What Is The Prettiest Town In Western Australia?
An honest look at the prettiest town in Western Australia debate, with Margaret River and Busselton as the south west pairing, seasonal timing, and a quiet way to see the region on horseback.
What Is The Prettiest Town In Western Australia?
The honest answer is that no official body ranks towns by beauty, so the title is a matter of taste rather than record. The strongest claim in the state belongs to the south west, where Margaret River and Busselton between them hold the beaches, the karri and jarrah forest, the wildflowers and the whale season that people picture when they imagine Western Australia at its best.
Any listicle that crowns one town is really describing one traveller's priorities. If your idea of pretty is turquoise water and a two kilometre timber jetty, Busselton wins before lunch. If it is forest meeting farmland, with a wine region folded into the gaps, Margaret River takes it. Augusta, at the southern tip, has the lighthouse and the winter whales, and plenty of locals would put it first on a calm June morning. This article does not invent a ranking. It sets out what each place actually offers, when it looks its best, and how to see the country between them, which is where the real scenery lives anyway.
The south west wins the statewide argument for a reason that rarely gets said plainly: it is the only part of Western Australia where the forest, the farmland and the coast sit close enough together that you can move between all three inside an hour. The Perth to Margaret River drive is about three hours and fifteen minutes, Perth to Busselton about two and a half, and the two towns are 45 minutes apart, so the whole debate happens inside one compact region you can traverse in a morning. The prettiest town question is really a question about which end of that corridor you sleep in. That same compactness is why the region works so well on horseback, and the guide to riding the South West on horseback covers which trails, beaches and seasons make the most of it.
If you want to taste the inland scenery that gives the region its character, the short trail rides from Rosa Brook, about 20 minutes east of Margaret River town, put you inside the paddocks and bushland rather than looking at them through a car window. The 75-Minute Country Lane Ride from Jesters Flat runs from AUD 85 per person and is open to riders from beginners to advanced, aged 10 and up. You can Check availability alongside the details in our Margaret River trail rides guide.
Why Margaret River Keeps Winning The Conversation
Margaret River wins the popular argument because it is the only town in the state where a single base gives you surf beaches, tall forest, a world known wine region and cave systems within a 20 minute radius in every direction. The town itself is small, but the country around it is unusually dense with the things people travel to Western Australia for, and that density is what keeps it at the top of visitor conversations.
The town sits inland, not on the coast, which surprises first time visitors. Its prettiness is not a main street, though the main street is pleasant enough, it is the setting. To the west lies Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, where entry is free and the karri and jarrah forest of Boranup sits a short drive south. To the east, the countryside rolls through Rosa Brook and Rosa Glen, paddocks stitched together with bush corridors that turn gold in late afternoon light. The region's wildflower season peaks around October, when the coastal heath and forest understory carry orchids, kangaroo paws, banksias and peas all at once, and the South West as a whole hosts more than 8,000 native plant species, per Australia's South West.
The whale season strengthens the case further south. The wider region's season runs from late May to early December, one of the longest in the country, with Augusta and Flinders Bay carrying the northbound humpbacks and southern right whales mainly from May to August, and Geographe Bay carrying the southbound humpbacks, mothers and calves among them, from about mid-September to early December. That means for roughly half the year there is a day trip from Margaret River that ends with whales, and the official regional migration guide maps which bay to pick for which month.
What the town does not offer matters too, if you are being honest. There is no beach in the town itself, and horse riding is not permitted on the beaches of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, so the classic postcard of a horse on white sand belongs to Geographe Bay near Busselton, not here. What Margaret River does have is the forest, and the best way to meet it is on horseback. The 120-Minute Boranup Forest Ride from Jesters Flat runs from AUD 260 per person, is rated for intermediate to advanced riders aged 15 and up, and takes you into karri country after a short drive from the meeting point.
