A local’s guide to Dwellingup

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Let a local show you around their town for an insider’s guide to all the best bits of Dwellingup.

In 2001, Peter and Monique Tippett made a tree change from the northern Perth suburbs with their two young kids. Settling in Dwellingup in the Darling Ranges to train as fine furniture designers/makers, they never looked back. Fast forward to 2017, when they bought a rundown commercial/residential building on the town’s main street. Casting an artistic eye (Monique is also a visual and sculptural artist), they transformed it into Lost Eden Creative: an art gallery, artist residency and bespoke short-stay accommodation, Gallery House.

Lost Eden Creatives Gallery House Interiors, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Have a relaxing stay at Lost Eden Creative’s Gallery House. (Image: Lost Eden Creative)

Showcasing a mix of established and emerging artists in curated monthly exhibitions, the dynamic exhibition space has become a focal point in the WA art scene. And as for the kids? You’ll find Pete and Mon’s daughter, Ebony, in the site’s side garden at Garden Eats, a food van in a horse float that serves up fresh vegan dishes and the best coffee in town. Here, they show us around town.

All about Dwellingup

Where exactly:

‘Where trails meet’, Dwellingup is a 90-minute drive south of Perth in the Murray River region of Western Australia and one of the nine towns the long-distance Bibbulmun Track passes through.

Population:

Approximately 400.

Lane Poole Reserve, Dwellingup, West Australia, Australia
Go on canoe adventures on the Murray River. (Image: Chad Gerber)

What’s it all about?

A charming old timber town flanked by forests of majestic jarrah trees, Dwellingup makes for a weekend country break ripe with outdoor adventures, heritage excursions, fresh local produce and nature-inspired creativity. Claiming the title of Western Australia’s Top Small Tourism Town in the 2021 GWN7 Top Tourism Town Awards, its allures are many: head to the 55,000-hectare Lane Poole Reserve for bushwalks and mountain bike trails through forested valleys and canoe adventures on the Murray River (‘dwellingupp’ is a Noongar word meaning ‘place near water’). And take a scenic trip back in time with the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway on one of three historical trains that run along former timber-industry tracks, before sampling the fruits of local orchards, checking out galleries and soaking in some country hospitality.

Mountain biking through the forest trails of Lane Poole Reserve, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Ride a mountain bike through forested valleys. (Image: Tourism WA)

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Pete & Mon’s Perfect Itinerary:

8:30 am – Garden leave

Rise and shine at Gallery House in the centre of town. Step out the door and grab a coffee at Garden Eats in the gallery garden.

Lost Eden Creative, Garden Eats, Outside Dining, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Try fresh vegan dishes at Garden Eats. (Image: Lost Eden Creative)

9:00 am – Get pumped

Take a stroll through town and drop into Dwellingup Silver to browse its jewellery inspired by nature on your way to the new Dwellingup Trails and Visitor Centre. Let the kids loose on the bicycle pump track while you have a bite of brekkie at Waypoints Cafe.

10:00 am – Into the Forest

Hire a canoe or a mountain bike at Dwellingup Adventures next to the info centre and head down to Lane Poole Reserve and breathe in the forest air on the Murray River or get your heart racing on the world-class Murray Valley downhill trails; there’s one for everyone.

Canoeing the Lane Poole Reserve, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Hire a canoe and explore the iconic Lane Poole Reserve. (Image: Tourism WA)

12:30 pm – Gallery Graze

Back in Dwellingup, and via a stop at Crossroads Gallery, fuel up and feel good at Garden Eats beside the Lost Eden Creative Art Gallery. Ebony at Garden Eats will serve you the tastiest and healthiest food in town from her cute, refurbished horse float. Then exercise your mind in the gallery space, which holds monthly exhibitions by established and emerging contemporary West Australian artists.

Ebony at Garden Eats, Lost Eden Creative, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Ebony at Garden Eats will serve you the tastiest and healthiest food in town. (Image: Lost Eden Creative)

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2:00 pm – All Aboard

Take a trip on the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway’s Steam Ranger, a two-hour journey through the forested hills outside Dwellingup.

Tourist Railway's Steam Ranger, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Take a trip on the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway’s Steam Ranger.

4:00 pm – Cider and sunset

Head to Wine Tree Cidery on Holyoake Road. Enjoy a cheese board and farm-made cider on the timber verandah overlooking the orchard as the sun gets ready to set.

4pm drinks with friends, Wine Tree Cidery, Dwellingup, WA, Australia
Enjoy a cheese board and farm-made cider with friends. (Image: Chad Gerber)

6:00 pm – Country hospitality

It’s the Dwellingup Hotel for dinner. Relax in the cosy country pub atmosphere. Meet some locals and/or fellow visitors to town. You better be hungry; the meals are hearty and generous.

8:00 pm – Day’s end

A minute’s stroll from the pub and you’re back at Gallery House. The outside fire pit deck is perfect for toasting marshmallows while talking about the day and planning for tomorrow, and all the things you didn’t get to do on this one fine day.

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Your Mandurah guide: art, dining & dolphins await in WA’s coastal gem

    Monique Ceccato Monique Ceccato
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    Discover the perfect road trip stopover between Perth and wine country.

