Our Region - Busselton
General Information
Busselton is located on Geographe Bay, 232km south of Perth, in the Western Australian “South West” at latitude -33.6500 (33º 38’ 60S) and longitude 115.3333 (115º 19’ 60E).
The Shire covers an area of 1454 square kilometres and has much to offer visitors who can either enjoy the waters of Geographe Bay or explore the inland regions with its unspoilt bushland, caves, wildflowers, galleries and vineyards.
The South West area of WA is one of the world's great places to live. There’s a Mediterranean climate, sandy-white beaches, beautiful native forests and all the infrastructure expected of a modern western society.
Western Australians are often humorously referred to as Sandgropers and the coastal area of Busselton, like the capital city of Perth, gives some explanation to the nickname.
The pristine white beaches actually extend well beyond, with the coastal plains of the south west being made up of light, sandy soils. Further inland this will change to a loamy mix but digging holes (if this is your fancy) in the Busselton residential areas is not a problem!
Busselton is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Geographe Bay and the Vasse River and naturally enough water sports and a fast growing seafood industry, feature highly in the local lifestyle and economy. The area also encompasses the towns of Dunsborough, Eagle Bay and Yallingup.
Western Australia is Australia's largest state, comprising about one-third of Australia's land mass and occupying over 2.5 million square kilometres in area. WA is divided into 10 regional areas - the South West, Mid West, North West, Peel, Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Goldfields-Esperance, Pilbara, Gascoyne and Kimberley.
Busselton and its neighbouring suburbs have a population of 25,000 and Busselton is one of Australia's fastest growing cities, with an average annual growth rate in excess of 6%.
Busselton is regarded as the vacation centre of WA's "South West", an area that is home to the Margaret River wine region and major coal, alumina and mineral sands industries; a region that boasts around 8,000 businesses and a GDP of over $5 billion. Presently it is about a 2.5 hour drive from Perth to Busselton, but this will be reduced by 30 minutes on the completion of the Bunbury Highway.
Busselton is home to the south west’s only regional airport (although there are numerous landing strips throughout the south west area). The Busselton Regional Airport is located 6.5 kilometres from the Busselton Post Office and is 220 kilometres south, south west from the Perth International Airport. Access is from Vasse Highway.
There is no landing charge at the Busselton airport for aircraft under 2 tonnes takeoff weight, that are not Regular Passenger Transport. The sealed runway is 1800m with a 100 x 35 metres apron. There is an Automatic Weather Station (AWS), Non‑Directional Beacon (NDB) Frequency is 386 MHz (information transmitted to National Centre), there are two Illuminated Wind Indicators (IWI) and the Air Radio Frequency is124.9 MHz VHF. There is a pilot activated strip and apron lighting (PAL) with the frequency for switching being 119.6 MHz VHF.
There is a 270 square metre terminal building with seating for 40 passengers along with baggage handling, toilet and car hire facilities. There are 32 car parking bays plus room for overflow and a set‑down area. Unfortunately regular, commercial passenger flights from Perth did not prove economically sustainable and now the airport is used only for charter flights, emergency services and by the Busselton Aero Club.
Busselton was rated Western Australia’s top tourist town in both 1995 and 1996 and Dunsborough carried off the same award in 1999.
Overall Busselton is one of those undiscovered jewels of the modern, western world. It has all the modern amenities and infrastructure one would expect, is free of disease and has first class medical services, a raft of education possibilities and is comparatively a very affordable place to live and is free of naturally occurring disasters.
But for those who enjoy the lack of excitement of earthquakes, mudslides or typhoons and the security of being in a safe, isolated retreat from world events mixed with a pristine natural backdrop, then Busselton is the place to visit or make home.
Busselton is the major tourism centre in WA's South West region, that is also home to other centres such as Bunbury, Margaret River, Donnybrook, Manjimup, Augusta, Pemberton, Collie, Harvey and Bridgetown.
You can jump to our “Local Information” section in the blue navigation panel to your left, for a more in-depth history and background on the Busselton area and make use of our online Busselton street maps or print out a street directions guide, just by clicking in the Virtual Busselton interactive guide.
Busselton is truly a water-lifestyle centre, situated right alongside the sparkling waters of Geographe Bay; making watersports such as sailing, water skiing, fishing, wind surfing, diving and snorkelling, boating, rowing, swimming and surfing extremely popular. You can even pay an online visit to the recently launched Busselton underwater observatory by visiting our Virtual Busselton interactive guide.
In the Busselton area you are almost never more than a stroll from one of Australia’s best beaches, enveloped by old, shady Peppermint trees mixing the light and aroma with the salty sea air. There is an abundance of locally produced, often organic produce and artists and artisans producing distinctive “down south” Western Australian wares.
Some of the local quality woodcraft, pottery and other art works include Marybrook Furniture Gallery, John Streater Fine Furniture, Wood Be Good Gallery, Wardan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Scott Richardson Furniture Craftsman, Max Ball’s and Penny Hudson’s Purist Gallery, John Miller Design, Yallingup Gallery, Skender Iron, Sensei Pots, Voytek Kozlowski Designs, Summerville Arts Studios, Happs Pottery, Dunsborough Galleries, Christian Fletcher Photo Images, Robyn Ramsden acrylics, Bob Litchfield Photographics, Gunyulgup Gallery, Goanna Gallery, Willyabrup Dreaming Pottery, Rivendell Gardens, Bush Cottage Craft, Days of Grace, Lavengro Design Studio, Driftwood Estate and the Newberry Gallery.
