Bussell Highway South

The road

The Bussell Highway south from Busselton to Augusta is the main coastal road through the south-west and it is better than its highway designation suggests. The 95-kilometre run passes through Dunsborough, Yallingup and the Margaret River wine region on a coastal alignment that provides ocean views and surf beach access throughout. It is not as tight or interesting as Caves Road but it is wider, faster and provides more access points to the coast. The section from Busselton to Yallingup has the best road character - the highway dips and rises through limestone country with glimpses of Geographe Bay. South of Margaret River the road straightens and the countryside becomes heath scrub. Augusta at the end makes a proper destination - Cape Leeuwin is one of those places that feels significant in a way that cannot be fully explained. Combined with a return on Caves Road the two roads make a satisfying loop of the whole Margaret River wine and forest country.

The region

Busselton is the main coastal town of the south-west, known for the 1.8-kilometre Busselton Jetty, the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere. Yallingup to the south is a surf village with one of the better breaks in the region. The Bussell Highway runs the length of the Margaret River wine region on its coastal side and provides access to the majority of cellar doors through entry roads that branch east from the highway.

Before you go

Fuel throughout - Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River and Augusta. The road is open year-round. School holiday and long weekend traffic between Busselton and Dunsborough is heavy. South of Margaret River the road quietens considerably. The highway designation means trucks are present, particularly between Busselton and Dunsborough.

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