Top Towns for 2022: Where to eat, stay and play in Denmark

This artsy town is tucked into a tall-tree forest just over 4.5 hours’ drive from Perth, and comes in at 31 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

Where to brunch

Breakfast is served all day, every day at Mrs Jones Cafe, in what used to be the town’s butter factory. Secure a table in the garden, then wander around the adjoining art gallery while you wait for delights to arrive.

Where to craft

No, not the arts – Boston Brewing Co.’s brewpub is home to handcrafted beers worthy of the drive out of town. Bring the family and grab a shaded picnic table on the grass, in view of the large playground and sandpit.

Enjoy a brew with a vineyard view. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where to bike

A purpose-built cycle trail edges along the clifftops looming over Lights Beach – the views are expansive and the traffic minimal. You can walk it, but only if you’re willing to react quickly if cyclists come flying along. Look down over glittering rockpools, the safest spots to swim along this rugged stretch of ocean.

Where to explore

Elephant Rocks, 100 metres to the left of showstopper Greens Pool, is just as magical yet half as busy. Follow the trail to rounded granite boulders that resemble a herd of elephants (only way bigger), then trot down steps to a narrow gap between rocks.

Walk assertively through it the moment the sea sucks out, and you’ll make it to a private beach without getting your shorts wet.

These giant granite boulders that resemble a herd of elephants lumbering out to sea. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where to picnic

Throw down a rug, bring sandwiches and treat yourself to the breathtakingly good chardonnay at Singlefile Wines. The estate encourages BYO picnics on the grass, in view of the line of geese that roam, in single file, around the verdant vineyard.

Where to be mindful

Find peace some 40 metres high, in the canopy of 400-year-old tingle trees. The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, 40 minutes’ drive from Denmark, rises gradually via soaring suspended steel bridges that sway in the breeze. Pause, breathe and be present.

Tackle the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk while in Denmark. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Where to roam

Strap in for an hour of visual marvels along the Mt Shadforth scenic drive. Let your eyes wander over stretches of leafy vines, up undulating hills and across verdant farmland, with the moody Stirling Ranges and Porongurup granite boulders on the horizon.

Where to stay

Soak in a custom concrete bath surrounded by ruler-straight, white-trunked trees at Upland Farm, or be seduced by the indoor – and outdoor – baths that are each designed to fit two at Stillwood Retreat.

Stillwood Retreat offers a bespoke stay among the trees.

Explore more of Denmark in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.