A Midweek Getaway From Perth: Two Quiet Nights in Bridgetown Before Summer

Tuesday morning in Bridgetown sounds like magpies, a coffee machine and not much else. The main street has parking right outside the bakery, the river path is yours, and the person pouring your cider has time to tell you which orchard it came from. Nothing about the town has changed since the weekend except the number of people in it, and that turns out to be the whole point.

For travellers searching for a midweek getaway from Perth, a short break in the South West that is not the coast, or Bridgetown accommodation deals for a couple of quiet nights, this is the plan. Bridgetown Valley Lodge sits at 16 Phillips Street in the middle of town, and everything below starts and finishes at that front door.

Why take a midweek getaway to Bridgetown?

A midweek getaway to Bridgetown gives you the same valley, the same heritage town and the same food as a weekend, with fewer people and a lower room rate. Monday to Thursday is when the cafes, trails and cellar doors around town are at their quietest, and it is when the Lodge's best direct rates apply.

There is a seasonal reason as well. From November into early summer most South West travellers point the car at Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River, and the inland valleys empty out just as they are at their best: long light evenings, green paddocks, orchards in leaf and the Blackwood still running. If you have never thought of the town as a destination in its own right, our guide to whether Bridgetown is worth visiting lays out the case.

The people who get the most from a midweek stay tend to be couples with flexible leave, retirees, shift workers with days off in the middle of the week, and anyone who can take a laptop and call it a change of scenery. If that last one is you, the Bridgetown workation guide covers the practical side of working from a room here.

How far is Bridgetown from Perth?

Bridgetown is about two and a half to three hours' drive south of Perth, roughly 270 kilometres, via the South Western Highway. Leave after breakfast on a Monday or Tuesday and you miss the commuter traffic at one end and the weekend traffic at the other, which makes the drive part of the break rather than something to get through.

The road runs through Donnybrook's orchards and then climbs into the hills through Kirup and Balingup, about 20 minutes north of Bridgetown and the natural place to stop for a walk and a coffee. Greenbushes is ten minutes out. TransWA coaches also run to Bridgetown, and once you are here the town is small enough to do on foot.

Practical notes for the drive

Fill the tank before you leave the highway towns, because the valley roads are long and the roadhouses are few. Mobile coverage drops in some of the dips between Balingup and Bridgetown, so download your maps and your playlist before you set off. Kangaroos are active at dawn and dusk on this stretch, which is another reason to arrive after lunch and not after dark. Midweek, the only traffic you are likely to meet is the occasional log truck and a ute or two.

What do the midweek deals include?

The Lodge's midweek deal is a reduced direct rate from $210 per room per night, Monday to Thursday, when you stay two or more nights or book three or more rooms. It is available only when you book direct with the Lodge, by phone or email, and not through an online booking site.

The details sit on our packages and direct booking deals page, along with the weekend version of the same offer and the whole-lodge rate for groups who want all eight rooms. Call 0401 444 227 or email with your dates and you will get the best price for those nights back.

Every stay includes a continental breakfast, served in the cafe or on the alfresco deck, with a cooked option for a small charge. Add free WiFi, parking and a room with its own ensuite and verandah, and two midweek nights compare well with a single weekend night on the coast in summer. If you are choosing between room types, you can compare the rooms before you call.

Day one: arrive slowly

The first day of a midweek break in Bridgetown should involve as little as possible. Arrive after lunch, check in, leave the car where it is and walk into town.

The main street on foot

Bridgetown's main street is one of the best preserved heritage streetscapes in the South West, and on a weekday afternoon you can read the plaques without stepping around anyone. The galleries, the jigsaw gallery and the old shopfronts fill an easy hour or two, and the stories behind the buildings are in our guide to the historic sites around town.

The river before dinner

The Blackwood River runs through the bottom of town, and the path from the bridge is flat, shaded and a short walk from the Lodge. In the late afternoon the light comes through the paperbarks sideways and the water goes the colour of tea. It is the best free hour in Bridgetown, and midweek you will share it with a few dog walkers.

Dinner is a five minute walk back up the hill to the restaurant strip. Ask at reception which kitchens are open that night, book a table if it is a Monday or Tuesday, and be back on your verandah with a glass of something local before nine.

Day two: the river, the forest or the table

A full day in the valley can go three ways, and the right one depends on whether you came to move, to look or to eat. All three start from the Lodge after breakfast and have you home by late afternoon.

If you came to move

Hire a canoe or kayak in town and paddle upstream from Blackwood River Park, or pick a section of the Bibbulmun Track or the Old Rectory Trail for a morning walk. Cyclists have the Munda Biddi Trail and quiet valley roads. Our round-up of outdoor adventures in Bridgetown ranks the options by effort.

If you came to look

Drive south. Manjimup is about 30 minutes away, Pemberton about 45, and the karri forest starts in between. A weekday is the right day for the big trees and Beedelup Falls, because the car parks that fill on a Saturday are close to empty. The full loop is in our Southern Forests road trip guide, and one day of it fits comfortably into a two night stay.

If you came to eat

Stay close. The Cidery, home of the Blackwood Valley Brewing Company, sits on the edge of town, and the valley's orchards, cool climate vineyards and farm gates are a short drive in every direction. The route in our Blackwood Valley spring gourmet trail works just as well in early summer; check which cellar doors open midweek and plan a long lunch around one of them.

Whichever way the day goes, leave an hour at the end for the places that are not on any list. The lookouts, back lanes and picnic spots in our guide to the lesser known spots locals love are at their best when nobody else is there.

Is late spring a good time to visit Bridgetown?

Late spring and early summer, from October to December, is one of the best times to visit Bridgetown. The days are warm, the evenings are cool enough for a jumper on the verandah, the paddocks are still green and the river is still flowing after the winter rain.

It is also when midweek matters most. Event weekends in the valley fill early: the Blackwood Marathon Relay finishes in town on Saturday 31 October, and the Lodge is already booked out for the Blues at Bridgetown weekend in mid November. The nights between those weekends are a different story, and from late November the school holiday traffic heads for the coast and leaves the valley to the people who know about it.

Bridgetown sits higher and further inland than the coast, so it runs a few degrees cooler on summer nights, which is a relief if you have ever tried to sleep through a hot easterly in Perth. Bring layers at any time of year.

A two night midweek itinerary

Two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday, is the simplest version of a midweek getaway to Bridgetown and qualifies for the direct midweek rate. Add the Monday or the Thursday if you want both the forest and the food day.

Couples often treat this as a low key anniversary or birthday trip, and our guide to romantic getaways in Bridgetown has ideas for making an occasion of it.

Why stay at the Lodge

Bridgetown Valley Lodge is a heritage listed boutique lodge of eight rooms at 16 Phillips Street, a five minute walk from the cafe and restaurant strip. The building began life in 1949 as the Trainmen's Barracks, and Jeff and Dani have run it since 2010. For a short midweek break, the details that matter are simple ones.

• Quiet, structurally separate rooms, each with its own ensuite, linen, towels and toiletries.
• A verandah, a bar fridge with complimentary bottled water, tea and coffee, and crockery and glassware for a drink at the end of the day.
• Air conditioning, free WiFi, a desk and a 50 inch Smart TV, for the night you decide not to go anywhere.
• Continental breakfast included, in the cafe or on the alfresco deck.
• 24 hour reception, on-site laundry and parking, so you can leave the car alone for two days.

Most couples choose the Deluxe King Room, and friends travelling together can take neighbouring rooms and use the alfresco jarrah bar and lounge as a shared living room. As Bridgetown accommodation for a couple of unhurried nights, it is hard to be more central or more peaceful at the same time.

Frequently asked questions