The rivers of the Margaret River Region are as integral to the magic of the South West’s landscape as the sea, trees and beaches.
From the magnificent Blackwood to the secluded Margaret River and the world-class Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands – the rivers of the Margaret River Region each have their own flora, fauna and adventure to offer.
The fact the Blackwood is the longest flowing river in the south west makes it really special, and because it is always changing there is so much to see. From the Rivermouth to the Hardy Inlet, the scope of wildlife is incredible.
Blackwood River begins at the junction of Arthur River and Balgarup River and travels in a south westerly direction through Bridgetown and Nannup until it discharges into the ocean at Hardy Inlet near Augusta. It has 41 tributaries and at 300km, it is the longest river in the South West.
It is unusual not to encounter the resident pod of dolphins along the route (particularly in summer) and the abundant birdlife is always a feature. There’s a strong local pelican population, avocets, spoonbills, pied oystercatchers and a flock of musk ducks who scurry along the surface of the river flapping their little wings and disappearing when they dive.
Whereas the much smaller Margaret River offers seclusion. Margaret River arises from a catchment of 40sqkm in the Whicher Range and extends for 60km. The middle passes through land cleared for agriculture and viticulture and the mouth of the river is a small estuary, closed to the Indian Ocean by a sandbar.
If birdlife is your particular passion, the Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands, fed by the Vasse river on the outskirts of Busselton, is said to have the highest concentration of birdlife in Australia and is listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance.
The wetlands cycle through dramatic seasonal changes from abundant flooding to shallow mudflats, and play host to changing populations of over 90 species of birdlife, many of them rare.
The headwaters of the river are in the Whicher Range and flow in a northerly direction through Busselton and thereafter the Vasse Estuary to the Indian Ocean via Wonnerup Inlet and Geographe Bay. The basin area is over 230km and the length is 32km. The Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands receive flow from the Vasse, Sabina, Abba and Ludlow rivers.
