Contents: Busselton History - Busselton Beaches - Landmarks and Historical Areas - Weather / Climate - Places of Worship in Busselton
Landmarks
The Busselton area is one of Australia's prettiest and most spectacular regions, with rugged cliffs and capes, secluded sandy beaches, exposed slopes, rolling hills and a massive diversity of flora and fauna including pristine native forests with giant trees.
Enjoying a mild Mediterranean climate, the town and suburbs have grown along the shores of Geographe Bay and naturally enough water sports, tourism as well as a growing seafoods industry, feature highly in the local lifestyle and economy.
Busselton is well known for its historic timber jetty or pier, which can be traced back to the early days of the settlement when the American whalers came in their square-rigged sailing ships.
In 1839 Governor Hutt appointed "the place in Geographe Bay opposite the Settlement at The Vasse to be the legal place for the loading and unloading of goods", but it was some time before a jetty was constructed to take the place of this spot. After strong and persistent pressure by settlers, sanction was given for the erection of a jarrah jetty in 1853.
In 1865 a rough wooden jetty became available to ships from many parts of the world as well as the local shipping which included the coastal traders. Drift sand over the next ten years so shallowed the depth that in 1875 an additional 430 feet was added, giving a depth at low tide of eleven feet. Further extensions were made over the years up till the 1960's. Horse drawn trucks were used for loading until 1909 when the railway jetty came into being. The Jetty was then believed to be the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. The present length of the jetty is 1841 metres.
In 1974, after more than a century of use, the Western Australian government closed the jetty to shipping. Once closed to shipping, Government maintenance of the Jetty ceased and it began to deteriorate, attacked by woodborers, rot and the occasional fire.
On April 4, 1978, in a rare event for southern areas, Cyclone Alby swept south down the Western Australian coast from the North West and destroyed a large part of the shore end of the jetty. Subsequently, townspeople banded together to try to save the Jetty and eventually persuaded the State Government and the Shire Council to provide some much needed funds for repair.
However, rebuilding the timber jetty proved expensive and funds soon ran out. The Jetty Preservation Society, formed in 1987, resorted to community fund-raising. Over the past 15 years in excess of $9 million has been committed to jetty restoration and development projects.
Described as Australia's greatest artificial reef, the Busselton jetty is home to the world's southernmost coral formations and host to over 300 individual marine species, being fed by the warm waters of the Leeuwin current from Indonesia.
This in itself is a remarkable phenomenon when compared to the west coast of other southern hemisphere continents such as Africa and South America who have no coral growth below 5 degrees south whilst the Busselton jetty is at 33 degrees south.
Today there is an ornamental train service that will ferry passengers the almost 2 kilometres length of the jetty to a new underwater observatory on the sea floor. The underwater observatory is open 7 days and accommodates up to 40 persons.
Opened in December 2003 and descending 8 metres beneath the water's surface, visitors to the observatory can view the corals and fish life through eleven viewing windows, all at various levels within a 9.5 metre diameter observation chamber. A lift within the observatory also enables wheelchair bound people to have access to one of Western Australia's unique natural wonders.
There's plenty of grass and shade throughout the jetty area and just east is the Yoganup playground, a great foreshore park with imaginatively designed playground equipment.
Another “underwater” feature is the HMAS Swan dive wreck, sunk in 31 metre waters off Point Piquet at Meelup in 1997. The Swan was the first ship in the southern hemisphere to be sunk as a dive wreck and is now a living artificial reef and home to King George Whiting, Bullseyes, Samson Fish, Dhufish as well as various plant and corals that are attaching themselves to and around the wreck.
Formerly a Destroyer Escort, the HMAS Swan took 2 minutes and 53 seconds to sink to her current resting place in front of a crowd of some 10,000 people. There are a number of commercial operators offering dive tours on the Swan.
For the serious diver there's also dive wrecks in Bunbury (Lena) and Albany (HMAS Perth). Off Rockingham, south of Perth there's 10 separate historic dive wrecks - Amur (1887), Belle of Bunbury (1886), Carlisle Castle (1899), Chalmers (1874), Contest (1874), Dolphin (1930), Hero of the Nile P.A. (1876), Highland Forest (1901), James Service (1878), SS Orizaba (1905), Robertina (1859) and the Star (1880)
Back on land, there is a wide variety of attractions, with Busselton the home of many historic and often majestic historic homes and public buildings. One of these is Wonnerup House, at the south western end of the world's last remaining tuart forest.
