FAQs

We arrange self check-in anytime after 2pm and check out time is by 10am on your departure day.

Our front driveway is always open for our guests so you can arrive whenever you like. If you’re arriving later let us know in advance so we can arrange a self check in. However, we do recommend if you’ve never driven in the Australian bush to arrive in daylight hours. It can be very dark!

As we operate nearly full every night and have a very small team, it can be challenging to offer early check ins or late check outs. For early check ins, you can send a request in advance and we can advise you on the day itself. As we need to turn our cottages for the next arrival, we need to ask you to be cleaned and packed up by 10am. If you’d like to hang around after 10am, you’re welcome to pack up and spend some time using the facilities (though we don’t have central showers).

Margaret River is a temperate climate though the weather can be changeable. In Summer months the temperatures are typically low to high 20s (celsius) and in Winter months the lows are down to 7 or 8 and up to 19. Rain usually comes during May-October, with July/August experiencing more rain. Western Australia can experience a variety of wind patterns, when the wind blows from the south, it can feel significantly cooler than the temperature suggests. Closer to your arrival, you can see the weather forecast here or see what's happening at the local weather station.

Packing will vary from season to season, though we’d recommend you include: beach and pool towels old clothes/shoes and boots for the farm layered clothing to keep you warm and dry travel adaptors if coming from overseas.

We have a limited supply of gumboots (mainly children's sizes) available to borrow from the "Guest Spot". These cannot be prebooked.

There are many department stores in Australia though Margaret River is a small country town with a limited range of clothing shops. If you need to pick up a cheaper jumper or some boots, visit Kmart, Target or Big W in Perth or Bunbury, or try Cotton On or Southern Workwear in Margaret River, or even Vinnies for pre-loved clothes.

It takes around 3 and a bit hours to drive from Perth excluding stops.

Our property is just 3 kms, or less than 5 minutes drive from the regional township of Margaret River.

Our property is just 3km from Margaret River and you can walk into town on forest trails. At a leisurely pace this would take about 40 minutes. In the absence of lighting, we would not recommend walking on this trail at night. We don’t recommend walking along Boodjidup Road as there is no dedicated footpath.

If you’re looking for a quick stop, the Crooked Carrot Cafe is about half way and offers a wide selection of food and drinks and a large playground, or try Midway Farm Stall, which is a smaller family friendly set up. If you’d like to do some sightseeing along the way, many guests stop in the some of the following places: Fremantle, Mandurah (dolphin cruise), Penguin Island, Bunbury Farmers Market, Busselton Jetty.

Whilst we’re located a short distance from Margaret River township, in order to maximise your sightseeing, activities and dining, we highly recommend that you have arranged a hire car, or daily transport when staying with us. Uber is not available and taxis are very limited.

As a small regional town, Margaret River doesn’t have any Uber or ride share services though does have a taxi operator. In reality, the taxi services are limited and require a good dose of patience and planning! There are various tour companies that can provide transport around wineries, breweries etc.

There are many dining options in Margaret River that cater to all tastes. Visit our Plan page for some ideas. There are also 3 main supermarkets (Woolworths, Coles & IGA) and speciality shops and delicatessens.

As Margaret River is a small regional town, there is no Uber Eats available. There’s a limited amount of restaurants that offer home delivery, though your selection is much bigger if you order and choose a pick up/take away option.

Both Coles and Woolworths supermarkets offer grocery deliveries, though we ask guests to request a delivery time that is after they plan to arrive. We can supply a cottage number, phone number etc, though as we don’t always have staff on site, we don’t offer a delivery receipt service. An alternative may be to order “click and collect” where you can pick the goods up quickly when you arrive.

Yes, Margaret River has a local hospital about 2kms away. It is a regional hospital with an emergency department, though may not have the specialist care you’re seeking. We suggest you research this in advance.

In Australia the associated plug type is I, which is the plug that has three flat pins in a triangular pattern. Australia operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

We have 2 options for posting goods to Margaret River: Poste Restante - sending directly to the post office (no cost) Sending to our property and having us collect and store your goods ($50) Ask us for the specifics before you decide to post!

If your cottage capacity allows for more guests, you can add these guests by advising us. The cost for each additional guest is $40 per night, minimum 2 nights charge. We’d suggest you check with us first to be sure.

We tend to say no to outside visitors to the farm so we can preserve the boutique and safe environment for our paying guests. Best to check with us first if you were wanting someone to come for a cup of tea or the like.

Most of the year we have a minimum 3 night stay requirement to help our guests have enough time to explore the region. In peak holiday periods this may be 5-7 nights. If we have gaps in between other bookings to open up for 1-2 night stays, the best availability will be shown here.

Most of the year we have a minimum 3 night stay and generally recommend you don’t travel all the way here for just 1-2 nights. If we have a gap in between other bookings, we may be able to offer a short stay. If you can share the range of dates you have available, and the number of guests in your travelling party (ie. adults/children/infants) it makes it easier for us to find dates that match.

We accept payment by Visa and mastercard and for standard rates, you can also pay by funds transfer. You’ll need a card when booking online.

The cottages are all of the same bush comfy standard and all the 2 Bedroom Cottages are the same size, just the layout may be different. You can browse here to help you select the right cottage or feel free to ask for our advice!

Whilst we don’t offer any dining options at our place, our cosy bush cottages have fully equipped kitchens and we have BBQs available if you’d rather grill in the outdoors. Margaret River township is just 5 minutes away and has a large selection of cafes, restaurants and supermarkets.

At this stage our electrical infrastructure doesn’t support the charging of EVs. However, there are charging stations in Margaret River & the South West.

