Capes Conversations

Each year, one of nature’s great journeys tracks along Western Australia’s coastline. Before winter, humpback and southern right whales leave Antarctica’s icy waters for their long migration north to warmer seas — hugging our continent before trekking south again months later. Known as Margaret River Region's 'whale nursery', Augusta's calm, sheltered waters provide a safe place for mothers to rest, feed and nurture their calves before the long journey home. From its headlands and beaches, locals and visitors can witness breaching, tail slaps and those unforgettable moments when a calf surfaces beside its mother. This week, host Kellie Tannock speaks to two researchers with different projects at each end of our Capes, and the creative force behind Augusta's Whalesong Festival that marks the start of the whale migration.Image by Tim Campbell.Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

In every regional community, volunteers are the backbone.  It's volunteers who run or support regional emergency services, kids sport, community events, arts festivals, historical societies, leisure groups ... the list goes on. So much of this only happens because our volunteers give thousands of unpaid hours to make it happen. This week, host, Kellie Tannock talks to guests about the impact our volunteers make and hopefully inspire more people to get involved. With National Volunteer Week each May, this is the perfect time to say thank you.The image supporting this podcast is the voluntary members of Margaret River Off Road Cycling Association working to maintain mountain bike tracks.Here are some links to local volunteering resources;Busselton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre Community Clubs & Interest Groups - Augusta Margaret River Community Directory Directory Category | Rotary Margaret River Directory Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

On Capes Conversations this week, host Kellie Tannock takes us back in time to look at what’s widely regarded as WA’s first tourism attraction. It’s one of Margaret River’s show caves, which suffered damage in its early years of tourism, when a visit was an eight-hour adventure, not the one-hour experience of today. We’ll find out just how much our behaviour has changed with better understanding about how fragile these cave systems are. We’ll also hear about how the caves are being protected for future generations to enjoy. This episode features Ngilgi Cave Manager, Tod Kearns and Alysha Johnson, Conservation Manager for the Capes Foundation, which operates Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup, as well as Lake, Jewel and Mammoth Caves in the region’s south.Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

In  the past decade, Australia’s craft beer scene has shifted from niche to mainstream.  More and more beer drinkers were chasing local, independent, flavour-driven brews, and the industry responded... with brewers in the Margaret River Region right at the forefront of this golden new era.. Margaret River’s craft beer story began in the mid 90s with Bootleg Brewery – then something of a lone wolf in wine country. But a small, distinctive group of breweries followed, choosing quality, place and hospitality over scale.  Today, craft beer is firmly part of the Margaret River experience, shaped by landscape, local produce and community. It’s not about rapid growth here – it’s about character, connection and great beer made close to where it’s enjoyed. Raise a pint to our local brewers, as Kellie Tannock chats with the South West Brewers Alliance, a brewery with sustainability front and centre and a local hops farmer. Photo credit: Josh Ball Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

This week, Capes Conversations looks at the plight of some lesser known, or less publicised, wildlife in our region, and the work being done to protect them. This episode could apply to so many of our native species where human impact, feral animals, habitat loss, light pollution, introduced species and climate change have all impacted our local wildlife and put them under threat.Host Kellie Tannock talks to conservation researchers and advocates for our beach-nesting birds, the white-bellied frog and the snake-necked turtle to find out what is being done to protect these often elusive and vulnerable animals. Image supplied by Tegan Knowles.Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

There are numerous land & coast care groups across the region, focused on rehabilitating degraded and weed-ravaged land, returning it to native bushland.One group, the Augusta Land and Coast Care Group also moonlight once a month as the Friends of Cape Leeuwin, with projects around Augusta as well as working alongside the Capes Foundation team at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse Precinct.Gudrun Theile explains more about the group's purpose and activities before host Kellie Tannock is joined by Dianne James from the Capes Foundation and Peter Murphy, Horticultural Lecturer at SW Tafe, and all of them have some great tips for caring for your backyard.Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

Each year, Margaret River’s Surfer’s Point plays host to the world’s best surfers, all chasing a win as they vie for the World Surf League’s World Title in the Western Australia Margaret River Surf Pro.  This year, Margaret River is number two of 12 stops across 9 countries on the circuit.  This season also marks pro surfing’s 50th year.This week, Kellie Tannock speaks to World Surfing League's Asa Pacific President, Andrew Stark on the Pro's history, evolution and exposure for the Margaret River Region.She also speaks two former surf champions who are hugely influential in the local surfing scene, Mike McAuliffe and Dave Macaulay, who share tips on Pro for residents and visitors, and explain why the event is so important for the community. Images supplied by WSLThanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

Margaret River Region is internationally renowned for its wine, particularly Chardonnay & Cabernet Sauvignon.From late January to early May, depending on the season, the harvest takes place - international workers arrive, all-night operations begin in the vineyards and crates of grapes are brought into the many wineries across the region. Viticulturalist, Tim Quinlan and winemaker, Ely Jarvis speak to host, Kellie Tannock to learn what really happens during the harvest.For further listening, the four-part Wine Unearthed podcast series is available on margaretriver.com. This series takes a deeper dive into Margaret River's wine scene and some of the stories behind the labels.Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

This week, Capes Conversations looks up ... up at the vast dark skies above us. It's something we take for granted but Carol Redford, founder of Astrotourism WA, wants us to proud of what's above our heads every night. She shares her knowledge of our visible astronomical objects with practical tips to start learning more about our stars and planets.Photographer, Aidan Kean also shares his tricks on capturing the elusive Aurora Australis.There are some books references on Indigenous Astronomy. Look out for The First Astronomers by Duane Hamacher, Emu Dreaming by Ray and Cilla Norris and First Knowledges: Sky Country by Karlie Noon & Krystal De Napoli. To help monitor aurora activity, take a look at some of these resources;Aurora Australis Facebook GroupSpaceWeather.com Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (part of Bureau of Meteorology) My Aurora Forecast app There's also information on sky gazing in the Margaret River here: Night sky: where to stargaze | The Margaret River Region@light_to_lens, @astrotourismwa Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

The Ludlow Tuart Forest was once the entry into Busselton, before the bypass was built. It’s now signposted as the scenic route into town and most people miss it. This week, Capes Conversations looks at what makes the Ludlow Forest so special and why it needs community help to regenerate and thrive. The Ludlow Tuart Forest is the only tall Tuart forest ecosystem in the world. Once covering more than 110,000 hectares, it has been reduced to just 3% of its original extent. What remains is fragmented, under‑managed, and facing accelerating ecological decline.Des Donnolly and Evelyn Taylor are from the Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration Group and they believe community can regenerate this forest.Visit the Group's website for more information on their activities, opening hours and ways you can support them: Ludlow Tuart Forest Restoration GroupThanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

We recorded this episode on March 3, 2026 to highlight the devastating impact of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARS) on our native wildlife. The regulatory body, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Association (APVMA) is conducting a review of SGARs and taking public submissions.Then, great news, on March 10 came the announcement that SGARs poisons would be declared restricted chemical products and the registration of all products containing SGARs would be suspended for one year from 24 March, 2026.  Read the APVMA March 10 announcement in fullThis is an important step but it's not a full ban on the products so we have decided to air this podcast as it was recorded to give a full summary of the impact these products have on our birds and wildlife and explain why we want to see them banned in Australia. Host, Kellie Tannock chats to Dr Boyd Wykes from Owl-Friendly Margaret River and Tara Finch, Manager of the Capes Raptor Centre.For more information on the Capes Raptor Centre's recommendations for alternative safer rodent control visit the Capes Foundation website. Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends. It will help us to keep this show going if you leave us a review.For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.