~ January Adventures – Family Fun in Busselton, Western Australia ~

The first half of January has been busy in the extreme! My son Laurence and his lovely fiancee Maddy tied the knot on January 3rd. Our house was full to the rafters with overseas family staying and various guests popping around to see us. It was the happiest two weeks I could imagine.

Our visitors wanted to visit South West WA for a few days. I managed to book an 8 bedroom house in Busselton. We were so happy that Laurence and Maddy decided to join us as well. I booked a few places to eat and drink as there were 17 of us in all. I couldn’t imagine turning up en masse without a booking. I was teased constantly that everywhere had better be good, otherwise there would be complaints to travelswithali!

To find a house this large and in high season was a feat in itself. There were enough bedrooms to accommodate all of us, so no-one had to sleep on the floor.

Our first lunch was spent at Shelter Brewing Company, right on the promenade overlooking the beach. The food came quickly and the beer was served in paddles, four at a time. Great for beer lovers who got the chance to sample a few.

After checking in and everyone choosing a room, we unpacked and headed to the beach.

Busselton Jetty is the longest pier in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,841 metres long. At the end of the pier there is an underwater jetty and sculpture park. To see the sculptures there are scuba diving tours.

  • Busselton Jetty
  • “Spot the Brit”

There is a train that goes to the end and back for a fee. Otherwise a walk will take around 30 minutes each way. The beach is beautiful and great for small kids and adults who don’t like too many waves (me). With many restaurants, cafes and bars here it’s not difficult to find somewhere for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

  • Busselton Beach
  • Busselton Jetty

On our second day, a few of the boys played a round of golf and the rest of us drove to Dunsborough. I’ve written about Dunsborough previoulsy. It’s a small town full of quirky shops and small boutiques. We did all manage to buy a few items.

Wild Hop Brewery was booked for 4pm. A fantastic place in Yallingup. By the time we arrived many of the items had disappeared off the menu. Also some of the staff were quite rude. Anyway after a few drinks we still enjoyed it.

  • Lunch for 17
  • Relaxing after lunch
  • Winding down

On the morning of our last full day, we had a trip to Meelup Beach in the morning. I had booked a winery for the afternoon. Meelup Beach is also a child friendly beach with soft sand and beautiful clear water.

  • Happy as a sand crab
  • Taking a moment
  • Meelup Beach
  • Meelup Beach
  • Splashing through the waves
  • The Sandcastle Family

Next we were off to Lentedal Winery in Marybrooke, Margaret River. What a wonderful find this was. We had a table outside but under a shade cloth. Before ordering any food we did some wine tasting. After a scrumptious lunch we walked around the estate to look at the animals.

  • Where’s my pizza
  • Feeding the camels
  • Wine tasting
  • Group shot between the vines

We had an absolutely perfect time away together. There’s nothing like a family holiday. I’m not sure when we will all be together again like this, living so far apart from each other. People have busy lives and jobs to do. Flights are expensive and holidays are short. We made so many memories to treasure and look back on. I made a Whatsapp group and can look back and read all the hilarious messages that were posted daily.

I did manage a walk to the end of Busselton Pier with Anthony, quite an accomplishment!

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Author: Alison

Hi A nanny of two and a mum of two adult children, mum to two fur babies and wife of one. I love to travel and up until recently travelled the world, now exploring Western Australia! I play bridge, board games, read dance and blog in my spare time.

24 thoughts on “~ January Adventures – Family Fun in Busselton, Western Australia ~”

  1. Methinks the Greater Powers looked down from the blue skies and thought this gathering of man from tiny tot to hair turned grey just deserved the very best to have and hold and remember – thank you sharing your terrific photos!

  4. How lovely to get to spend a proper chunk of time with such a large group of family and friends. I can hear the pure joy coming from your words. Oh, and……”after a few drinks we still enjoyed it”. A motto for life huh 😂

  5. What a marvellous start to your year, looks like a good time was had by all, and sad that you can’t get together more often, but that’s life….

  7. Congrats on the family expansion! Your summer photos came in just in time. We are having a brutal cold spell this week. We should be below freezing for most of the week. Thanks for the warmth and beauty in this post.

  9. Congratulations to Laurence and Maddy! What a lovely time you must have had at the celebrations with family over from the UK too. Next time we are over in WA I’d also like to explore around the Dunsborough area!

  10. Ali, Congratulations to Laurence and Maddy. You did great with all the bookings and it looks like everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Thanks for your comments Natalie. Everyone had the best time and said they would book with travels with ali again 😊

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