As it happened, we already knew where we wanted to go. Middleton Beach Fish and Chips has a bit of a name for doing really wonderful, fresh, local F&C, plus it was closer to our Best Western hotel than the other place I also wanted to try. Tomorrow would be OK to check out The Squid Shack at Emu Point we decided.

So on a freezing blustery June evening there we were rugged up and seated in front of the counter which in summer would be crammed by beach towel carrying patrons in board shorts and rubber thongs. The fish was fresh and local – snapper, we were told – and the chips were hot, so we could see what people liked about the place.

Next door another shop, Bay Merchants, caught my eye. It was closed at 7pm, but we came back the following morning and joined a bunch of people, already settled in as if they lived there, with coffees and newspapers and generous breakfast dishes. This crammed and creative cafe is filled with shelves of glowing preserves and condiments, displays of local fruit and vegetables, and a tempting sandwich bar at the back. In fact sandwiches made on a variety of breads is the big thing here and owner Trish Flowers showed me her book: The Bay and Beyond which is a mix of stunning local photography, reminiscences and the secrets of her unique sandwich combinations.  

We made it in time for lunch to the legendary Squid Shack – but, wouldn’t you know it? – it was closed for renovations, so we headed back to the Bay Merchants for a sandwich-to-go. 

Our afternoon trip took us on a loop through the Porongurups, a range of mountains that look more spectacular from a distance we decided. Mount Barker is one of the major wine regions in WA and we sampled the local cool-climate wines at a couple of wineries. Sadly we missed visiting the amazing Maleeya Thai as it was closed. This Thai restaurant has become a local legend and stands incongruously in an Australian paddock, albeit one that is now thick with the trees the owners have planted as well as organic herbs and chillies, bananas and bamboo. 

For a wine centre, Mount Barker is a true country-town, laid back and lazy. I met the butcher at Plantagenet Meats and admired his range of local meats as well as Mount Barker Chicken cuts and marron, but otherwise you get the feeling that Albany, just 47 kilometres south, is now the real hub of food action in the region.

For dinner in Albany we returned to Tanglehead Brewery which we had visited that morning. This is the first brewery in the Great Southern region in over 70 years and revives a long history of brewing that stretches back to the first settlement in 1826. It makes a range of handcrafted ales, and the pub-grub in its adjoining restaurant proved ideal for a quick dinner. 

Next morning we quickly saw a few final places before heading off west from Albany. I wanted to visit Black Duck Gourmet Pantry because I had read about its treasure trove of local produce and it was certainly worth seeing. We popped into Alkoomi Wines the cellar door for the wines and olive oil produced at Frankland, then headed off for Denmark. 

I had been told of a shop in Denmark, The Source, and advised to meet Melissa Taylor its owner. This wonderful shop only opened late last year but it has a wealth of regional food in a small space, and Melissa knowledge of the local food scene is immense. She took us to the nearby Bibbulman Cafe (good coffee, too) as she told us about the local food growers and artisans, many of whom can be found at the Saturday morning Albany Farmer’s Market or the Denmark Community Market

After a mandatory stop at the Madfish Wines cellar door, we hurried on to Denmark Farmhouse Cheeses at Ducketts Mill winery. Here we met the cheese maker and owner, Dallas Lewis, and were amazed at the cheeses he had on display, but blown away by a petit crottin which he brought from a back room. It was the last of the batch, he apologised, but I was in cheese-heaven, and the flavours lingered in my mouth and memory long into the afternoon. The amazing thing was it was not a goat’s cheese but was, like all his cheeses, made from cows milk. He believes that this is the only winery in Australia making cheese – yet it is such a blindingly obvious match. We have cheese and wine trails but few places creating both on the same premises.

Further on we arrived at the Old Kent River Slow Food Cafe and later realised we should have stayed for lunch, but we had our minds set on the Nornalup Teahouse about which we had heard glowing reports. Imagine our dismay when we finally arrived after 2pm to find it was closed for the next week or so for renovations!

By now we were starving and at Walpole the next town set back from the coast on two inlets, we would have eaten anything. The Golden Wattle Bakery and Supermarket seemed our best bet and we sloshed in (did I say it was raining heavily too?) and uncharacteristically chose a burger, no questions asked, expecting to do little more than deal with our appetites and keep moving. It arrived swiftly and one bite told us this was an undiscovered gem. The thick fillet of sweet moist white fish had never seen the inside of a packet or a freezer. The salad was good, and the bread fresh. What a find! I complimented the young man who had served us and asked about the fish. “It all comes straight from …” and he waved in the vague direction of the coastline just a few kilometres away.

Thus reinforced we felt our next stop, Pemberton, would bring just as many surprises.