Make your way down to Bunbury’s Dolphin Discovery Centre in Koombana Bay for a magical close encounter with some of the 100+ wild bottlenose dolphins that have made their home in the sheltered bay. Swim tours and dolphin cruises operate daily from October to April, or you can meet the dolphins at the shoreline, in the dolphin interaction zone. Venture just 15 minutes inland from Bunbury and you’ll find yourself in the Garden of Eden known as the Ferguson Valley. Against a stunning backdrop of rolling pastures, vineyards and forests, you’ll find spring wildflowers, award-winning wineries, restaurants and a lively arts and crafts scene. Pick up maps and guides at Bunbury Visitor Centre and seek out the seasonal hotspots for kangaroo paws, Dampiera, blue Hovea, egg and bacon bush, running postman, pepper and salt bush, blue Lobelia, Hakeas, purple tassels, blue Squill, cotton heads, blue Leschenaultia, white and pink myrtle, beard heath and a wide variety of orchids. Taking the Old Coast Road back to Perth, turn off after 45 minutes to follow Preston Beach Road to Yalgorup National Park. Occupying a narrow coastal strip, its chain of ten lakes harbours a large variety of birds and unique plant life, as well as the curious Iiving fossils known as thrombolites. It's one of the few places in the State where living thrombolites survive. Several easy walk trails lead you through towering tuart trees, limestone ridges and wetlands. Look out for Hibbertia, pink fairy orchids and cockies tongue. Stop by the buzzing foreshore in Mandurah for dinner, just a half-hour drive away, before returning to Perth.