Busselton: The Waterfront Counterpoint
Busselton is the prettiest town in Western Australia if your definition of pretty is water, and it has the strongest waterfront in the state: a 1.8 kilometre timber jetty, calm Geographe Bay swimming, and the sunbound humpback whales resting in the bay from September to early December. It lacks Margaret River's forest and wine depth, but on a still morning it out-photographs anywhere in WA.
The jetty is the town's signature and its oldest story, and the bay it crosses is shallow, pale and usually calm, which is why families rank Busselton above almost anywhere. The town is also the practical gateway to the region: Busselton Margaret River Airport at nearby Yalyalup is served only by Jetstar, with direct flights to Melbourne and Sydney about three times a week each, so a good share of interstate visitors meet the south west here first and drive the 45 minutes south to Margaret River afterwards.
The whale watching is the quiet advantage. In October, Geographe Bay is in the middle of the southbound migration, with humpback mothers and calves resting and nursing in the bay and competition pods passing through, and tour operators run daily through that window. Augusta's whale season, by contrast, is a winter affair centred on May to August. If you are timing a trip around seeing whales from shore or a short boat trip, Busselton in October and November is about as good as the state gets.
The two designated horse exercise beaches in the City of Busselton, Anniebrook and Wonnerup East, are the region's legal beach riding spots, with no floats or vehicles allowed on the sand and a $200 penalty outside the designated areas, per the City of Busselton. That is the honest version of the beach ride postcard: it exists, it is in Geographe Bay, and it is closer to Busselton than to Margaret River town. For the inland scenery instead, the 90-Minute Little Grove Ride from Jesters Flat, from AUD 95 per person, winds through forest and bushland where kangaroos and birdlife show up on most rides, with a winter camp fire after the ride.
What The Seasons Do To The Scenery
The prettiest town in Western Australia changes with the calendar, because the scenery that decides the argument is seasonal: wildflowers peak around October, whales occupy Geographe Bay from mid-September to early December, and the long dry summer from December to March delivers the blue-sky photographs but none of the blooms. Timing matters more than town choice.
The region's rainfall is concentrated from May to September, with long-term BoM averages at Witchcliffe, the inland station closest to the riding country, showing July as the wettest month of the year on the rainfall record. That winter rain is what buys the spring display, and it also explains why the coast feels different: Cape Leeuwin averages stronger 9 am winds than Witchcliffe in every month, up to nearly 30 km/h in July. Summer is dry, warm and reliable, with January mean maximums around 27 degrees inland and a touch cooler on the coast, and February is the driest month on the rainfall record.
| Season window | What is showing | Where it is best |
|---|---|---|
| May to August | Northbound humpback and southern right whales | Augusta and Flinders Bay |
| August to November | Wildflowers, around 300 orchid species in the South West | Coastal heath and forest across the region, October cited as the local peak |
| Mid-September to early December | Southbound humpbacks, mothers and calves in the bay | Geographe Bay, Busselton and Dunsborough |
| December to March | Dry, warm, long days, calm seas | Beaches and swimming, both towns |
| 19 to 22 November 2026 | Pair'd Margaret River Region food and wine festival | Margaret River town and surrounds |
One planning wrinkle deserves a mention: the school holiday calendar. WA Term 4 runs from 12 October to 17 December 2026, the summer holidays run from 18 December to 31 January 2027, and Term 1 2027 starts on 1 February. The prettiest weeks of the wildflower and whale season overlap the October school holidays, which means the towns are at their most scenic and their busiest at the same time. Travelling in the shoulder weeks, late October into November, keeps the blooms and the whales while thinning the crowds, and the WA Department of Education term dates page is the source to check before you lock dates.
Bushfire planning matters in the same window. The AFAC Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for spring 2026 flags above-average fire potential in the southern Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions, which cover this part of the South West, and prescribed burns are weather dependent and decided day to day. Live park alerts sit on the DBCA alerts page, and no closures were listed for the region. A quick check before a forest day is simply good practice in spring.
