Things To Do In Swan Valley: Fun Beyond The Wineries

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

When you think of Swan Valley, Western Australia’s oldest wine region, it’s easy to picture a day of wine tasting.

But on our recent visit, we took a different approach — exploring breweries, chocolate factories, and local producers that make this region just as enjoyable for non-wine lovers.

We still managed to visit one winery, and can’t wait to do more of a Swan Valley winery trail on our next visit, but this Swan Valley itinerary leans more towards food, drinks, and family-friendly stops.

With a packed itinerary, we spent the day indulging in sweet treats, good food and discovering craft beer gems. If you’re looking for a fun-filled one day in Swan Valley, this itinerary focuses on a mix of breweries, food stops and family-friendly experiences – not just the wineries.

Our One Day Swan Valley Itinerary

We stayed in Swan Valley for a week in February when visiting Perth for Simon’s brother’s wedding.

But when you’re right on the doorstep of a place like the Swan Valley, you can bet we’re going to make time to explore it. And even if you’re not, Swan Valley is one of the best day trips from Perth since it’s so close to the city.

We only had one full day spare to do this, with another full day spent doing a Rottnest Island day trip, in between the many family events.

Thankfully you can fit a lot into a one day Swan Valley itinerary! And while this might not be your perfect itinerary, we hope that our itinerary gives you a bit of inspiration to help you plan your own.

Especially if you love breweries as much as Simon does!

MORNING

We left our accommodation (Discovery Parks – Swan Valley) around 9 am to make the most of the day and reach our first stop soon after opening.

And why not start the day with chocolate?

Margaret River Chocolate Co.

On our first visit to Western Australia, we spent a few days in the Margaret River region, which is another famous winery region in WA and first visited the flagship Margaret River Chocolate Co.

This is a smaller version of the main Margaret River factory, but still a large store with plenty of free samples and a café if you want something more substantial.

There’s also a grassy outdoor area, which is great for kids to burn off some energy.

A great first stop for a treat (or a few to take home).

Providore

Located right next door to the chocolate factory is Providore, which is also a Margaret River business that has expanded into the Swan Valley.

This was the only winery we visited for the day, since they share their space with Coward & Black Vineyards, although wine isn’t their only focus. Providore have a huge range of sauces, marinades, jams, relishes, olive oils and dessert syrups.

This is another great place to grab some gourmet gifts to take home and try some samples, such as their lemon curd!

Swan Valley Station

This was one of the kids’ favourite stops of the day.

Swan Valley Station is a mix of nursery, café, farm, and playground, with roaming chickens, goats to feed, and a short sculpture walk around the dam.

There are picnic tables throughout the grounds and plenty of space for kids to explore, making it a great stop if you’re travelling with younger children.

👉 Just note that it gets very busy, so try to visit early or later in the day.

Bailey’s Brewing Co

Bailey’s Brewing Co is massive and a fantastic place to bring the kids for lunch or dinner!

There are loads of tables indoors and outdoors, outdoor TV screens and it’s dog-friendly, but best of all, there is an awesome playground that the kids loved.

They have used old trucks to create a rustic but very cool playground that even our big kids thought was great, with a flying fox, slides, and swings. Very creative.

We stopped here for a drink only. The menu was a fairly typical brewery menu – pizza, wings, fries, etc. It looked fine, but we liked the menus elsewhere a little more. We would have been quite happy to spend a full afternoon here, though.

This place is well set up for families, large groups, and even pets. It’s a pretty awesome spot!

MIDDAY

In the afternoon, we swung back to our holiday park to pick up Simon’s parents, and his mum took over the driving so he could enjoy a few beers… which also meant we did backtrack a little on our itinerary.

Valley Social

Valley Social is a huge venue with indoor and outdoor seating and sprawling lawns. They have their own Spirit Lounge where they do gin and vodka tastings, both produced onsite. Plus they make their own beer too.