    Western Australia punches above its weight when it comes to coastal hot spots, but no other town or city has seen a tourism boom quite like Mandurah. Named Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2023, it’s the relaxed, beachside break you’ve been searching for. And it’s perfectly placed, sitting between Margaret River and Perth, as it’s just a 55-minute drive from Perth’s CBD. Which is why we’ve put together your ultimate Mandurah guide.

    Aerial view of Mandurah.
    Plan your perfect coastal escape to Australia’s Top Tourism Town of 2023.

    The best things to do in Mandurah

    Wetlands and rivers, ocean and inlet; Mandurah’s laid-back lifestyle centres around the aquatic. Its waterways cover twice the ground of Sydney Harbour – measuring some 134 square kilometres in total – and form a unique environment for oceanic and estuarine flora and fauna to thrive.

    In the city’s estuary lives perhaps the region’s most famed inhabitants – a resident pod of 100 bottlenose dolphins – and the inlet’s silty bottom is home to the prized blue manna crab. Spot the former breaching and playing on an hour-long dolphin cruise through the channels, or try your hand at catching the latter by wading through the estuary’s shallows with a scoop net in hand.

    While swimming at the circular Kwillena Gabi Pool, chance encounters with the local wildlife aren’t uncommon. The sheltered estuarine pool takes its name from the traditional custodians of the land, the Bindjareb people, and directly translates to ‘dolphin waters’. Jutting out of the eastern foreshore, it’s enclosed by a ring of net-free floating pontoons, which allow the dolphins to swim freely through the attraction.

    If that’s a little too close for comfort, book a kayak tour with Down Under Discoveries. The dolphins have been known to cruise beside the paddle-powered crafts, which are a fun, family-friendly way to explore the city’s inner waterways.

    Dolphins swimming in Mandurah.
    Watch dolphins glide by as you explore Mandurah.

    You don’t have to be on the water to appreciate the coastal city’s aquatic beauty, with 600 kilometres of cycleways and scenic walking trails traversing Mandurah’s estuary, inlet and coast.

    Follow the 30-kilometre coastal trail and you’ll come face to face with one of Thomas Dambo’s headline-making ‘Giants of Mandurah sculptures, Santi Ikto, along the way. There are five sculptures around Mandurah in total, hidden among gum-filled reserves or sitting sentry over the water.

    Head to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to pick up a map to pinpoint their exact location and download the traveller’s companion to learn more about the sights along the way. Or join a three-hour e-bike tour from The Bike Kiosk and you’ll stop by two of the giants – Santi Ikto and Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone – as you sightsee central Mandurah.

    The towering Santi Ikto, one of Thomas Dambo’s iconic Giants of Mandurah.
    Meet Santi Ikto, one of the legendary Giants of Mandurah.

    Where to eat in Mandurah

    Mandurah’s culinary scene reflects its laid-back lifestyle, with large, honest meals and locally brewed beer. After visiting Lake Clifton’s 2000-year-old thrombolites, head to the peppermint and gum-shaded beer garden at Thorny Devil Brewery. Tuck into a platter of house-smoked meats and an ale pulled fresh from the tanks. Closer to town and right on the waterfront is Boundary Island Brewery; here, woodfired pizza, pub-style seafood dishes and easy-drinking brews are centre stage.

    On a Murray River Lunch Cruise, the focus is as much on the environment around you as the food you’re filling up on. Help yourself to the colourful salads and freshly cooked meats on the buffet as you meander up the winding, jarrah tree-lined waterway, stopping at the heritage Cooper’s Mill for a quick walking tour along the way.

    Keep your eyes trained on the Creery Wetlands as you pass – you’ll spot much of the region’s migratory birdlife, and, as always, might see the playful bottlenose dolphins in the inlet.

    The most memorable meals aren’t necessarily always the fanciest, and lunch aboard a self-skippered Mandurah BBQ Boat is a testament to that. All food and beverage prep is left up to you as you cruise through the canals, sausages and steaks sizzling away on the central hot plate.

    If seafood is more your kind of fare, board the Wild Seafood Experience, where dolphin cruise meets long table lunch. Eight courses of crab, crayfish and scallops await.

    A table filled with plates of crab, crayfish, and scallops.
    Dine on the water with eight courses of ocean-fresh fare.

    Where to stay in Mandurah

    With so many waterways comes abundant waterside stays. Like the self-contained Seashells Mandurah on the shores of Comet Bay. The calm, oceanic outlook from the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and villas is as close to Maldivian as Mandurah gets. Families especially enjoy the property, bouncing between the protected cove and the beachfront pool for endless hours of fun.

    Seashells Mandurah; on the shores of Comet Bay.
    Stay right by the sea.

    The Sebel Mandurah, just a hop, skip and jump from the Mandurah Ocean Marina, has a different outlook entirely, overlooking the estuary and lively foreshore on the other side. It’s also within walking distance of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, cinema and a swathe of waterfront bars and eateries.

    But you can’t get any closer to the water than on a vessel from Mandurah Houseboats. You don’t need a skipper’s ticket to hire one, nor do you need comprehensive boating experience; just a full driver’s license and your undivided attention during the pre-departure tuition will do. Then you’re free to take to the estuaries and tributaries for a few nights of peaceful rest, surrounded by the very element that makes Mandurah so special.

    A houseboat cruising in Mandurah along the river
    Captain a houseboat to explore Mandurah at your own pace.

    Plan your next WA getaway in Mandurah.

    A local's guide to Dwellingup - Australian Traveller