Self-Launched Southern Forests Food & Farm Trail: Perth to Manjimup, Pemberton & Karri Country
3 days · Southern Forests, Western Australia
Matters Of Taste charges £1,080
No-markup version: ~£390 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 3-day food-and-farm adventure through Western Australia's Southern Forests — Manjimup, Pemberton and the towering karri country — built as a DIY version of Matters Of Taste's guided food tour. Hire a car (or take the Transwa coach) from Perth, base yourself in Manjimup, and book the region's standout producers direct: a regenerative family farm lunch in a shearing shed, a robotic dairy tour, a handcrafted chocolate tasting among the karri trees, avocado and gold kiwi orchards, a cold-press avocado oil facility and big forest-picnic energy at Big Brook Dam. Same destinations, same farm-gate experiences, a fraction of the guided price.
Day-by-day
Perth to Manjimup via Bridgetown — farm lunch and shearing shed hospitality
Perth → Bridgetown → Manjimup
Pick up a hire car in Perth CBD early (economy hatchback, ~£28-35/day; split between two it's cheap) or catch the Transwa coach from East Perth to Manjimup (South West Coach Lines / Transwa, ~£25-30 one-way, roughly 4.5-5 hours with a Bridgetown stop). Drive south on the South Western Highway — the country-road stop for a flat white and morning tea in Bridgetown is a must. Check into your Manjimup base (Kingsley Motel equivalent, or a budget motel/guesthouse in town from ~£40-50/night). In the afternoon, book a regenerative family farm visit direct — the 200-acre properties around Manjimup (pastured eggs, beef, lamb, brassicas) run farm-gate tours and home-cooked shearing-shed lunches for around £35-45pp when arranged ahead by phone or email. Finish with a share-plate dinner and local wine sampling at a Manjimup restaurant celebrating regional produce.
🚌Hire car from Perth (~£30/day) or Transwa/South West coach Perth–Manjimup (~£28). Local driving between farm stops.
🛏Budget motel or guesthouse in Manjimup (~£45-50/night double, ~£22-25pp if shared)
- →South Western Highway drive via Bridgetown
- →Country-road morning tea stop in Bridgetown
- →Regenerative family farm visit with home-cooked shearing shed lunch (book direct, ~£40)
- →Share-plate dinner with local wine sampling in Manjimup (~£25)
Manjimup → Pemberton → Manjimup — dairy, chocolate, avocado orchards and a forest picnic
Manjimup & Pemberton
A big self-drive loop day. Start with light breakfast and local coffee in Manjimup, then head to a multi-award-winning robotic dairy near Pemberton — book the farm tour direct (many run daily tours ~£20-25pp) to see cows choosing when to be milked and learn about low-temperature pasteurisation. Next, a handcrafted chocolate tasting with husband-and-wife makers tucked deep among the karri trees (direct booking essential, ~£10-15pp). Pick up supplies in Pemberton and drive to Big Brook Dam for a DIY picnic lunch surrounded by towering forest — free entry, swim or walk the 4km dam trail. In the afternoon, join a guided tour of an organic avocado and gold kiwi fruit orchard with grass-fed Jersey cattle (~£25-30pp, book direct). Back in Manjimup, book a three-course farm dinner featuring the farm's own Jersey beef with wine (~£45-55pp) — the table-where-it-was-grown experience.
🚌Self-drive loop Manjimup–Pemberton–Manjimup (~150km round trip, fuel ~£12-15 total)
🛏Budget motel or guesthouse in Manjimup (~£45-50/night double, ~£22-25pp if shared)
- →Robotic dairy farm tour near Pemberton (book direct, ~£22)
- →Handcrafted chocolate tasting among the karri trees (~£12)
- →DIY picnic at Big Brook Dam (free entry; supplies ~£8)
- →Organic avocado & gold kiwi orchard tour with Jersey cattle (~£28)
- →Three-course farm dinner with own Jersey beef and wine (~£50)
Manjimup to Perth via Bridgetown — avocado oil, heritage park and an award-winning pie
Manjimup → Bridgetown → Perth
Breakfast and coffee overlooking Manjimup Heritage Park (free to wander; the timber-park and settlement exhibits are worth 30 minutes). Then book a tour of the cold-press avocado oil facility — the engineer-operator-led visit shows how surplus and imperfect local avocados become premium oil (~£15pp, arrange direct in advance). Hit the road north; stop in Bridgetown for lunch at a cafe baking award-winning pies (the region is famous for them, ~£8-12 for pie + coffee). Continue to Perth, drop the car, and finish back at Barrack Street Jetty by mid-afternoon — mirroring the guided tour's end point. If you skipped the hire car, take the Transwa/South West coach Manjimup–Perth (~£28-30, ~4.5 hours).
🚌Self-drive Manjimup–Perth via Bridgetown (~330km, ~4 hours driving; fuel ~£18-22) or Transwa/South West coach (~£28-30)
🛏None included — return to Perth accommodation or onward travel
- →Manjimup Heritage Park walk with breakfast (free)
- →Cold-press avocado oil facility tour with operator (~£15)
- →Award-winning pie lunch stop in Bridgetown (~£10)
- →Return drive to Barrack Street Jetty, Perth
Self-launched vs. Matters Of Taste
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Matters Of Taste | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£390 | £1,080 |
| Duration | 3 days | 3 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £690 per person (64%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Matters Of Taste-style trips? Check them out here.~£390
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Southern Forests Food & Farm Trail: Perth to Manjimup, Pemberton & Karri Country cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £390 per person for 3 days in Southern Forests, Western Australia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Matters Of Taste?+
Yes — Matters Of Taste charges around £1,080 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £390 — a saving of roughly £690 (64%) per person.
How long is the Southern Forests, Western Australia trip?+
This itinerary runs 3 days, covering 3 day-by-day stops through Southern Forests, Western Australia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a foodie, slow-travel, road-trip trip through Southern Forests, Western Australia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.