Seeing The South West From Horseback
The scenery that decides the prettiest town argument is mostly between the towns, not inside them, and a horse is one of the few ways to travel through it slowly enough to actually see it. The trail rides from Rosa Brook, about 18 km east of Margaret River town, cross the paddocks, bushland and forest edges that the drive between the two towns only glimpses.
Jesters Flat, the operator at Rosa Brook, holds 4.9 from 325 TripAdvisor reviews, and its rides run from a 75-minute country lane ride at AUD 85 through to a 7-hour Colonial Brewery ride at AUD 480, so the time commitment scales from a morning gap to a full day in the saddle. The shorter rides are walk and trot territory open to riders aged 10 and up, with a rider weight limit of about 90 kg per the operator, with exceptions for experienced riders. The longer treks ask for real riding fitness: the 3-Hour Wanderer Tour at AUD 185 requires riders who can trot for extended periods, and the full day rides through Whicher National Park include lunch and a bus return.
The reason this belongs in a prettiest town article is simple. The question is really asking where Western Australia looks its best, and the answer most visitors settle on is the stretch of country between Busselton's bay and Margaret River's forest. A car crosses it in 45 minutes without a single stop. A horse crosses it at walking pace, through kangaroo country and karri shade, and you come back knowing what the region actually looks like rather than what the visitor centre wall shows you. Our horse riding for beginners guide covers the first-timer options in detail, and the best time to visit Margaret River guide pairs the seasons with the activities that suit them.
For a first ride, the country lane and forest options in the selection below are the natural starting points.
Whether you crown Margaret River or Busselton, the practical advice is the same: base yourself at one end of the corridor, give the region three or four days at minimum, and spend at least one of those days out of the car. The debate over the title is enjoyable and unwinnable, and honestly, that is most of the fun of it. As Margaret River Horse Riding covers in its regional guides, the scenery that makes the argument worth having is accessible, mostly free to enter, and best seen at the pace the country was made for.
Common Questions About The Prettiest Town In Western Australia
What Is The Prettiest Town In Western Australia?
There is no official ranking, so the honest answer is a matter of taste. The strongest claims are in the south west: Margaret River for forest, wine country and wildflowers, Busselton for calm bay water, the jetty and the spring whale season, and Augusta for the lighthouse and winter whales.
Is Margaret River Or Busselton Better For A First Visit?
Busselton is the easier first visit for families, with calm swimming water and the jetty, and it is the gateway if you fly into Busselton Margaret River Airport. Margaret River suits travellers who want forest, wineries and caves within a short drive of town. The two are 45 minutes apart, so a three or four day trip can cover both.
When Is The Best Month To Visit The South West?
October is the strongest single month for scenery: it is cited as the local peak for wildflowers, and it falls inside the Geographe Bay whale window, when southbound humpbacks with calves rest in the bay from about mid-September to early December. The trade-off is that October overlaps WA school holidays, so late October into November is quieter with the same blooms.
Can You Ride Horses On The Beaches Near Margaret River?
Not in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, where DBCA does not permit horse riding on the beaches. The region's designated horse exercise beaches are Anniebrook and Wonnerup East in the City of Busselton, on Geographe Bay. The Margaret River based rides run inland, through bush, forest and farmland at Rosa Brook.
How Long Should You Spend In The Region?
Three or four days is a sensible minimum for Margaret River and Busselton together, giving you a beach day, a forest or winery day, a ride and a slow morning. Travellers who add Augusta, the caves or the northern capes usually stay five to seven days.
What Does A Trail Ride Near Margaret River Cost?
The short rides at Rosa Brook start from AUD 85 per person for the 75-Minute Country Lane Ride and AUD 95 for the 90-minute options, with longer forest treks from AUD 185 and full day rides from AUD 380 to AUD 480 including lunch. All rides have a rider weight limit of about 90 kg per the operator, with exceptions for experienced riders.
