Scan the QR codes along the trail to discover the history of each site and enjoy the journey through the past.
Welcome to the Margaret River Main Street Historic Walk. Along the length of Bussell Highway and nearby streets, 67 sites marked with QR codes invite you to explore the history of the town from its earliest days through the Group Settlement era, wartime years, and into the modern tourism and wine-region centre it is today.
The trail begins at The Old Settlement Museum near the river at the former Bridgefield livery stables and halfway house established by Thomas and Elizabeth Higgins in the 1890s, and continues past former bakeries, boarding houses, the town’s first community hall, power station, police station, hospital, railway station, butter factory, hotels, banks, general stores, and private residences. Many of these buildings have been relocated, demolished, or extensively remodelled, yet each site still carries the stories of the families, businesses, and community organisations that shaped Margaret River.
If you would like to learn more about the local history of Margaret River, visit The Old Settlement Museum down the river.
The old school, the group settlement house, the blacksmith workshop, and many other buildings with household items, tools and machinery offer an insight into the history of early life in the district and the families that once lived and worked the land.
References
Margaret River Town 1894-1984 by Mavis Wise
Margaret River Stories by Guy Jennings, ISBN 9780646575346
A History of the Catholic Community of Margaret River District by Merilyn Hutton
Margaret River & District Historical Society photo collection
John Alferink from my recollections of the town after being in the area for over 68 years, John Alferink 2021