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"\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Go There: Margaret River, Western Australia&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;em&gt;Wine, wombats, and waves&lt;\\/em&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;By Kirk Owers&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where:&lt;\\/strong&gt; The southwest corner of Australia is an anvil of coastline that gets hammered by swell from the Roaring Forties. Margaret River lies in the middle of the region, three hours south of Perth, surrounded by wineries, national parks, boutique breweries, and a smorgasbord of mouthwatering waves.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Margies was once a quiet rural town where a man could wander the streets on a farm animal and watch the world go slowly by. Today it\\u2019s part of a bustling tourist region, which caters for wine lovers, foodies, nature freaks, and surfers. Main Break\\u2014a voluminous, wide-faced peak\\u2014is the best-known spot, but there are better options. Directly opposite lies the Box, a favorite slab for visiting pros. Up the coast at Gracetown is a grinding tube express known as North Point, and further north there are a bunch of sick waves around Taj Burrow\\u2019s hometown, Yallingup. The entire coast is littered with powerful reefbreaks, which draw comparisons with Oahu\\u2019s North Shore.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;figure id=\\\"attachment_1000149074\\\" style=\\\"width: 640px\\\" class=\\\"wp-caption aligncenter\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"size-full wp-image-1000149074\\\" title=\\\"Jack Robinson\\\" src=\\\"http:\\/\\/www.grindtv.com\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2012\\/07\\/Jack-Robinson.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Jack Robinson\\\" width=\\\"640\\\" height=\\\"403\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;figcaption class=\\\"wp-caption-text\\\"&gt;Lil&amp;#39; Jack Robinson is right at home while in the tube at The Box. Photo: Dorsey&lt;\\/figcaption&gt;&lt;\\/figure&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Tourist brochures talk fondly of a Mediterranean climate but fail to mention that it gets scorching hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter. Autumn (March\\u2013May) has the best mix of weather and waves. The wind is consistently offshore and the swell is consistently up. During winter, the low-pressure systems smash the coast and surfers hunker down awaiting offshores or they pack up and head for the northwest desert for a month or three. Anything goes in spring, the gambler\\u2019s season. Summer can be good but is dogged by onshores.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Margarets has arguably the best waves and the most idyllic setting for waves in the country, and that\\u2019s saying a lot. Between Cape Naturaliste to the north and Cape Leeuwin to the south, there are an estimated 75 surf spots and about 70 wineries. Helpful staff at the Margaret River Visitor Centre will supply you with a map showing most of them. There are slabs, ledges, outer reefs, and bomboras set against fields of cabernets, pinots, and chardonnays, and towering karri forests.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe src=\\\"http:\\/\\/player.vimeo.com\\/video\\/41538588\\\" width=\\\"640\\\" height=\\\"360\\\" frameborder=\\\"0\\\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;\\/iframe&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;How:&lt;\\/strong&gt; A return flight from LA to Perth will cost you about $1,400. From Perth you\\u2019ll want to hire a car for the duration of your visit. You\\u2019ll need reliable wheels to do the southwest; a 4WD would be handy but not necessary. Margaret River is three hours south of Perth, but it\\u2019s worth stopping at Yallingup for a night or three along the way.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Places To Stay:&lt;\\/strong&gt; If you want to get loaded and chase the nightlife you\\u2019ll want to stay in town. There are several backpackers for folks who don\\u2019t mind sharing kitchens, bathrooms, and leftover food not clearly marked with a name. At the other end of the scale, you can pimp it up at a luxury pad at Cape Lodge. Other good options include the caravan parks at Margies, Gracetown, and Yallingup, which offer cheap cabins and tent sites close to the waves.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Places To Eat:&lt;\\/strong&gt; We\\u2019re mental for caf\\u00e9s in Australia. Every town will have a bunch offering \\u201cthe best coffee in town\\u201d \\u2014which means espresso-style, 200 degrees, and with enough kick to kill a horse. Good caf\\u00e9\\u2019s offer great food at reasonable prices and double as wine bars and places to attract passersby. Margies is spoilt for choice with fresh, local produce on most menus alongside the region\\u2019s world-class wines and boutique beers. Too posh? Hit up the local tavern for steak and a tap beer or the local fish-and-chip shop.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;figure id=\\\"attachment_1000149076\\\" style=\\\"width: 640px\\\" class=\\\"wp-caption aligncenter\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"size-full wp-image-1000149076\\\" title=\\\"West Oz\\\" src=\\\"http:\\/\\/www.grindtv.com\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2012\\/07\\/WA-Lineup.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"West Oz\\\" width=\\\"640\\\" height=\\\"262\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;figcaption class=\\\"wp-caption-text\\\"&gt;Pick your own peak in WA. Photo: Checkwood&lt;\\/figcaption&gt;&lt;\\/figure&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Babes And Dudes:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Very seasonal and very sought after. Weekends and school holidays bring them in by the vanload, but winters can be long and lonesome. Local babes fall into two categories: straight-talking, boot-wearing farmer\\u2019s daughters, or straight-talking, boot-wearing hippie chicks. The Settler\\u2019s Tavern in the heart of Margaret River is the place for live music, big meals, and hooking up.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crowd Factor:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Many of the well-known spots get busy. Main Break is especially popular with older locals who can be a little possessive. But there is 130km of coast to explore and more than 70 waves to find. You can surf alone if you want. Most locals are accustomed to travelers and won\\u2019t bite your tires unless you act like a dick. Avoid late March when the pros descend for the Telstra Drug Aware Pro.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stuff to Bring:&lt;\\/strong&gt; If you want to surf the outer reefs, Cow Bommie, or Main Break, you\\u2019ll need a gun. Not a step-up but a proper seven-foot-plus gun. Otherwise your normal shortboard will work for the slabs, beaches, and reefs. A 3\\/2 suit will do the job for most of the year, but a 4\\/3 will be handy for winter.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If The Surf Is Flat:&lt;\\/strong&gt; It won\\u2019t be, but it could easily be howling onshore or beyond your abilities. There\\u2019s a heap to do in the region: bush tracks to walk, caves to explore, endangered fauna to photograph, whales to spot, fish to catch, and wineries to tour. If you need a city\\/nightclub fix, Perth is just three hours away and it rocks.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Helpful Websites:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Get a feel for the local surf scene at margaretriversurf.com.au. Brush up on the local lingo at &lt;a href=\\\"http:\\/\\/aussieslang.org\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\"&gt;aussieslang.org&lt;\\/a&gt;. General info can be found at &lt;a href=\\\"http:\\/\\/margaretriver.com\\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\"&gt;margaretriver.com&lt;\\/a&gt;.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;figure id=\\\"attachment_1000149077\\\" style=\\\"width: 640px\\\" class=\\\"wp-caption aligncenter\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"size-full wp-image-1000149077\\\" title=\\\"Brett Hardy\\\" src=\\\"http:\\/\\/www.grindtv.com\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2012\\/07\\/Brett-Hardy.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Brett Hardy\\\" width=\\\"640\\\" height=\\\"360\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;figcaption class=\\\"wp-caption-text\\\"&gt;West Oz local Brett Hardy. Photo: Russell Ord&lt;\\/figcaption&gt;&lt;\\/figure&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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