Yes, all of our cottages have suitable heating: Timber Cottages - 1 reverse cycle air conditioner, 1 oil heater, and electric blanket on all king and queen beds. Brick Cottages - 2 reverse cycle air conditioners and electric blanket on all king and queen beds. Gumnut Cottage - 1 reverse cycle air conditioner, 1 oil heater, and electric blanket on the king and queen beds. There are a wide range of blankets also. Due to power limitations we cannot add extra heaters.

Yes, all of our cottages have a reverse cycle airconditioner and Gumnut Cottage has a spare portable fan. Margaret River is a temperate climate and rarely has temperatures above the late 20s (celsius).

Yes, all of our cottages have piping hot water, though as we catch our own water, we ask guests to be mindful of water use in general.

Yes, all our of our cottages have access to drinking water (filtered rain water). Bottled water is available at nearby supermarkets if that is your preference.

As a small family farm, we don’t operate a normal office. If you need to reach us during the day, you can call, whatsapp or sms us. If we’re available we tend to respond quickly, otherwise you will always see ‘us’ at animal feeding and usually around the farm in the later afternoons.

We provide all the linen you will require for a stay, though as a small self-contained accommodation operator, we don’t offer a housekeeping or towel change service for stays under 7 nights. The cottages are equipped with washing machines, clothes lines, detergent and in rainy months we provide a couple of spare towels, bath mat and hand towel in each cottage.

No, we don’t provide beach or pool towels. You’re welcome to use your cottage towels for the pool house, though they may not be dry for your shower later!

Yes, we provide a starter park of basic cooking supplies, including: tea & plunger coffee by M/R Roasting Company. a small supply of Nespresso compatible coffee pods for the coffee pod machine. basic items such as oil, paper towel, clingfilm, foil, pepper & salt (found in the pantry cupboard in the brick & Gumnut cottages & on the kitchen shelves next to the oven in the timber cottages) These supplies are designed to be a starter pack until you reach a supermarket. We don't tend to replenish these supplies mid-stay.

Yes, our cottages have fully equipped kitchens with a fridge/freezer, microwave oven, electric oven, gas stove top, toasting machine, rice cooker and ample plateware and kitchen utensils.

Click here for a comprehensive view of what’s provided in our cottages.

The rumour has it that they do this to get to the other side.

Eggs come from chickens and chickens come from eggs: that's the basis of this ancient riddle. But eggs – which are just female sex cells – evolved more than a billion years ago, whereas chickens have been around for just 10,000 years.

Our family lives on site, though we’re not always around. If Lisa or the team aren’t here, you’ll be able to reach us on the message, and if it’s urgent, use the after hours number we provide.

All of our guests stay in fully self-contained accommodation and receive complimentary access to: animal feeding daily @ 8am truck ride daily after animal feeding indoor heated swimming pool (28-31 degrees) indoor games room & DVD library play spaces and nature trails communal firepit incl marshmallows (seasonal) pop up movies (seasonal) free BBQ access

Most of our animals are used to interacting with people and are available to engage with during the day. If animals are resting or walk away from you then best to leave them be.

Animal feeding is at 8am daily and goes for about 40 minutes.

No, we only feed our animals formally once per day. We control feeding to ensure the health of the animal and ensure the animals don’t learn that people equal food.

Yes, we always aim to feed our animals at 8am even if it’s raining. If there’s a very heavy storm, then we may have to cancel or postpone. The truck ride doesn’t operate in heavy rain.

Yes, each morning after animal feeding we offer guests a short, bumpy joy ride around the farm. Included in our rates, the ride is exclusively for in house guests and is suitable both adults and children.

In order for a cow to produce milk, they must have a calf (baby cow) and we don’t currently have breeding cows. There is a pretend cow for milking at Millers Ice Cream in Cowaramup.

We don’t offer riding on our animals, we leave riding to the specialist riding companies. Locally you could try Jesters Flat or the Humble Horse which we suggest you book in advance.

We shear our sheep typically in early December and there’s no sheep shearing display currently in Margaret River. Contact the WA Visitors centre for specialist advice.

Alpacas are quite shy animals, though our alpacas are pretty friendly. Challina (the brown alpaca with the mullet haircut) is the bossy lady of the farm. If you annoy her, especially when she’s eating, then yes, she may spit on you (or just a warning sneeze).

No, at this stage we do not offer farm experiences or visits to guests that aren’t staying with us.

Yes, the indoor pool is heated year round: Dec-April: 26-28 Degrees May-Nov: 31 Degrees The pool is exclusively for our in house guests.

Jules is a well-renowned photographer and is therefore typically booked up months in advance. Whilst we run our businesses together, the booking of the photoshoot experience is separate so we recommend you first check out Jules’ style and then email through your request (highlighting if you’re guest of ours) to hello@juliawhalephotography.com

Jules’ rates will depend on what type of photoshoot experience you’re booking, how many people are in the photoshoot and if the photoshoot requires travel. Send through your information to hello@juliawhalephotography.com to discuss rates in more detail.

There are loads of great riding trails straight from our back gate and for learner riders, the driveway makes a wonderful testing track.

Due to insurance reasons, we aren’t able to hire or lend bikes to guests. Hairy Marron Bike Cafe in town has a wide selection of bikes to hire and trail maps.

Walking the 3kms to town is possible, though we recommend you walk on the Wadandi Track behind our property. See the trail maps near our back gate. We don’t recommend walking on Boodjidup Road or using the trails at night - it’s super dark!

From May until Oct/Nov the firepit is lit around 5.30pm and normally burns until 9-10pm.

Whilst our chickens sometimes lay a few eggs, we don’t tend to choose breeds of chickens that lay lots of eggs. We rather choose chickens for their friendliness and their Instagrammable qualities. If you’re after fresh eggs for breakfast, best to go via one of our many shops that stock them.