Why Margaret River’s Pair’d is the one food festival to visit in 2026 - Travel Australia

Dec 23, 2025

Intentionally local and undeniably world class, Pair’d x Range Rover proves there is a right way to throw a food festival.

It was wildflower season when I was in Margaret River. Or, rather, the tail end of it – but that didn’t mean that this pristine region of Western Australia wasn’t freckled with colour, sometimes hard to see through the grey-green leaves, but there for those who sought it.

Kangaroo paw in a whole spectrum of colours – pink, yellow, blue – swayed roadside. Purple-faced flowers bloomed in the sand dunes around the famously crystal beaches. The tiny white flowers of the peppermint trees – a species endemic to just the south west of the state – still clung to their branches, a sign that the last rains of the season were still to come.

Chef Francis Mallmann at Pair'd's Burnt Ends and Friends. — Chef Francis Mallmann at Pair’d’s Burnt Ends and Friends.

At a dinner (one orchestrated by the Pair’d team, more on that to come) a Margaret River told me that everyone knows those peppermint trees are the surest indicator of when summer has truly arrived. Ancient indigenous wisdom, woven into suburban lore. The indication of the tilt of of the six seasons recognised by the Wadandi people, mapped onto when to put the cushions on the outdoor furniture.

Before long, I’d become attuned to those trees too, checking whether their snowy flowers still clung to the branches as I drove long stretches of country road flanked by bush, or as I wound my way down to the pristine cove of Yallingup.

And again, as I hopped from winery to winery, restaurant to restaurant, sinking further into the particular magic of Margaret River – at what may well be the best food festival in the country: Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

All about Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover

Pair’d is a festival with a clear point of view. Now in its second year in this incarnation, after a much-loved former life as Gourmet Escape, it has found its rhythm as Western Australia’s leading wine and food festival. Set among the vines, coastlines and wide skies of the Margaret River region, it’s a celebration designed for exploration – with wine first, and the freedom to move between experiences part of the appeal.

Events are curated with a sommelier’s eye, pairing standout wines (a given, considering the pedigree of vineyards in Margaret River) with thoughtful food, music and cultural moments. The program is deliberately eclectic, favouring intimate tastings, one-off collaborations and performances designed to exist only here, in this place, for this weekend.

Pair'd x Range Rover. — Pair’d x Range Rover.

A celebration of all things Margaret River

Over four days, the festival transforms vineyards, beaches, forest clearings and even ancient caves.

In Ngilgi Reverie Cave, a millions-of-years-old underground warren dotted with stalagmites provides the setting for storytelling walks led by Wadandi custodian Josh Whiteland, and opera performances make the most of the cave’s perfect acoustics.

Back above ground, The Grand Tasting offers a different kind of immersion: 30 of the region’s wineries and distilleries offering tastings of their best, plenty to graze on thanks to a menu curated by chef Matt Moran, and the Range Rover Lounge as a refuge to soak it all in.

The Grand Tasting at Pair'd. — The Grand Tasting at Pair’d.

Perhaps the festival’s most breathtaking experience – and where I learned of the peppermint trees – was Nature’s Table, a long lunch Beneath karri trees at Tanah Marah, where chefs Paul Iskov and Jess Court weave the Noongar story of the Emu Plum delicately throughout an intricate menu

And then there’s the Range Rover Beach Club. Set on the sand at Meelup Beach and perfectly poised to catch the glorious WA sunset, chef Nathan Outlaw crafted a menu heroing local seafood, paired with wines chosen by Margaret River sommelier Cyndall Petty.

And of course, you’ll need a base. Perhaps Pullman Bunker Bay, with its clusters of cabins nestled among landscaped native gardens, boardwalks leading to a near-private white sand beach.

Global flavours unite forces with the South West

While the festival feels deeply rooted in place – the caves, karri forests and beaches of Margaret River – there’s still room for a touch of global flair.

Vasse Felix x Odette was one such experience. Three-Michelin-starred chef Julien Royer from Odette joined WA’s Cam Jones for an intimate dinner, paired with Rare Vasse Felix wines.

At De’sendent x Cloudstreet, chefs Rishi Naleendra and Evan Hayter brought together the best of the region and beyond. Marron, chardonnay and local produce shared the table with Champagne, Burgundy and caviar, celebrating the South West’s richness.

And then there was Burnt Ends and Friends, where fire took centre stage. Michelin-starred Dave Pynt returned from Singapore to Wills Domain, joined by famed Argentinian chef Francis Mallmann, Andy Hearnden, and more. The vineyard terrace transformed into a theatre of smoke and flame, where the grills were the main charatcer.

The drive from Perth, and back again

As they say – it’s not just the destination, it’s the journey. And in a Range Rover Sport (a very nice car, as even someone who, when asked what kind of car they drive in Sydney replies, “a red one,” can tell) the journey from Perth down to the Margaret River region, felt like part of the ritual.

Just three hours south, the drive unfolds through coastal towns like Busselton, Dunsborough and Augusta, where detours are recommended.

Stay tuned for Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover festival’s 2026 program announcement.