Great Southern

The Great Southern unfolds across Western Australia's lower reaches like a geological textbook written in granite and karri. This is where the continent's southwestern corner begins its slow descent toward the Southern Ocean, creating a landscape of abrupt transitions: wheat fields that terminate at towering forests, granite peaks that rise from farmland, and rivers that carve deep valleys before meeting wild coastlines. Albany anchors the region's eastern edge, its harbour sheltered by the same headlands that once provided the last glimpse of Australia for departing ANZAC troops. Denmark sits where the Denmark River meets Wilson Inlet, surrounded by karri forests that tower over small farms and emerging vineyards. Mount Barker occupies the region's elevated interior, its undulating countryside now stitched with vine rows where sheep once grazed. The wine revolution that began here in the 1970s has matured into something more nuanced than mere viticulture. Alkoomi Wines, established by the Lange family near Frankland River, demonstrates the region's capacity for both riesling and cabernet sauvignon—an unusual pairing that speaks to the complexity of local microclimates. Forest Hill Vineyard produces elegant pinot noir from Denmark's cooler pockets, while Harewood Estate near Denmark focuses on single-vineyard expressions that reflect their specific slice of granite-over-clay country. These aren't vanity projects or corporate ventures; they represent farming families who recognised that their marginal sheep country might excel at something entirely different.