Dunsborough and Yallingup Bay side, ocean side, and a cave in between

Dunsborough sits on the bay. Yallingup looks out at the Indian Ocean. Between them are a lighthouse, a cave you explore on your own, an olive grove with donkeys, and a chocolate factory just inland. Here's how to see both sides in a day or two, without a single cellar door.

By Made Down South, Busselton · Facts checked against Parks and Wildlife, the City of Busselton, the Capes Foundation and the makers' own sites, September 2026

Stops
6Dunsborough up to the cape, then down to Yallingup and inland
Whales
Late winter to springAugust to November, says a Dunsborough tour operator
Rain plan
Ngilgi CaveUnderground, the weather makes no difference
Wine tastings
NoneThis one's about the coast and the food makers. Plenty of other guides cover the cellar doors

Swim where there are flags

This stretch has two kinds of beach. The west coast ones, Yallingup and Smiths among them, face the open ocean, with rips, reef and waves that come out of nowhere. Many of them aren't patrolled at all.

If you're swimming, pick a beach with lifesavers on duty in season and stay between the red and yellow flags. Anywhere else, keep it to a paddle. Meelup, on the bay side, is usually much calmer than the west coast, but calm water still needs care, so keep a close eye on children.

Six stops, bay to ocean

Up Cape Naturaliste Road to the lighthouse, down Caves Road to Yallingup, then inland for chocolate. Scroll down and the line drives it with you.

  1. STOP 1

    Dunsborough and Meelup Beach

    Start on the bay. Meelup Beach, in Meelup Regional Park near town, is the easy picnic stop: shaded grass, barbecues and picnic tables, toilets and showers, and a coastal walking track. Castle Rock is in the same regional park, if you want a second look at the bay.

    Back in town, Corrynne's Natural Skincare has a shop. It makes most of what's on its shelves in-house in Dunsborough, in a building fitted with solar panels. It started at the Fremantle markets in 1995, with soap poured into old milk cartons, and it's still family-run. Plant oils, nut butters and essential oils are the base of the range, from bar soap to candles.

    From late winter into spring, whales come through Geographe Bay, and charter boats go out to meet them from Quindalup, near Dunsborough. Our Busselton to Margaret River day trip comes through here too, if you're carrying on south.

    BeachMeelup, bay side, usually calmer
    Made in townCorrynne's soap and skincare
    WhalesBoats from Quindalup, in season

    If it rains

    Country Life Farm, a family-run petting farm since 1989, has a large indoor playground. Corrynne's shop in town is another indoor stop, with soap, skincare and candles, most of them made by the business in Dunsborough.

  2. STOP 2

    Eagle Bay

    Head up Cape Naturaliste Road. Eagle Bay is a small settlement on the coast about 8 km from Dunsborough. On the same road is Eagle Bay Olives, a family-run grove planted in 1998, with more than 1,200 trees and seven varieties.

    The farm shop has garden seating by the orchard, and there are donkeys, which the family counts as part of the visit. Check hours before you go.

    Eagle BayAbout 8 km from Dunsborough
    Farm shopOlives, garden seating, donkeys
    HoursCheck before you go

    Bring home

    Fresh Fruity from Eagle Bay Olives is handpicked Leccino from these groves, and the maker calls it delicate and fruity. Keep it for bread and salads, and add a jar of the Egyptian-style dukkah: roasted nuts, seeds and spices for dipping.

  3. STOP 3

    Cape Naturaliste and Sugarloaf Rock

    The lighthouse at the top of the cape is a 20-metre limestone tower, first lit in 1904. Tours run through the Capes Foundation, and the ticket covers the Lightkeepers' Museum and the grounds as well.

    From the lighthouse, a 3.4 km sealed path runs to Sugarloaf Rock. It's suitable for assisted wheelchairs and prams, and it's the first stretch of the Cape to Cape Track, which our Cape to Cape Track guide breaks into five days. Look at the rock from the lookout and don't try to cross to it: the ground is dangerous, and red-tailed tropicbirds nest there from September to February.

    Bring a jumper. It's the top of a cape.

    Lighthouse20 m tall, first lit in 1904
    Path3.4 km sealed to Sugarloaf Rock
    WildlifeTropicbirds nest Sept to Feb

    If it rains

    The lighthouse tour and the museum are the dry part of this stop. Save the walk to Sugarloaf for a clearer day.

  4. STOP 4

    Yallingup: Ngilgi Cave and the foreshore

    Down Caves Road to Yallingup. Ngilgi Cave is the one you explore on your own. Allow about an hour and a half. Inside there's an optional crawl tunnel for kids, and a nature play area waits at the end.

    Down at the beach, the Yallingup Foreshore playground overlooks the water, with a surf-shack cubby, swings, shaded barbecues, picnic tables, beach showers and toilets. This is the ocean side, so read the swim note above before anyone goes in.

    CaveSelf-guided, about 1.5 hours
    KidsCrawl tunnel inside, nature play at the end
    ForeshorePlayground, barbecues, showers

    If it rains

    This is your stop. The cave is the same inside whatever the weather.

