Latest News
Capes Conversations | Echoes in the Dark
Capes Conversations heads into the darkness to explore the nightlife of our region's forests and caves. As the sun drops, researchers armed with acoustic monitors and bat traps take to the bush around Mammoth and Jewel caves on a delicate mission. With...
Capes Conversations | Learning Through Place
Every day, visitors learn through the places they visit. Whether it's understanding local wildlife, connecting with cultural heritage, exploring history, or gaining a deeper appreciation for a region's landscape, tourism experiences can be powerful learning...
Capes Conversations | Opening Doors: Inclusion Through Access
There’s something pretty special about spending time in the Margaret River Region — the open space, the slower pace, long afternoons that stretch into evenings. But for many, the question isn’t just where to go… it’s whether...
Capes Conversations | A Taste of Place
Food is much more than something we eat. It’s one of the most powerful ways we connect with a place, its people and its stories. In this episode of Capes Conversations, we explore the role food plays in tourism and the way memorable culinary experiences can...
Capes Conversations | Comfort by Design
Have you ever walked into a space and felt transformed? In the Margaret River Region, it could be a grand restaurant with plenty of polish, or a small rustic cellar door that makes you feel a certain way as soon as you walk in. This episode focuses on the...
Capes Conversations | From Hibernation to Celebration
For ten days every July, the Margaret River Region comes alive as venues from Busselton to Margaret River open their doors with something a little special for the Cabin Fever Festival. But Cabin Fever isn’t just a festival — it’s a chance for...
Capes Conversations | Whalesong
Each year, one of nature’s great journeys tracks along Western Australia’s coastline.
Before winter, humpback and southern right whales leave Antarctica’s icy waters for their long migration north to warmer seas — hugging our continent before trekking south again months later.
Known as Margaret River Region’s ‘whale nursery’, Augusta’s calm, sheltered waters provide a safe place for mothers to rest, feed and nurture their calves before the long journey home.
From its headlands and beaches, locals and visitors can witness breaching, tail slaps and those unforgettable moments when a calf surfaces beside its mother.
This week, host Kellie Tannock speaks to two researchers with different projects at each end of our Capes, and the creative force behind Augusta’s Whalesong Festival that marks the start of the whale migration.
Image by Tim Campbell.
Capes Conversations | Cheers to our Volunteers
In every regional community, volunteers are the backbone.
It’s volunteers who run or support regional emergency services, kids sport, community events, arts festivals, historical societies, leisure groups … the list goes on. So much of this only happens because our volunteers give thousands of unpaid hours to make it happen.
This week, host, Kellie Tannock talks to guests about the impact our volunteers make and hopefully inspire more people to get involved.
With National Volunteer Week each May, this is the perfect time to say thank you.
The image supporting this podcast is the voluntary members of Margaret River Off Road Cycling Association working to maintain mountain bike tracks.
Here are some links to local volunteering resources;
Busselton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre
Community Clubs & Interest Groups – Augusta Margaret River Community Directory
Capes Conversations | Cave Care
On Capes Conversations this week, host Kellie Tannock takes us back in time to look at what’s widely regarded as WA’s first tourism attraction.
Ngilgi Cave is one of Margaret River’s show caves, which suffered damage in its early years of tourism, when a visit was an eight-hour adventure, not the one-hour experience of today. We’ll find out just how much our behaviour has changed with better understanding about how fragile these cave systems are.
We’ll also hear about how the caves are being protected for future generations to enjoy.
This episode features Ngilgi Cave Manager, Tod Kearns and Alysha Johnson, Conservation Manager for the Capes Foundation, which operates Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup, as well as Lake, Jewel and Mammoth Caves in the region’s south.
Capes Conversations | Raise a Pint
In the past decade, Australia’s craft beer scene has shifted from niche to mainstream.
More and more beer drinkers were chasing local, independent, flavour-driven brews, and the industry responded… with brewers in the Margaret River Region right at the forefront of this golden new era..
Margaret River’s craft beer story began in the mid 90s with Bootleg Brewery – then something of a lone wolf in wine country.
But a small, distinctive group of breweries followed, choosing quality, place and hospitality over scale.
Today, craft beer is firmly part of the Margaret River experience, shaped by landscape, local produce and community. It’s not about rapid growth here – it’s about character, connection and great beer made close to where it’s enjoyed.
Raise a pint to our local brewers, as Kellie Tannock chats with the South West Brewers Alliance, a brewery with sustainability front and centre and a local hops farmer.
Photo credit: Josh Ball