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Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, 277 kilometres (172 mi) south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.
The surrounding area is the Margaret River Wine Region and has become known for its wine production and tourism, attracting an estimated 500,000 visitors annually.[2] In earlier days the area was better known for hardwood timber and agricultural production.
The town is named after the river, which is presumed to be named after Margaret Wyche, cousin of John Garrett Bussell (founder of Busselton) in 1831. The name is first shown on a map of the region published in 1839. European migrants lived in the area as early as 1850, with timber logging commencing in around 1870. By 1910, the town had a hotel also operating as a post office.
After World War I, an attempt by the Government of Western Australia to attract migrants to Western Australia (known as Group Settlement) and establish farms in the region attracted settlers to the town. In 1922, over 100 settlers moved into the district.
Margaret River is one of the most immediately recognized wine regions of Australia by both domestic and international audiences. It is the foremost Geographical Indication in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 5,500 hectares under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. The region is made up predominately of boutique size wine producers; although winery operations range from the smallest crushing 3.5 tonne per year to the largest around 7000 tonne.[3][4]
Although the region produces just three percent of total Australian grape production, it commands over 20 percent of Australia's premium wine market. Stretching some 100km from north to south and about 27km wide in parts. The region comprises the rolling hills of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin. To the west, the Indian Ocean provides a dramatic boundary of cliffs, world-renowned surf and some of Australias most pristine beaches. It is a wine region of superior growing conditions with a Mediterranean style climate. This means vineyards are not affected by extreme summer and winter temperatures. With an overall climate similar to that of Bordeaux in a dry vintage.[3][5]
Humidity levels are ideal during the growing period and the combination of climate, soil and viticulture practices leads to consistently high quality fruit of intense flavour. Consequently annual vintage results continue to exceed expectations and reinforce its reputation of one of the premium wine producing regions of the world.[6][7]
The principal grape varieties in the region are fairly evenly split between red and white; cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, merlot, Chenin Blanc and Verdelho.[3][8]
Several hundred caves are located near Margaret River, all of them within Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Six of these are open to the public.[9]
The most famous of these is the multi-chambered Mammoth Cave, which lies 21 kilometres south of the town and contains fossils dating back over 35,000 years.[10] The cave was first discovered by European settlers in 1850 and has been open to the public since 1904. The cave can be explored by a self-guided audio tour, and is one of the few caves in Australia offering partial disabled access.[citation needed]
The other five caves open to the public in the area are Jewel Cave, Lake Cave, Ngilgi Cave, Calgardup Cave and Giants Cave. Many other caves can be accessed with a permit by experienced cavers.
Info Taken from Wikipedia.com
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