Laura Enever: Women’s surfer of the year reveals Margaret River os the WA region that ‘blows’ her away

Laura Enever, just named Women’s surfer of the year at the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge Awards in Portugal, has dropped her board on waves across the globe yet, in her own words, the Margaret River region of WA “blows” her away every time she visits. Home to world-class surf and the highly-anticipated annual Margaret River Pro, the South West coastline is a triumphant hotspot for surfing enthusiasts. Sydney-based Laura has a blog post series on her website, entitled Lay Day, sharing her day-off adventures as she tours the WSL World Tour — and lucky for us, she shed light on her favourite spots when in town for the Margaret River Pro. “It’s such an untouched part of Australia with raw coastline, empty beaches, fun waves, big waves (scary waves), and of course — wineries,” she writes. Destination: Smiths Beach Located half an hour north of Margaret River’s buzzing main street is Smiths Beach, wedged between the northern popular hotspot of Yallingup Beach and the southern lagoon aquarium protected by large granite rocks. This destination is a great all-rounder, renowned for its surf, snorkelling, fishing and long white sandy stretches ideal for walkers. It forms part of the long-distance Cape to Cape Track which links Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin. Coffee: Margaret River Bakery A European-inspired bakery that has been serving folk delicious sweet treats on main street since the 1960s. If fruit tarts, almond croissants or freshly baked bread isn’t enough to tempt you, Laura says they have the “best pies on earth”. Food & wine: Aravina Estate The 73ha Aravina Estate property has a variety of vineyards, a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, manicured gardens and a locally-loved restaurant. Their summer festival takes place between December 27 and January 12, with 17 days of live music, a special summer menu, craft beers at 8 Waves Brewing Co, wine tastings, cocktails, helicopter flights and more. Read more of Laura’s Lay Day posts at lauraenever.co