Built by the pioneering Layman family from 1837 (the present Wonnerup House was built in 1859), George Layman, age 31, was killed after being speared by a local Aboriginal in 1841. Today Wonnerup House is a living museum, operated by the National Trust of Australia.
To learn more about the rich heritage of Busselton, take the time to visit the Heritage Park and Trail, which commences at the corner of Peel Terrace and Causeway Road, opposite the Busselton Visitor Centre.
The trail includes a range of contemporary sculptures, which aim to link the past and present and includes the acclaimed "Aboriginal Interpretive Garden" as well as a number of historic landmarks such as the Ballarat Steam Engine, Saint Mary's Church and Pioneer Cemetery, situated on the corner of Marine Terrace and Stanley Street. The cemetery contains over 1000 graves of many of the district's early settlers.
St Mary's is the oldest stone church in WA, built of limestone and jarrah with a sheoak shingle roof. The early settlers, with financial assistance from friends in England, built the church under the leadership of John G. Bussell. The foundation stone was laid in 1844 and the church was consecrated on November 4, 1848. The churchyard has many pioneer graves, including that of John Garrett Bussell.
In the park, opposite, is the Ballarat Engine, the first steam locomotive in WA. It ran between Yoganup and Wonnerup, was used from 1871-1886 hauling timber over 20km for the primary purpose of constructing the Busselton jetty.
The Busselton Courthouse on Queen Street was built in 1854-1856 and extended in 1873. The building has been utilised as a courtroom, jail cells, a stable, post office and a Customs bond store. The historic building has been refurbished and whilst the original jail cells remain, other parts of the building are now used as a gallery and café. The building also houses artists working on a variety of crafts.
There's a museum in the Old Butter Factory (1918) which was originally constructed as a creamery and also supplied ice to the town and local fishermen. Production of butter ceased in 1954.
The building is now open to the public as a museum presenting a poignant display of the hardships suffered in the days of pioneers, and later, in group settlement schemes. Displayed are many items of historical interest such as photographs, furniture, clothing, farm machinery, butter and cheese making equipment, a fully furnished old Group house and a school. It is open daily (except Tuesdays) 2-5pm.
Between 1919 and 1922, approximately 38,000 British ex-servicemen came to WA under the Empire Settlement Scheme and other Britons were admitted to the country under the Group Settlement Scheme. The new settlers were brought in to pioneer a dairy farming industry in the jarrah and karri forests of the South West, but in many instances their efforts met with failure after arriving at uncleared forests, with little money, tools or farming experience.
Isolated and often in abject poverty, many disillusioned settlers returned to England, died or suffered mental illnesses. However, despite the hardships and setbacks, many of these pioneering families went on to establish successful farming enterprises and today a great number of Busselton residents are descendent from these Group Settlement migrants.
Thirteen kilometres from Dunsborough is the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and fascinating Maritime Museum which offers informative guided tours, refreshments and souvenirs
Walk trails offer a variety of routes along the coastline and you can also enjoy spectacular views over Geographe Bay and the Cape coastline from the top of the lighthouse.
The marine environment off the coast of south west of Western Australia is extremely rich and diverse. In addition to a wide range of fish species there, the ocean is rich in cetaceans (a marine mammal with streamlined hairless body and dorsal blowhole for breathing), including whales and dolphins.
Bottlenose Dolphins are to be seen throughout the year in Geographe Bay. In winter, they may move a little further offshore as winter storms arrive.
Whale watching on the other hand is a more seasonal activity. Humpback, Southern Right, Blue and Minckie whales can all be seen in the sheltered waters of Geographe Bay.
The whales spend the summer in the rich waters of the Antarctic Ocean. In late autumn/early winter the whales start their annual migration to the warm waters of the continental shelf off the coast of Broome in the north of Western Australia. On their northern migration they can be best be seen in Flinders Bay at Augusta about 1.5 hours drive south of Busselton.
The best whale watching in Geographe Bay is on the return migration during September, October and November. Cows and calves are attracted to the sheltered waters of Geographe Bay where the young can be reared in safety before the long swim back to the Antarctic.