  5. STOP 5

    Canal Rocks

    About 4 km south of Yallingup, Canal Rocks is a run of granite with a timber footbridge across the canal between the rocks. There's a car park, a boat ramp and a small finger jetty, and the Cape to Cape Track passes the lookout.

    Watch the water from the footbridge and the lookout. When there's a swell running, stay well back from the edge.

    WalkFootbridge and lookout
    AlsoCar park, boat ramp, finger jetty
    TrackThe Cape to Cape passes the lookout
  6. STOP 6

    Metricup: Gabriel Chocolate

    Finish inland, a short drive from the coast. Gabriel Chocolate makes chocolate from the bean at its own factory on Harman's Mill Road, beside a macadamia farm. The raw cacao is sorted by hand, roasted, winnowed down to nibs, then ground and refined. Gabriel says it was the first maker in WA to work this way.

    The factory moved here from Yallingup, and the cafe on site does hot chocolate, a chocolate chunk cookie, gelato and coffee. If you're buying for someone else, Gabriel's bars turn up in our South West gift guide too.

    MadeBean to bar, from raw cacao
    TryHot chocolate, gelato, single-origin bars
    HoursCheck before you go

    Bring home

    Gabriel Chocolate makes a separate bar from each origin, Peru, Ghana, Uganda and Madagascar among them. Buy two and taste them side by side: same factory, same method, different bean.

    If it rains

    Come here early, and wait out the weather over a hot chocolate in the cafe.

Before you go

  1. Going up the lighthouse? Book the tour online, especially in the holidays: the Capes Foundation says its tours often sell out in peak periods.
  2. Entry to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is free, and so is the sealed path from the lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock.
  3. Swimming on the west coast? Check Beachsafe first, and pick a beach with lifesavers on duty.
  4. Bringing the dog? The Sugarloaf Rock path is in the national park and on the Cape to Cape Track, so it's no dogs. The City of Busselton maps where dogs can go on the beaches.
  5. Whale watching? Check what's running with the operator before you book.
  6. Check hours for Eagle Bay Olives, Corrynne's and Gabriel Chocolate before you drive out.

Dunsborough and Yallingup questions

What are the best things to do in Dunsborough?

Start at Meelup Beach, on the bay in Meelup Regional Park, then head up Cape Naturaliste Road past Eagle Bay Olives to the lighthouse and the sealed path to Sugarloaf Rock. In town, Corrynne's Natural Skincare makes most of its range in Dunsborough and has a shop there. From late winter into spring, whale-watching boats leave from Quindalup Beach.

What is there to do in Yallingup?

Ngilgi Cave is the big one: self-guided, about an hour and a half, with an optional crawl tunnel for kids inside. The Yallingup Foreshore playground overlooks the beach, Canal Rocks is about 4 km south with a footbridge and a lookout, and Gabriel Chocolate's factory and cafe is a short drive inland at Metricup. Walkers can join the coast track here too: see our Cape to Cape Track guide.

What are the best beaches near Dunsborough?

It depends what you want from a beach. Meelup, on the bay side, is usually much calmer than the west coast and has shade, barbecues, toilets and showers, but calm water still needs care. Yallingup and Smiths Beach are on the west coast, which swims like the open ocean. No beach is safe every day: if you're swimming, choose one with lifesavers on duty, stay between the red and yellow flags, and check Beachsafe first.

What can you do in Dunsborough with kids?

Country Life Farm has been family-run since 1989. Kids can hand-feed kangaroos, alpacas, goats and plenty more, and there's a large indoor playground for wet days. Ngilgi Cave at Yallingup has an optional crawl tunnel inside and a nature play area at the end. The Yallingup Foreshore playground has a surf-shack cubby, and Gabriel Chocolate's cafe in Metricup does hot chocolate and gelato. At the beach, keep a close eye on them, even in calm water.

When is whale watching season in Dunsborough?

Roughly August to November, going by a Dunsborough whale-watching operator. It names humpbacks and blue whales as the main sightings, and sometimes minke and southern right whales. Charter boats leave from Quindalup, near Dunsborough. Check what's running with the operator before you book.

Are there dog friendly beaches in Dunsborough and Yallingup?

The City of Busselton maps them. Both towns are in the City, which sorts its areas into off-lead, on-lead and no dogs. Some off-lead areas are seasonal, so check the City's map before you go. The path to Sugarloaf Rock and Canal Rocks are in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, where Parks and Wildlife generally doesn't allow pets. Our dog-friendly South West guide has the rules town by town.

Do you have to pay to visit Cape Naturaliste?

Not to be there. Entry to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is free, and so is the sealed path from the lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock. The lighthouse tour is ticketed through the Capes Foundation, and the ticket covers the Lightkeepers' Museum and the grounds too. See its site for current prices.

How many days do you need in Dunsborough and Yallingup?

One full day covers the six stops in this guide. Two gives you time for a slow morning at Meelup and a whale charter in season. Heading further south afterwards? Our Margaret River itinerary plans the rest of the coast, down to Cape Leeuwin.

More guides

All guides