8 Brewery Lunches to Enjoy in the Margaret River Region

Being walking distance to both the Margaret River town centre and the local playground at Rotary Park means Brewhouse Margaret River ticks all the boxes. Families can leave their cars behind, and bigger kids who want to branch out to explore more widely than the on-site playground can do so, safely. There’s a big wrap-around veranda, grass seating, and beers for every taste. The squid salad is legendary, as are the Asian-spiced mussels. Check in with the brewery website to keep up with the regular live music schedule.

The Sunday session at CBCo. is a bit of a local must-do – great music, good pizzas, and a playground that serves as the meeting place for kids local to the region. Everyone’s welcome here, which means visiting families can look forward to making new friends over paddles of great local brews. The brewery is a little out of the Margaret River township, a scenic bush drive down Osmington Road. The philosophy here is to keep the food, the beer and the vibe as simple as the Margaret River Region lifestyle. It’s a great spot to experience what the Margaret River Region has to offer.

Open space is a highly prized commodity when it comes to family lunches, and the lawn at Eagle Bay Brewing Co. is ripe for running. This is a beautiful location, back over the hill from scenic Eagle Bay and the beaches of Cape Naturaliste. Adults will appreciate chef Rupert Brown’s exacting approach to ingredients – a complement to boutique beers that offer clarity of taste and a wide range of brew methods. Woodfired pizzas are a winner for the kids, too. Live music events occur frequently, and the brewery’s website has all the details to keep you up to date.

In a little rural township, in a spectacularly remote region… a daytrip out to Cowaramup Brewing Company is worth it just for the visit to this seriously cute country town. The fact that the beers are a draw in themselves is a bonus. Family-owned, this little brewery punches above its weight in terms of both food and brews. Food is family-friendly (pizzas, Tex-Mex inspired flavours and plenty of kids options), as are the outdoor tables on grass with plenty of room to spread out and relax. Check in with the website for upcoming events, or book in for a brewery tour.

Smack-bang in the highly regarded wine belt of Wilyabrup, Cheeky Monkey Brewery is a little beer-y breath of fresh air among the wineries and cellar doors lining Caves Road. One of the better-known local breweries, this place is a magnet for families: the playground is large, the dam view is beautiful, and the timber fort down in the trees is a hot-spot for kids with a driving imagination. Drinks run the gamut from alcoholic ginger beers and ciders, to your boutique brewery classics. Burgers, chicken wings, spicy seafood and barbecued meats work for everyone. There is also now a second brewery location at Vasse, just off the Bussel Highway north of the Margaret River township – and you can stop in for a drink at the adjoining bar.

Where a hay shed became a tavern, and the resident dam is still filled with marron – the conversion of an old dairy shed into Beerfarm has resulted in a boutique brewery with that old-school country feel. It’s an all-in kind of place, where dogs are welcome and the conversation over pours is immediately relaxed and personal. Along with the range of boutique beers, there’s an evolving roster of unique releases (strawberry sour, anyone?), ciders made from Manjimup apples, and a true country-style menu. Black Angus raised on the farm is smoked and barbecued. Veg sourced from local farmers becomes pickled, turned into chutney, or dressed and stuffed inside fish tacos. Bookings are not necessary. Just walk in and be welcomed.

The land is the inspiration for the brewers at Black Brewing Company. In Wilyabrup, this means influence of the Indian Ocean and mature Aussie bush – a wildness that comes through in the beer and in the brewery’s feeling of generosity. The site itself is impressive: there is an enormous dam, and the building itself juts out over water. Tree-shaded lawn is studded with picnic tables. Ales range from Farmhouse to Belgian, ciders are made using West Australian apples, and the menu offers up a series of share plates that trip from Margaret River (think Farmhouse terrine), to Italy, Japan, and then back to the Aussie bush – land on that chargrilled lamb fillet with salt bush and you won’t be disappointed. Kids are catered for with a menu of their own, and the space to stretch out their legs.

Beer in a bush shed: it doesn’t get much more rustic than this. Wild Hop Brewing Co. has everything. Leafy trees for lounging under. Shade cloths stretched over the nature-inspired playground within easy reach of adult supervision. A great and expansive shed-style brewery and restaurant that feeds into the relaxed approach to food – think all things smoked, barbecued and roasted. The beers are fluid – brewers, Matthew Scott-Malcolm and Andrew Caldwell like to keep things a little lose and interesting, with a changing roster of new brews. And the view is a pure Yallingup pleasure of dam, mature gums and vast sky.