- 11
- 5
- 4
- 23
- 12
- 4
- 8
- 4
- 3
- 6-8
- 3
- 2
- 9
- 4
- 3
Wilyabrup is the stretch of Caves Road north of Margaret River with the highest concentration of premium wineries in the region, including Vasse Felix, Cullen and Moss Wood. Holidays Margaret River manages privately owned houses among the vineyards here, including several large homes suited to groups and multi-family stays.
We currently manage 6 houses in Wilyabrup, ranging from 3 to 12 bedrooms and sleeping up to 23 guests.
If the point of the trip is wine, Wilyabrup is the address. This stretch of Caves Road, north of Cowaramup and south of Yallingup, holds the highest concentration of premium producers in the Margaret River region, and it is where the region started — Vasse Felix planted the first commercial vines here in 1967.
It is farmland: vineyards, karri and marri, gravel side roads. There are no shops and no fuel. What there is instead is space, which is why our largest houses are here — properties built for extended families and groups, with cellar doors a few minutes away rather than a drive.
Margaret River is usually described in six subregions, mapped by the agronomist Dr John Gladstones, and Wilyabrup is the one that made the reputation. Gladstones found it came closest of any to the conditions of a great Bordeaux vintage, and it remains the heartland of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Worth being precise about: those subregions are widely recognised in the trade but they are informal, not legally protected appellations.
Cellar doors within or immediately on the edge of Wilyabrup include Vasse Felix, the region’s founding winery, along with Cullen, Moss Wood, Pierro, Woodlands, Fraser Gallop, Ashbrook, Woody Nook and Knotting Hill. Most are on Caves Road, Metricup Road or Carter Road, within a few minutes of each other. Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co is on Caves Road in Wilyabrup, roughly halfway between Margaret River and Dunsborough, and Vasse Virgin is on Puzey Road.
The practical advantage of staying here is simple: you are not driving twenty minutes each way to taste. Even so, if you are planning a full day of it, use a tour or a driver.
Wilyabrup is where the region’s larger holiday houses tend to be, and ours are no exception — several sleep well into double figures, and one takes more than twenty. That makes this the natural base for a multi-family trip, a milestone birthday or a group doing a few days of cellar doors together. Bedroom and sleeping numbers are on each property page above.
Wilyabrup runs from Caves Road all the way to the ocean, and the Wilyabrup sea cliffs are one of the more dramatic things on this coastline — orange-brown granite dropping into the Indian Ocean, and one of Western Australia’s established rock climbing areas with hundreds of routes. Access is via Wilyabrup Road off Caves Road, then a ten to twenty minute walk down a firebreak and across private land into Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. The Cape to Cape Track runs past them, and Quinninup Falls, a seasonal waterfall, is reached from the same stretch of track.
For a swimming beach, Gracetown is about fifteen minutes west on sheltered Cowaramup Bay.
Cowaramup is the nearest town, about eight minutes away, with a supermarket, bakery, cafes and fuel — and forty-odd life-size fibreglass cows standing around the main street. The cows are a joke about the name rather than the origin of it: Cowaramup comes from the Wardandi word cowara, the purple-crowned lorikeet.
Metricup, just east, is home to the Margaret River Chocolate Company and Gabriel Chocolate, both on Harmans Mill Road. Note that Carter Road runs across the Wilyabrup and Metricup boundary, so some properties in the heart of the wine district carry a Metricup address — that is correct, not a mistake.
Wilyabrup sits within the City of Busselton rather than the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, and because the locality covers about 81 square kilometres, published distances to Margaret River township vary between roughly 15 and 25 kilometres depending on which end you measure from.
| From | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret River township | About 20 km | About 20 minutes |
| Cowaramup | About 8 km | About 8 minutes |
| Gracetown and the coast | About 15 minutes | |
| Dunsborough | About 30 km | About 25 minutes |
| Busselton Margaret River Airport | About 40 km | About 35 minutes |
| Perth | About 260 km | About 3 hours |
Wilyabrup is a rural locality on Caves Road in the Margaret River wine region, north of Cowaramup and south of Yallingup. It is a large area of about 81 square kilometres running from Caves Road to the coast, so distances depend on where in it you are - broadly, twenty minutes north of Margaret River township and about fifteen minutes from the beach at Gracetown.
Because the wineries are here. Wilyabrup has the highest concentration of premium wine producers in the region, which means you can walk out of the house and be at a cellar door in a few minutes rather than driving twenty. It also has the space for larger properties - our biggest group houses are in Wilyabrup. The trade-off is that there are no shops, so you self-cater and stock up in Cowaramup or Margaret River.
Cullen, Moss Wood, Pierro, Woodlands, Fraser Gallop, Ashbrook, Woody Nook and Knotting Hill are all in Wilyabrup, and Vasse Felix - the region's founding winery, planted in 1967 - was established here and sits on the Caves Road boundary. Clairault Streicker, Gralyn Estate, Fermoy Estate and Bettenay's are also part of the Wilyabrup group. Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co is on Caves Road here too, if beer is more the point.
It is the stretch that made the region's reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon. When the agronomist Dr John Gladstones mapped the Margaret River subregions, he found Wilyabrup came closest to the conditions of a great Bordeaux season. Worth knowing: the six Margaret River subregions are widely recognised but informal - they are not legally protected Geographical Indications.
No. Wilyabrup is farmland and vineyards, with no grocery shop or service station. Cowaramup, about eight minutes away, has a supermarket, bakery, cafes and fuel. Margaret River township is about twenty minutes south for a bigger shop.
About fifteen minutes. Gracetown, on sheltered Cowaramup Bay, is the closest beach settlement - west along Cowaramup Bay Road off Caves Road. The Wilyabrup sea cliffs are on the coast within the locality itself.
Yes. Wilyabrup is where our biggest properties are, including houses that sleep well into the twenties. It suits extended families, milestone birthdays and groups doing a few days of cellar doors together. Bedroom counts and sleeping capacity are listed on each property page.
Yes. The Wilyabrup sea cliffs are granite and are one of Western Australia's better-known climbing areas, with hundreds of established routes inside Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Access is via Wilyabrup Road off Caves Road to a small car park, then a ten to twenty minute walk downhill and across private land into the park. No camping, fires or dogs. Guided climbing and abseiling is available locally if you are not bringing your own gear.
The locality is named after Wilyabrup Brook, which first appeared on planning documents around 1865. The name is thought to come from the Noongar word Worlyabaraap. You will also see it spelt Willyabrup with a double L - both forms are in genuine use, including by some of the wineries themselves.
Cowaramup, eight minutes away, is the town with the life-size fibreglass cows - though the name actually comes from the Wardandi word cowara, meaning purple-crowned lorikeet, not from cattle. The Margaret River Chocolate Company and Gabriel Chocolate are both on Harmans Mill Road at Metricup, and Vasse Virgin is on Puzey Road in Wilyabrup itself. Dunsborough and Yallingup are about twenty-five minutes north.
Margaret River · Gracetown · Prevelly · Gnarabup
Not sure which suits you? The properties map shows every house we manage, and The Region covers the wider Margaret River area.