New gourmet experiences unveiled in Margaret River

There is plenty of activity in lovely Margaret River, Western Australia's prime wine tourism region.

Margaret River has recently welcomed the opening of a new beach-side restaurant.

Taking over the former Bunkers Beach House space, ilma Beach House (above) is the latest venue from restauranteurs Liz and Mark Ahearn, who also own the popular Meelup Farmhouse in Dunsborough.

Located on the shores of Bunker Bay, the restaurant offers views of Bunker Bay beach, and has been renovated to reflect the coastal backdrop.

The menu offers Mediterranean-inspired flavours featuring locally sourced seafood, with brunch and lunch options for relaxed and shared-style dining.

There’s also a Kofe Kabana for takeaway coffees and ice creams to take to the beach.

The Margaret River Wine Academy, meanwhile, has recently launched in a first of its kind for Western Australia's south-west.

It offers small group wine education courses for individuals, groups, tourism and hospitality providers, corporate and conferencing programs, and workplace training.

Specialising in teaching people about the unique attributes of the region and its wines, each course runs for two to three hours, finishing with a tasting of various regional wines.

There are a range of wine enthusiast courses on offer that focus on varietals including chardonnay, cabernet and sparkling, as well as a wine basics course.

Run by Margaret River local Leah Clearwater, who has lived in the region for 20 years, the courses are hosted at wineries throughout the region and can also be privately run at visitors’ accommodation.

For gourmets, Margaret River Truffle Farm has expanded its tour offerings for the 2025 season.

Having grown truffles for a number of years, the family owned and operated farm started operating truffle hunting experiences for the 2024 winter season, in a first for the region.

For the upcoming 2025 season - which runs from June to August - a new Dig Deep - Truffle Hunt Experience is now available to book, which includes joining the farm’s truffle dogs to hunt for the rare funghi, digging them up and discovering how they are handled.

Guests can then sample the extensive truffle farm product range in the shop.

There’s also the option to extend the experience with the Dig Deep & Eat - The Full Experience tour which includes the addition of a small-course lunch topped with truffle and a menu showcasing regionally sourced ingredients.