The majestic Blue Whale, the world's largest mammal can be seen in Geographe Bay. The Blue Whale is usually seen in October and November with the Humpback more likely to be seen in November, and even into early in December.
Whale watching cruises, organized by Naturaliste Charters, leave from Dunsborough during the season.
If you are choosing to arrange your own whale watching cruises, then you should be aware of the regulations established by CALM (Department for Conversation and Land Management) for whale watching –
• Only persons with vessels licensed by CALM are to operate commercial vessel tours involving whale watching.
• Persons on private vessels (including everything from surfboards and kayaks to yachts and launches) do not require whale watching licences, but must adhere to these rules and guidelines governing whale watching.
• Aircraft are not permitted to fly within 300 metres of a whale, except by special authorisation.
• Swimming with, feeding or touching whales is not permitted and such actions may cause stress to the whale and are dangerous to people. If you are in the water and a whale approaches, you must endeavour to keep a minimum of 30 metres distance between yourself and the whale.
• Any marine vessel, whether powered by a motor, paddle or sail that is within a distance of 300 metres from a whale is within the whale's contact zone.
The following special rules apply within the contact zone.
- A vessel must not cause a whale to alter its direction or speed of travel.
- A vessel must not disperse or separate a group of whales.
- A vessel, whether under power or drifting, must not approach a whale from a direction within an arc of 60? of the whale's direction of travel or an arc of 60? of the whale's opposite direction of travel
- A vessel must not approach a whale within a distance of 100 metres (except licensed 'RESEARCH' vessels in particular circumstances).
- Where a whale approaches a vessel and the distance between the whale and the vessel becomes less than 100 metres, the vessel master must place its motor or motors in neutral or move the vessel at less than five knots away from the whale until the vessel is outside the contact zone.
- A vessel must not block the direction of travel of a whale, or any passage of escape available to a whale, from an area where escape is otherwise prevented by a barrier, shallow water, vessel or some other obstacle to the whale's free passage.
- A vessel master must abandon any interactions with a whale at any sign of the whale becoming disturbed or alarmed.
Please be aware, that if whales are diving for prolonged periods or swimming evasively, you are disturbing and upsetting them. Simply leave them alone. It is an offence to harass whales, and they may permanently abandon an area if continually disturbed.
Seeing these whales and dolphins basking or at play in Geographe Bay is an unforgettable experience when viewed either from coastal vantage points or from tour boats and should be down as a priority “to do” item when visiting the Busselton area.
Another “hands on” activity in this area is the Cape to Cape (Walk) Track. It's 135 kilometres in length and is located within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.
The walk is not as well known or travelled as the Bibbulmun track and there are no official maps or adjoining resorts. However, there's a good guidebook and the track is reasonably well marked with 5 very basic campsites along the track. The water supply at each campsite is very limited and no open fires can be lit along the entire length of the track.
You can begin your walk near Dunsborough by joining the Meelup Trail to Cape Naturaliste and finishing 8 kilometres from Augusta.
Another place to visit is the Yallingup Shearing Shed and witness shearing demonstrations, old farm implements, working sheepdogs and see and buy fine wool products. Also ideal for family groups is the Country Life Farm in Dunsborough.
Located 10km south of Yallingup, the Quinninup Falls can be reached by 4WD track from Quinninup Road, or by foot from the Moses Rock Road carpark. Head north on the Cape to Cape walk trail which leads from the carpark for approximately 2 kilometres and then walk upstream when you reach the river.
An absolute MUST SEE in Busselton are the spectacular Ngilgi caves.
First discovered in 1899 and known as Yallingup Cave, Ngilgi Cave is one of the Busselton and Capes region's most visited tourist attractions. In Noongar folklore Ngilgi is the good spirit who does battle with the evil spirit, Wolgine.
Ngilgi Cave, located just north of Yallingup on Caves Road, showcases displays of stalactite, stalagmite, helicitite and shawl formations. Ngilgi Cave is home to the Arab's Tent, Oriental Shawl and the pure white Mother of Pearl Shawl.
Tours of this spectacular tourist cave are semi-guided and there is also a daily “adventure” tour where you access some of the more difficult parts of the cave complex. There's an interpretative centre, cafe, children's playground, barbecue facilities and walk trails all on site, and it's open 7 days a week and around 50,000 people each year visit these Busselton caves.
There are over 300 caves between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.