The food here was really good! We loved the beef burnt ends. Cooked to perfection and highly recommended! They have a great menu for sharing amongst friends or family, and a little more on offer than some of the other breweries in the area.

Their beverage menu includes their own in-house spirits and beer, as well as other local Swan Valley ciders and wines, so you’ve got everyone covered.

There’s also a small playground for the kids, although our kids weren’t too fussed with it. It wasn’t a very exciting one. You could bring a Frisbee or a ball to throw on the grassy area, though. And they give the kids an activity sheet and pencils to keep them entertained too.

At this point in the day we realised we weren’t likely to fit any wineries into our itinerary, since there were still a few places we wanted to squeeze in.

AFTERNOON

Funk Brewshed

Funk Brewshed was top of my list to visit as it is a cidery and I don’t drink beer. This is a new venue for them and it’s huge. They have 18 different craft ciders and beers on tap, and they do both beer and cider tasting paddles.

They have some really unique cider flavours too, many of which are limited edition and not available on tap, but you can try them in a pint or in bottle form to go.

The food here was good too, since we were having somewhat of a grazing lunch from place to place. We had the buffalo chicken wings and toasted Turkish bread.

What makes it great too is that it’s a family-friendly brewery, with mini golf for the kids. It wasn’t the greatest mini golf course, but it was free to play. Just leave your ID with the bar staff and get it back when you hand the equipment back afterwards.

There were also a few other yard games and the garden area is dog-friendly too.

Mash Brewing

Mash Brewing was our last drink stop for the day and Simon and his dad both got another beer paddle to try the Mash brews.

The venue is pretty cool, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating and a playground for the kids. They also have table activities and board games to play.

Although our kids discovered an enormous tree outside the front entrance and ended up climbing that instead. Just be careful of tree sap!

We didn’t try the food here but the menu looked good.

Mondo Nougat & Morish Nuts

If you love your sweet treats, the next couple of Swan Valley stops are for you. Mondo Nougat and Morish Nuts share a building, so this is a two-for-one stop.

We didn’t get anything from Morish Nuts, but we did walk out with a lot of nougat. The soft vanilla was the winner! It is filled with macadamia nuts and is absolutely delish! The nougat bags are great gifts to take home too since they travel easily.

Whistler’s Chocolate Co

Yep, there’s another chocolate factory in the Swan Valley!

If you ask me which I like better, Whistler’s or Margaret River, I don’t know if I could pick. They are both delicious and have so many indulgent treats. But I think Whistler’s may be a little cheaper, in case you want more bang for your buck.

We love the Whistler’s chocolate-coated pretzels. So much so that we went back again the day we flew home to grab another bag and some chocolate-coated peanut brittle too. They didn’t last 2 days after we got home.

There is also a cafe here and a large outdoor area with picnic tables, play equipment and a sandpit if you have younger kids who need to get some energy out.

We would definitely stay at Discovery Parks – Swan Valley again, though. Great location if you don’t want to stay in the city centre.

How Long Do You Need in Swan Valley?

Most visitors spend half a day to a full day in Swan Valley.

You can visit a few wineries and food stops in a half day, but a full day allows you to explore more at a relaxed pace.

👉 We recommend a full day if you want to make the most of it.

More Swan Valley Places to Visit

We didn’t get to everything on our list, which just gives us a reason to come back! Or for you to create a great 2-day Swan Valley itinerary if you have the time.

Here are a few spots we’d love to visit next time:

• Oakover Grounds – A family-friendly winery with lawn games and water trikes
• Taphouse Mulberry Estate – Food, drinks, mini golf and a playground
• Collector Of Souls – A unique brewery and distillery with cocktail tasting paddles
• Old Young’s Kitchen – Highly recommended for its creative menu

There’s no shortage of places to explore in Swan Valley.

Swan Valley is one of the easiest day trips from Perth, offering a mix of food, drinks, and family-friendly experiences all within a short drive.

Whether you’re here for the wineries or looking for something a little different, there’s plenty to fill a full day.