What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Margaret River?
Emergency number
000
Police: 131 444.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: anz.com.au, wise.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Margaret River sits in a bushfire-prone part of WA's South West — it's worth installing the Emergency WA app before you arrive so you get local fire/storm warnings automatically, not just a generic national app.
- Mobile coverage can be patchy in the surrounding forest, wine-region backroads and along the coast (e.g. near surf breaks) — don't assume you can always reach 000 by mobile once off the main highway.
- If you can't speak English, you can still call 000 and simply say 'police', 'fire' or 'ambulance' — a translator will be connected once you're through.
- Margaret River Hospital's ED is small and rural — great for sprains, cuts, minor illness, and initial stabilisation, but for major trauma, stroke, heart attack, or complex surgical emergencies patients are typically transferred onward (commonly toward Bunbury, roughly an hour away, or further to Perth) rather than fully treated on-site.
- For any life-threatening emergency in Australia, dial 000 (Triple Zero) for Fire, Police, or Ambulance.
- Call ahead if possible — the hospital advises confirming details before visiting, since a small rural ED's on-duty staffing/capacity can vary.
Secondary Numbers
112
- Use
- International standard emergency number; redirects to Triple Zero (000). Mobile phones only, cannot be dialled from a fixed line.
106
- Use
- Text-based national relay service for people who are deaf or have a hearing/speech impairment. Requires a TTY/textphone device.
Non Emergency Numbers
Police Assistance Line
- Number
- 131 444
- Use
- Non-urgent police matters (e.g. reporting a past theft).
State Emergency Service (SES)
- Number
- 132 500
- Use
- Non-life-threatening storm, flood, cyclone or general disaster assistance across Western Australia.
DFES Emergency Information Line
- Number
- 13 33 37
- Use
- Recorded emergency information from WA's Department of Fire and Emergency Services, including bushfire updates relevant to the Margaret River region.
Crime Stoppers
- Number
- 1800 333 000
- Use
- Anonymously report information about crime (not for active emergencies).
Recommended Official Safety Apps
Emergency Plus (Emergency+)
- Features
- One-tap calling to Triple Zero (000), SES and the Police Assistance Line; uses GPS and what3words to share your precise location with call-takers, including offline in areas with no data coverage.
- Platforms
- iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play), free
- Publisher
- Australia's emergency services and government/industry partners (National Triple Zero Awareness Work Group)
Emergency WA
- Features
- Real-time bushfire, storm, flood and cyclone warnings and incident maps for Western Australia, including the Margaret River/South West region; lets you build a household emergency/bushfire plan.
- Platforms
- iOS and Android, free
- Publisher
- WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES)
Hospitals
Margaret River Hospital
- Phone
- 08 9757 0400
- Hours
- Emergency Department open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Address
- 17 Farrelly Street, Margaret River, WA 6285
- Operator
- WA Country Health Service (South West region)
- Trauma Level Designation
- Not a formally trauma-designated centre. Australia's public hospital system does not use a US-style tiered trauma-level rating for small rural hospitals; Margaret River Hospital is a small WA Country Health Service rural district hospital with a 24/7 nurse- and doctor-staffed Emergency Department, supported by the state Emergency Telehealth Service for specialist backup.
- Capability Notes
- Handles general emergencies, initial stabilisation, and minor-to-moderate trauma. Serious trauma, major surgical emergencies, cardiac events requiring intervention, and complex cases are stabilised on-site and transferred (by road ambulance or, if critical, by air) to a larger regional or metropolitan hospital.
Country
Australia
Important Notes
Important Notes
- 911 does not work in Australia and will not connect to emergency services.
- 000 cannot be reached by SMS/text message (only 106 via TTY device for accessibility).
- A device needs at least 4G/VoLTE capability to reach Triple Zero; older 3G-only phones are blocked from Australian networks.
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 000
- Use
- Police, Fire or Ambulance in a life-threatening or time-critical emergency. Free from any fixed or mobile phone.
- Name
- Triple Zero
Healthcare
- Emergency
- No 24/7 emergency department in Margaret River proper; nearest major hospital emergency services in Bunbury (approximately 70 km away) or Perth regional hospitals.
- Primary Care
- Medical clinic services available locally; serious emergency cases typically require transport to regional hospitals.
- Description
- Margaret River is a regional town in Western Australia with limited primary healthcare infrastructure. Emergency services and hospital care require travel to nearby regional centers.
- Note On Access
- Regional residents typically rely on local GP clinics for routine care and travel to larger centers for emergency or specialized treatment.
Pharmacies
- Availability
- Multiple pharmacies operate in the Margaret River township to serve local and visitor needs.
- Note
- Hours and specific locations vary by individual pharmacy; inquire locally for current operating hours.
- Description
- Pharmacy services available in Margaret River town center
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Margaret River
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.