On the return route from Swan Valley, there were a couple of places we wanted to check out before we called it a day. One being the Cape Lavender café off West Swan Road. Initially, I envisaged a place with organic-designed wrought iron gates, a long driveway lined with thick bushes of lavender on either sides and the road slowly opening up to fields of purple lavender.

Forget that, it was just short dusty drive to a small building with a few lines of lavender bushes in the front. Even the lavender on the café tables were plastic!!

Only saving grace was the little café which served up lavender scones with raspberry jam and lashings of clotted cream. Wasn’t hungry at all, but I really wanted to give it a try.

Verdict: Felt like I was eating potpourri!?!

Beside the café was a little gift shop with all sorts of lavender gifts and edibles such as jams, chutneys, honey and preserves. All of which you can sample before you buy.

After speaking to the lovely lady at the counter did we realize that the Cape Lavender farm is actually in Margaret River, and this place was just an outlet.

Cape Lavender (Swan Valley outlet)
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm
Address: 6 Cranleigh Street (off West Swan Road), West Swan
Tel: +61 (08) 9250 7711
Website: http://www.capelavender.com.au/cape-lavender-swan-valley.html

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Margaret River is the chocolate factory. Now before you start imagining a place like Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, get rid of that thought immediately. You won’t find no chocolate lake or copious amounts of candy on the walls and hanging off trees.

Let me help you out here and manage your expectations. It’s just a huge shop with a shelf full of chocolate, and a back room with a few heavy machinery churning melted chocolate in cauldrons. But don’t let the appearance discourage you, the chocolate is good!

Entry is free, and so is the sampling of chocolate pastelles in dark, milk and white from huge bowls located at the entrance of the shop.

The Margaret River factory was opened in May 1999 by two friends who had no experience in chocolate, retailing or tourism but did have a passion for chocolate. Chocolate is one of the most luxurious, indulgent and universally loved foods in existence and has a rich history dating back more than 3000 years. Several hundred years after this the Aztecs christened it as the “Food of the Gods”.

It may be a small factory, but they do have a lot of flavours: Dark, milk, white, sugar free, rocky road, sprinkles, biscuits. Gourmet hand-made truffles are displayed in the glass cabinet: hazelnut toffee, Turkish delight, strawberry cream. One of their award winning flavour is dark chocolate with candied ginger.

You can view the chocolate making process through a glass window. The factory also has a café serving sandwiches, coffees, chocolate fondues, fudge cake, brownies and ice cream sundaes.

They did so well, another outlet in Swan Valley was opened a year later for people like me who didn’t want to venture that far for a piece of heaven.

The Margaret River Chocolate Factory
Address: 5123 West Swan Rd, West Swan 6055 WA
Tel: +61 (08) 9250 1588
Opening hours: 9am – 5pm
Website:www.chocolatefactory.com.au/