Western Australia’s Margaret River WA Region is a haven for food-loving holidaymakers who come for the local wineries and café scene, and stay for the beautiful beaches that meet the vineyards. Three hours south of Perth, the area encompasses tourist meccas Busselton and Bunker Bay, attracting 500,000 visitors annually. It’s home to world-renowned surf breaks and beaches, and some pretty cool bakeries too.

Margs, as the region is affectionately known by the locals, is a region famed for its produce, and there are a lot of bakeries and cafes taking advantage of the great things grown on their doorstep, and contributing to the bountiful harvest. Amongst them are chocolatiers crafting crazy flavour combinations, cafes serving up adult Coco Pops and famed patissiers making pastries and cakes good enough for a gallery. Take a peek.

1/ Temper Temper

The ladies behind Temper Temper, Roz and Georgia, have crafted endless chocolate delights and flavour combinations in the past year. Roz and Georgia met while Georgia was catering Roz’s wedding in 2015 and, through their love for chocolate, the rest is history. There are more than 180 shelves to keep stocked in the Temper Temper store, which they do with fun flavour creations such as Apricot and Almond in Dark, Blueberries in Milk, Caramel Popcorn in Milk, Fruit Loops in White and Lemongrass in Milk.

Our pick: White with Pink Peppercorns

2/ Edible Art

After sweating it out in some of the most high-pressure pastry, dessert and bakery kitchens in the world, Edible Art owner and pastry chef Carmelo Bonnano teamed up with his wife to create Edible Art in 1999. Still a small team today, they focus on remaining a small boutique cake and patisserie store to continue to create high-quality products. Edible Art specialises in celebration cakes and wedding cakes, as well as creating spectacular individual cakes, mini treats, cake stands, pastries and savoury items. Their creations are exceptionally decorated with great attention to detail, living up to their name.

Our pick: Chocolate cake with bark, leaves and berries

3/ Augusta Bakery and Café

Eric and Kaye Pridmore have owned the bakery since May 2016, and Eric, now 70, has been baking since he was 15. Kaye comes from a baking background as well, working alongside Eric for 49 years. Their sons Steve and Geoff have also been in the bakery trade from a young age – it’s the family’s life passion. Since 1948, Augusta Bakery and Café has been serving up traditional and nostalgic bakery items. Everything is made daily and all of their products are made onsite from scratch with no preservatives. The bakery/café has branched out from a traditional bakery format to opening a café, as well as maintaining a wholesale division. Some of their best sellers are their steak pies from the bakery, and as for the café, it’s a popular spot for breakfast.

Our pick: Potato pie

4/ Bake the Cake

Hannah Jukes, the mastermind behind Bake the Cake, is a third-generation wedding cake maker, realising her love of baking as a young apprentice chef. Originally from the Hunter Valley, she’s now set up shop in the Margaret River WA making some seriously good looking and good tasting cakes. She also does a cupcake range, and working as a former head baker at a popular cupcake boutique in the UK, her cupcakes have got cred. And, they’re fresh baked the morning of client’s celebrations. For those who prefer a savoury option, or are just cheese fanatics, she does custom cheese towers as well, decorated to a T with fresh flowers.

Our pick: Tiered naked cake

PHOTO CREDITS – John Rice Photography and Bianca Kate Photography

5/ Margaret River Bakery

Margaret River WA Bakery’s quaint exterior doesn’t give away the wonders inside. Mismatched retro furniture is placed on the covered deck and in the backyard garden, giving the whole place a quirky vibe. Antique plates adorn the walls and food and coffee is served on mismatched china. Its range of decadent cakes and in the front display cabinet entices visitors who can stop in for traditional bakery fare such as pies, pastries, tarts and doughnuts, or items from their café menu, of which the hearty breakfasts are popular.

Our pick: Spiced cauliflower and leek frittata

6/ Sidekick Café

Head chef at Sidekick Café, Monique Palandri, operates in Sidekick’s own kitchen, just off site of the café. She is a coeliac and has a passion for healthy, real food, focusing on the ingredients in every item. Sidekick utilise a range of flours in all of their baked products, including buckwheat, rye, brown rice flour, spelt and almond. They also use a range of grains and one of their most unique dishes is their adult Coco Pops, made from amaranth and milled alongside locally roasted Bahen & Co chocolate cacao, honey and maple, served with almond milk. Their Life Changing bread is high in fibre, made from loads of whole grains, nuts and seeds, held together with pysillium husks. It’s also gluten free and vegan, and all ingredients are soaked for optimal nutrition and digestion before being baked. Some of their gluten free sweet treats are orange cardamom cake, paleo macadamia cookies and pistachio rhubarb cakes. Muffins are another bestseller, made from spelt flour, whole fruit, local pecans, butter, rappadura sugar and local eggs. With all of these healthy, wholesome items on the menu, the vibe in the café is great, helped by a really funky atmosphere and positive people.

Our pick: Pistachio rhubarb cupcakes

7/ Sensations Café

As well as a range of classic café menu items, Sensations café offers a range of home made sweet treats from over the top cakes to lovely little fruit tarts. Some of their incredible cake flavours include orange and chocolate cheesecake, red velvet, jaffa, rocky road, triple layer choc mint, dark chocolate peanut butter Tim Tam and chocolate Snickers cake. The café has a family friendly atmosphere, which also extends to the family dog.

Our pick: Red velvet cake

8/ Candy Cow

Candy Cow is located in the centre of the Margaret River WA wine and food region amidst rolling green dairy country and acres of vines in the town of Cowaramup, known to the locals as ‘Cow Town’. Candy Cow specialises in old-fashioned lollies, fudge, nougat, chocolate and it’s fresh, golden honeycrunch honeycomb, which visitors can pop in and watch being made. The honeycrunch is made with Western Australia honey, and there’s a ‘flavour of the day’ batch made during the live show. Candy Cow’s fudge range is extensive, and includes flavours such as bubblegum, banana chocolate, caramel cream, chocolate ginger, coconut ice, coffee cream, mango, mint chocolate, passionfruit and watermelon.

Our pick: Ginger fudge