The 2026 Western Australia winter school holidays run from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July, and they are the easiest time of year to bring everyone down south. The summer queues are gone, the roads are clear, and the Margaret River region has time for you again. If you are planning the July break, here is how to build a winter day around a long lunch and a tasting at Wise, the ocean-view winery at Eagle Bay.
When the WA winter school holidays fall in 2026
Term 2 finishes on Friday 3 July and Term 3 starts on Monday 20 July, which gives you a clear two-week break from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July. The weekend that fills first down here is Saturday 11 July, the night of our [Internal link: Truffle Long Table Dinner to the truffle dinner post], six courses of Manjimup black truffle with paired Wise wines. If that is your weekend, book it early.
Why winter beats the summer scramble
Summer down south means traffic on the way in, booked-out tables once you arrive, and sharing the view with everyone else who had the same idea. Winter undoes all of it. You drive down without a fight for parking, you get the table you actually wanted, and the coast at Eagle Bay turns wild and beautiful in a way it never is in January. For a family or a group of friends, the quiet trip is the better one.
A day built around Wise
Start with a tasting at the cellar door, where our team will pour you through the range and tell you where each wine comes from. Then settle in for a long lunch by the fire, with the ocean through the window and our warm sticky date pudding waiting at the end of it. Try the gin while you are here, and take a few bottles home so the trip lasts a little longer.
It is a grown-ups’ kind of stop on a family holiday, the part of the day where the adults get the view and the good glass and the trip slows right down.
What else is close by
Wise sits a short drive from the beaches at Eagle Bay, Meelup and Bunker Bay, and the headland at Cape Naturaliste. Dunsborough town is minutes away for a coffee or a wander. A lunch with us slots neatly into a day of coast and walks: get out in the morning, eat well in the middle, stretch the legs again before the light goes.
Make it a weekend
Wise is around three hours south of Perth, so if you are coming from the city there is no sense rushing it home. Stay nearby in Eagle Bay or Dunsborough, give yourself two days, and let one of them be the long lunch you do not have to drive away from.
Plan your visit
Tables run quietest midweek through the holidays and fill on weekends, so book ahead either way and let us know if you have a group.
Frequently asked questions
When are the 2026 WA winter school holidays? Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July. Term 2 ends Friday 3 July and Term 3 begins Monday 20 July.
Is Wise a good stop with the family? Yes. It is a relaxed winery restaurant and cellar door, well suited to a long lunch with a group. Tastings are for over-18s. Note any dietaries or younger guests when you book and our team will sort the table.
Do I need to book? Booking is recommended, especially on weekends. Midweek through the holidays is quieter if you want a relaxed table.
How far is Wise from Perth? Around a three-hour drive south, near Dunsborough at Eagle Bay. Easy enough for a day, better as a weekend.
