I’ve got a confession to make… Despite living in Perth my whole life, it wasn’t until 2020 that I ventured to the rolling hills of the Ferguson Valley. Often overlooked by other areas in the South West like the Margaret River Region, Ferguson Valley is a delightful little region with boutique wineries and unique natural attractions. Plus, it’s only 2 hours south of Perth – making it a very enjoyable day trip.
Read on for a itinerary and fun ideas for things to do in the Ferguson Valley.
Where is the Ferguson Valley
The Ferguson Valley is about 2 hours drive south of Perth in the Bunbury Geographe region.
It is characterised by undulating hills scattered with boutique wineries, and is also home to Wellington National Park. Ferguson Valley is a welcome change from the usual down south suspects of Margaret River and Yallingup, and close enough to Perth for an easy day trip.
There is enough to see and do if you wanted to stay for a few nights. You could make a full weekend of it and have a farmstay, or stay in a tiny cabin.
I had the pleasure of staying in the luxury tiny cabin Henry by Hidden Cabins in November 2023, you can see some images from my stay here.
Exploring Ferguson Valley on a day trip, I made sure our itinerary took a circular loop of the attractions to avoid having to backtrack.
Make sure you look up the places you want to visit beforehand to plan your stops most efficiently (or simply, follow my suggested itinerary below).
Wellington National Park
One of the best things to do in Ferguson Valley is explore the natural attractions of Wellington National Park.
Leaving Perth around 7.30am, we reached our first stop in Wellington National Park about 9.30am, the Wellington Dam. Check out the view point from above the dam, and then drive past the dam wall on your way to the next stop.
A giant mural (the biggest dam mural in the world!) has been painted on the wall dam – which wasn’t there when we visited in 2020 but is highly worth seeing.
We then went for a quick bush walk along part of the Sika Trail down to the waters edge (continue on the hike to reach Potters Gorge) to stretch the legs before walking back to the car.
TIP: If you need a coffee after the early morning drive, check out the Kiosk at the Dam for a drink or other snack options.
Long Pool and Honeymoon Pool
I’d heard a lot about Honeymoon Pool, but being a long weekend in Perth I knew it would be busy.
Instead, the main focus was finding the lesser-known Long Pool. Our early start paid off, and I was so happy that we had this tranquil spot to ourselves.
After spending about 30 minutes taking photos and exploring this delightful swimming spot, we jumped back in the car for the 5-minute drive to Honeymoon Pool.
Whilst a beautiful spot, it was packed with lots of screaming kids running around (day trippers and campers, as Honeymoon Pool is also a campground).
We had a quick look around but quickly jumped back into the car to continue our journey.
TIP: due to the road being one way, you need to visit Long Pool before Honeymoon Pool and can’t backtrack unless you want to go all the way around!
King Jarrah
We passed the King Jarrah on the way from Honeymoon Pools to Gnomesville.
After parking, you will walk a few hundred metres on a wooden walkway to the King Jarrah tree. This tree is the tallest jarrah tree in the park. Estimated between 300 and 500 years old, the tree stands over 35 metres tall.
If you stay overnight or have a few hours to spare, check out the nearby Black Diamond Lake. Black Diamond Lake is located in Collie, only 30 minutes away from the Ferguson Valley.
Gnomesville
The most curious site, Gnomesville is a small area that is home to an estimated 10,000 ceramic gnomes.
After spending half an hour walking around and admiring on the gnomes (and the puns!), it was time to head offfor our first wine tasting of the day.
Read more in detail about visiting Gnomesville in my guide.
Winery #1 – St Aidan Wines
St Aidan’s is a beautiful venue, about 10 minutes drive from Gnomesville. With both a cellar door and restaurant, you could book in for lunch. As we already had a lunch reservation elsewhere, we stopped by for a tasting.
This family run winery has a large range of wines and tasting experiences can be had for a small fee.
We enjoyed everything we tasted, and walked away with three bottles to take home. If you buy more than 6 bottles, the tasting fee is waived!
Winery #2 and Lunch Stop – Ferguson Falls Cafe
For lunch, it was off to the Ferguson Falls café. Besides from scenic views across the valley, the café specialises in stone-baked pizzas.
The pizzas are supposedly so good that they are keeping tally of how many times they are told it was the BEST pizza they have ever had. With such a strong claim, we just had to try it out.
It’s a popular place, so I’d recommend booking ahead (they are open Friday – Sunday for lunch).
We had a wine tasting before ordering, and then sat out on the grass enjoying our wine while waiting for food. It was certainly a delicious pizza, evidenced by the fact that we’d eaten half of it before I remembered to take a photo!
Winery #3 – Green Door Wines
With full bellies, we made our way to yet another winery set on the top of a hill with incredibly scenic views.
The Green Door cellar door is beautiful, with Moroccan inspired decor and design. The wines are mostly Mediterranean varietals, with a lot of Spanish-influenced drops.
In November of 2023, we came back here and had a delicious local charcuterie platter for lunch. So, I can definitely recommend Green Door Wines for lunch too! I recommend booking ahead for lunch.
Other Wineries in the Ferguson Valley
Other wineries I’d love to check out that were on my list included Willowbridge Estate and Hackersley Estate. Unfortunately we ran out of time to get to all of these in the one day!
Wild Bull Brewery
Before calling it a day and starting off on our drive back to Perth, we had to stop by the Wild Bull brewery for a beer.
The Ferguson Valley actually has another brewery, Bush Shack Brewery, which we didn’t check out on this time but had visited before when it was located in Yallingup.
Wild Bull looked like a popular place for the families, with a kids playground and giant connect4 and jenga scattered about on the grass outside.
Final Thoughts – Ferguson Valley Things to Do
Heading home with full bellies and a car full of wine, our day exploring Ferguson Valley was a fulfilling one.
With a great mix of natural attractions, family-friendly activities and delicious places to eat, exploring this region is one of my favourites day trips from Perth. I hope this guide has given you some ideas for what to do in Ferguson Valley, but feel free to pop any questions in the comments below.
If you’re looking for more fun ideas for things to do in Perth and the South West, check out my other guides below. Happy adventuring!
- Ultimate Perth Itinerary: Fun 3, 5 and 7 Day Itineraries
- 25 Top Things To Do on Rottnest Island
- 23 Ideas for the Best Day Trips from Perth
- Western Australia Wildflowers Guide: When + Where to See Them
- Best Places to Stay in Perth – Picked by a Local
- 35 Best Things to Do in Margaret River
- Best of South West WA: One Week Road Trip Itinerary
So many fun things to do – I particularly think the Gnomesville is precious!
I visited Australia 2 years ago but didn’t make it to Ferguson Valley. Clearly I need to go back because Ferguson Valley looks GORGEOUS. Would love to do some beer and wine tastings. Thanks for this great post!
Boutique wineries AND Gnomesville?? Yes please! This looks like such a cool place to visit…it’s definitely going on the list.
A friend of mine is moving to this area soon, so I can’t wait for borders to open to go visit!! This looks so fun!
These looks like such great spots! The first few places look divine! I love the gnome all posed up in its leotard.