Margaret RiverClimbing Co

Mick Dempsey crossed the Nullarbor in 2000 chasing rock and never left, settling at Wilyabrup, the sea cliffs at the heart of the Margaret River wine region in Western Australia. He built Margaret River Climbing Co around that stretch of coast and the cave systems of the Boranup Forest and Leeuwin Ridge, running half-day and full-day trips that pair morning abseiling and rock climbing on the cliffs with afternoon caving underground. Groups are kept small by design, for one-on-one attention and to limit impact on a fragile stretch of coastline. Dempsey has been climbing since he was eleven years old and still runs the operation from Wilyabrup, a fifteen-minute walk from the car park to the cliff edge. Tours run seven days a week, weather permitting, year-round. Since 2000, Dempsey has remained the only dedicated rock-climbing and caving guide operating on this coastline, with a business built entirely around the two landforms — cliff and cave — that drew him west in the first place.