The camp kitchens at Fonty's are genuinely well set-up for self-caterers: two separate facilities, each equipped with BBQs, a fridge, gas stovetops, toaster and kettle, plus a large open fire in the cooler months when fire pots are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Pull up a camp chair, get something sizzling, and you'll find it's very easy to spend an entire evening beside the pool without going anywhere. The chalets and cabins are all self-contained, so stocking up before you arrive makes a lot of sense. Stop into the Guadagnino Orchard Packing Shed on Seven Day Road for seasonal produce bought direct from the farm, cash in hand, no food miles whatsoever. It's the kind of roadside stall that makes you slow down and remember that not everything needs to be wrapped in plastic.

For breakfast in town, Two Little Black Birds Café is the local pick. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am, the kitchen turns out the kind of breakfast that makes you very happy: the house-made truffle hash browns with smashed avo and poached eggs have earned something of a cult following among regulars, and the coffee, using Southern Roasting Co beans, is consistently strong. We stopped in on our first morning, ate outside under the covered seating, and were back the next day without a moment's hesitation. You're also in the running for passionfruit pancakes and a proper beef burger at lunch if you hang around.

For dinner, Tall Timbers is our pick in Manjimup. Open for lunch and dinner seven days, the restaurant uses EnoMatic machines to serve wines from across the Manjimup and Pemberton regions by the glass, meaning you can work your way through local pinot noirs and chardonnays without committing to a full bottle. The produce-focused menu changes with the seasons, and the beer garden is dog-friendly, which is a genuine plus. Across the road, the Brew Pub arm of the same operation is a more casual affair: local craft beers brewed and batched on-site, good pub grub, and a roaring fire on cold nights that invites you to stay far longer than planned.

And if you're visiting between June and August, make the short walk up Seven Day Road to Truffle Hill for the full Southern Forests experience. The cellar door opens Thursday to Sunday from noon, offering wine tastings in a rustic setting overlooking the vineyard and a picturesque dam, with truffle oils, salts and condiments available year-round. During season, truffle hunts with trained dogs head out into the rows of hazelnut and oak trees, and the experience of following a nose that is better at its job than anything else in the region is genuinely hard to forget.

The pool itself is the undisputed centrepiece of a stay here, and for good reason. Nearly an acre of fresh spring water, fed naturally and open 9am to 5pm daily for park guests and day visitors alike. Bring your inflatables: blow-up boats, giant swans and rubber rings are all enthusiastically encouraged, though kayaks and hard-bottomed craft are not permitted. On cooler autumn evenings, a fire pot by the water's edge transforms the scene entirely. The park closes seasonally from 1 July and reopens 1 September, so plan accordingly.

From the park, the region radiates outward with impressive reach. A short drive along Seven Day Road puts you at Truffle Hill, just minutes away, where the landscape is a patchwork of vineyard and forest with the kind of still quality that makes you want to walk slowly. In June, the annual Truffle Kerfuffle festival brings the region together in a celebration of local food, wine and, of course, black truffles. If you're visiting outside truffle season, Truffle Hill's cellar door is still worth the detour for the wines alone.

Manjimup itself is a 10-minute drive from the park, and the heritage precinct makes for a rewarding couple of hours. Manjimup Heritage Park brings together a cluster of museums and historical buildings, including the hands-on Power Up Electricity Museum, the Steam Museum and a giant playground with a slide that has become something of a rite of passage for visiting kids. The surrounding region is dotted with landmarks that reward exploration: the 75-metre Diamond Tree fire lookout, the Four Aces (a row of karri giants standing in quiet formation), and the remains of the One Tree Bridge Conservation Park, where a single felled karri tree once carried traffic across the Donnelly River. These trees demand a respectful kind of attention: standing among them, looking up at the canopy through filtered light, the scale of the forest quietly recalibrates your sense of proportion.

For something more active, the Munda Biddi Trail passes through the region, and the Deanmill Heritage Trail and Forest Park trails offer mountain biking and walking options at various fitness levels. Pemberton, 25 minutes south, adds Big Brook Dam to the list, a stunning freshwater swimming spot surrounded by karri forest that reviewers consistently describe as a highlight of the region. Pack a picnic and take the long way home.

We loved discovering that the park sits right on Seven Day Road, one of WA's most celebrated horticultural corridors, which means farm-gate produce stalls are literally on your doorstep, open on the honour system and stocked with whatever came off the trees that morning.