got me into surfing at the age of about six. I have two younger brothers, and Dad wanted them to surf and I looked at him pushing them onto waves and thought, ‘I want to do that’. So I grabbed a bodyboard and he looked down the beach and saw me standing up on a bodyboard and thought, ‘Oh I better teach her, too’. I was instantly obsessed and wanted a wetsuit. He said, ‘You can’t have a wetsuit until you surf every day before school for a week.’ So I did. And I fell even more in love with the ocean.

Aerial shot of Western Australia — “Mum and Dad gave us a great appreciation of all the wild places around WA." (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

What do you love about WA?

It’s a different kind of beautiful. It’s rugged. It’s wild. Mum and Dad gave us a great appreciation of all the wild places around WA. I lived on the East Coast for a while, in Sydney and Burleigh Heads. But WA is home. Being a surfer, I have such a great relationship to the coastline in WA. From the pure white sands of Esperance to the red-soil rugged country of Australia’s North West where the desert meets the ocean. The contrast between the pindan soils and the blue of the ocean and sky is incredible.

Felicity Flick Palmateer — “The coastline and landscape have definitely shaped me. I’m a bit rugged, a bit wild and a bit raw. What you see is what you get." (Image: Jennifer Stenglein)

How did your childhood in WA shape you?

Everyone is a product of their environment. The coastline and landscape have definitely shaped me. I’m a bit rugged, a bit wild and a bit raw. What you see is what you get. There is a different energy here and a lot of it has to do with the people.

What can audiences expect from the soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water, made about the bond you and your dad share?

We have been through a lot as a family in recent years. I lost my mum last year, and my dad was recently diagnosed with leukaemia and the two of us use the ocean as our therapy. My partner and I are building a place in Margaret River but I’m currently living in Perth to be near to Dad. I have so many good memories of Dad and I driving down to Margaret River in his old blue Land Rover Defender while he was blasting Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Audioslave.

Waters of WA — I learned to surf in Margaret River and I feel like it’s home because I know everyone. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

You travel to exotic surf destinations all around the world, but what keeps you tied to Margaret River?

Part of it has to do with how pristine and diverse it is. But it’s also the community. I learned to surf in Margaret River and I feel like it’s home because I know everyone. There are like-minded people, amazing surf breaks, incredible produce and great wineries.

You have a weekend off, where do you go?

I would go to Rotto. It’s just a 20-minute ferry ride away and it’s stunning. Esperance is also beautiful.

Surfing in WA — “That once-in-a-decade swell saw me go from competing as a shortboard surfer to becoming a big-wave surfer." (Image: Richard Hallman)

You recently broke the record for the biggest wave surfed by an Australian female. How stoked were you?

The person who held that record previously was Layne Beachley and Layne was my idol. The wave was 25 feet, the equivalent of a three- or four-storey building. That once-in-a-decade swell saw me go from competing as a shortboard surfer to becoming a big-wave surfer. Footage of me surfing those waves went around the world. The Margaret River coastline is renowned for having powerful surf. We get bigger swells in the Indian Ocean so it’s the perfect training ground for me.

What inspires your art?

The ocean inspires my art. My dad is a ceramicist and I dabble in watercolours and inks and even audio-visual art. The ocean is at the heart of everything I do.

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

WA locals: Felicity Palmateer, professional big wave surfer & artist

Professional big wave surfer and artist, Felicity ‘Flick’ Palmateer talks about art, community, and her soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water.

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