Experience the best parts of Fremantle with tips from Michael Deller, Founder of Fremantle Tours.
If there’s anybody that knows WA, it’s Michael Deller, founder of Fremantle Tours. Deller has been a tour guide in the state for about a decade, during which time he has led visitors on horseback and in helicopters around the east Kimberley, driven tour buses from Perth to Exmouth, to Albany and Monkey Mia, and provided commentary along the 135-kilometre-long Cape to Cape Walk Track in a corner of the far South West.
“I’ve explored every inch of the state both personally and professionally," says Deller. “I love the diversity of WA. Two weeks ago, I was at Karijini National Park, which is all red dirt and spinifex and gnarly, rugged gorges. Then I was in a forest with 40-metre tall trees, and next I was swimming with turtles and whale sharks off Ningaloo. Now I’m back in Freo drinking coffee roasted 15 metres from my front door."
“I’ve explored every inch of the state both personally and professionally," says Deller. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
After branching out on his own four years ago, Deller and his wife Lucy, who co-manages the company, received Fremantle’s Business of the Year award in 2020 and Outstanding Contribution to Fremantle in 2020 and 2021. As a fiercely proud fourth-generation Fremantle local, Deller’s tours focus solely on the working port located on the fringes of Perth.
As a fiercely proud fourth-generation Fremantle local, Deller’s tours focus solely on the working port located on the fringes of Perth. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
“There’s more than 40,000 years of Whadjuk culture here in Freo. I share some of that history, but not the stories. I’m a white fella, so they are not my stories to tell. Our tours also touch on the Dutch exploration from the 1600s, through to the British and French exploration of the southwest of WA," says Deller.
“I love to take visitors around Fremantle and tell them about the history and show them that Fremantle today is still a working port, but layered onto that industrial edginess is an alternative, artistic and boho vibe," he says.
“I love to take visitors around Fremantle and tell them about the history."
Fremantle Tours now offer bike, walking, eating and drinking tours that dart about Freo. But when asked what his favourite weekend away from the ’hood would look like, Deller says it’s a tight contest between the Margaret River Coast and the Munda Biddy Trail.
Fremantle Tours now offer bike, walking, eating and drinking tours that dart about Freo. (Image: Cassie Gunthorpe)
“I froth on Freo. But if we have time off, we head to Huzza’s [surf break] to watch the waves roll in. It’s in Gracetown on the Margaret River Coast and it’s really chill. In winter, the whales come right up close to the coast so we go there just to kick back," he says.
“I’ve also started mountain-biking and am loving carving off different sections of the Munda Biddi Trail, which runs parallel to its sister track, the Bibbulmun Track, from Mundaring in the Perth Hills all the way to Albany."
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
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
Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.
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
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
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
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.
