Bringing together the best of South West Australia’s breweries, the new Bay Trail and Cave Trail journey through 10 independent breweries from Busselton down to Margaret River.
Encouraging locals and tourists alike to explore the craft beer on offer in the Margaret River-Busselton region, the two trails showcase the talent within the South West Brewers Alliance (SWBA), which was founded in 2021 and represents a commitment to sustainability, community and collaboration.
As an industry-led business cluster, the SWBA has focused on some of the areas most important to the South West brewing industry, including sustainability, education, export markets and tourism. The SWBA has since launched the collaborative Bay Trail and Cave Trail marketing initiatives with the Margaret River Busselton Tourist Association (MRBTA), funded by a grant from the City of Busselton.
Ali Scott-Malcolm, SWBA Committee Member and Co-owner of Wild Hop Brewing Co., says: “We were really inspired by other regional areas that have been successful in developing their offer in the beer tourism space, such as the Bend Ale Trail in Oregon, NZ Ale Trail and Sydney’s Inner West Ale Trail.
“Since we are a group of volunteers with limited resources and we are all located in the established Margaret River-Busselton region, it made sense to partner with the MRBTA in developing a customer-focused experience that they could share through their platforms. As a group, our goal is to elevate beer in the marketing narrative when we talk about visiting Margaret River, and the MRBTA have excellent resources that we were able to utilise.”
On a journey between Wilyabrup and Margaret River, the self-guided Cave Trail acts as an introduction to the region’s inland charm, taking in handcrafted brews from Beerfarm, Bootleg Brewery, Cheeky Monkey, Cowaramup Brewing Company, CBCo Brewing and Margaret River Beer Co.
The Bay Trail, on the other hand, showcases the region’s coastal breweries on a scenic journey from Busselton to Yallingup, including Shelter Bewing Co., Rocky Ridge Brewing Co, Eagle Bay Brewing Co and Wild Hop Brewing Co.
The family-friendly trails offer a taste of the region’s breweries and each brewery offers something different, from crisp Aussie lagers to American-style IPAs, fruity sours and stouts, alongside seasonal foods and farm-to-plate offerings, and attractions for children such as slippery slides, playgrounds and pirate ships dotted along the way.
“The brewing scene in the South West really is quite special,” Scott-Malcom stated.
“Whether that’s due to our isolation and even just the space that lies between each businesses, or that many of us stem from agricultural backgrounds, or just simply that we live in a very special corner of the world – we couldn’t really put a finger on it. But there is a strong sense of community within our brewers, and a joy and pride in what we offer.
“We found our niche within the broader Margaret River-Busselton region, where surrounded by hundreds of cellar doors, the breweries are approachable, welcoming, and fun to visit – with bloody good beer. We are each individual and unique, it’s worth taking at least the weekend to explore us all.”
Keith Warrick, SBWA Chair, added: “Our South West craft brewers use premium ingredients from WA farmers to create a unique paddock-to-pint experience. The beer trails put the craft beer destination marketing narrative on the map and showcase how truly diverse our region is.”