There’s wine and food festivals and tours, boutique breweries, cheeses and local dairy products, chocolates, olive oil, venison, galleries, workshops, craft demonstrations, icecreameries, arts and crafts centres, beach carnivals, jetty swims, triathlons, scenic flights, Summerfest and Busselton Beach Festival, Leeuwin Estate Concert, Harmony Day Multicultural Celebration, Wildflower Show, entertainment parks and fun centres, sporting grounds and activities, fishing, wildlife centres and animal farms, shearing sheds, historic landmarks and buildings, tours above and below the ground and water and some of Western Australia’s best accommodation choices.
Regular Market Days are also held throughout the Busselton Shire. You can check what’s happening in the Busselton – Dunsborough region by going to our Busselton Events Calendar.
Busselton boasts a bustling shopping and business precinct around Queen Street that runs right down to the world-famous Busselton jetty.
To give you an idea of the day to day costs of living when you visit Busselton here’s a short list of local items (in $AUS including 10% tax where applicable) you might purchase or consume on your visit -
McDonalds Big Mac - $3.25
Cooked chicken (supermarket) $7.69, (fast food outlet) $9.95
Fuel (unleaded) - $1.10 per litre - fluctuating
Local telephone call (public call box) - $0.40
Bottled water (1.25 litre sparkling), $0.68, (1.5 litre still mineral) $0.99
Dozen eggs (600 grams) $2.99
Many restaurants are open early and close late, with the remainder open in the evenings from around 6pm and for lunch around 12-2pm. There's a bevy of fast-food options both within the city area and heading south towards Dunsborough and Margaret River.
The Margaret River Wine Region stretches from Busselton in the north to Augusta in the south. The boutique wineries that have developed throughout the region are acclaimed at both a national and international level.
Visitors will find vineyards dotting the countryside throughout the region. Each has its own style and ambience, and many have their own restaurant. In all, there are over 50 vineyards and 30 wineries ‑ a remarkable number considering that wine was first produced in the region just 30 years ago.
You can also find specialty breweries where you can sample some unusual and exotic locally brewed beers and enjoy light meals at the Bootleg Brewery or experience the rustic charm of the Wicked Ale Brewery.
Typically, there is no tipping in Western Australia but often establishments may leave a jar at their counter for loose change or tips for the service staff. You will never feel pressured to pay more than your total account for food or drinks in Western Australia.
There are about 7000 homes in the Busselton shire and the current median price is approximately AUS$290,000. In the last 12 months Busselton homes have increased in price an average 35% which makes Busselton real estate some of Western Australia’s fastest appreciating property.
Over the last 5 years, Busselton property prices have increased 10.7% on an annual average basis which is good news for any Busselton property owner or investor.
Typically the highest priced Busselton properties will be on the beachfront areas and in particular around Siesta Park and Dunsborough – Eagle Bay.
Indeed, Busselton caters for a tourist on any budget with a swathe of accommodation options available. In 2002 Busselton recorded overnight visitors of over 180,000 persons, with over 20,000 visiting in January alone.
You’ll find super-budget accommodation via campsites and dormitory accommodation right through to beachside 5 star resorts. In the middle there’s budget motels, self catered apartments, private homes for rent on a short stay basis, romantic cottage hideaways, beachside villas, health spas and retreats, winery cottages and even farmstays.
According to the Busselton Visitor Centre, there are 3,800 visitor beds in Busselton and they estimate there are around 600 private homes or cottages also available for visitor accommodation.
Busselton is a great place to live, and especially so for families. There's plenty to do and there's a wide range of education options, with government and independent pre-primary, primary and secondary schools.
There are several primary schools, 3 secondary schools and a TAFE (Tertiary and Further Education) College in the Busselton area, several shopping centres, sporting grounds including 4 great golf courses and a public hospital. A campus of Edith Cowan University is located in Bunbury, 50 kilometres north of Busselton.
The Busselton District Hospital is located in Mill Road, just west of the CBD area, and would be one of the few hospitals in Australia with direct beach access. Visiting hours are 10am – 12.30pm and 2pm to 8pm. An emergency service is available 24/7.
The hospital complex is also home to the St John’s ambulance service and Peppi Lodge Hospice as well as an office for the Patients Assisted Travel Scheme, a pathology and x-ray services. A Silver Chain Nursing office is also located in West Street in the CBD area.
Shops are normally open 8.30am-5.30pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am-5.00pm Saturdays with late night shopping until 9pm on Thursday. Several shopping areas have extended trading hours 7 days a week. In the city centre there are Coles, Woolworths, Action and Bi-Lo supermarkets and there are a range of smaller supermarkets dotted around the residential and resort areas with a major shopping centre also located at Dunsborough.
All the major Australian banks have offices in Busselton and these are open 10am - 4pm Monday through Thursday and until 5pm on Fridays, although credit and building societies normally also open on Saturday mornings. There are a host of automatic teller machines and bank agencies dotted in and around Busselton and the surrounding towns.
Overseas visitors can withdraw cash from their savings accounts or get credit card cash advances from these ATM’s in Australian dollars which greatly reduces the need for travellers’ cheques or carrying large sums of cash whilst travelling.
Most retailers will accept Visa, Mastercard (or equivalents) and Bankcard credit cards and some will also take American Express and Diners Club. In Australia it is possible to link credit, savings and cheque accounts onto a single card, so armed with a plastic card you should be both able to withdraw cash, pay bills and deposit cheques at automatic teller machines or retail outlets.
Be warned that some establishments may (quite legally) add a credit card surcharge to their account although this is quite rare but do remember that your total bill does include Australia’s 10% Goods and Services Tax. Almost always, the price quoted or advertised will include GST, but to be sure please ask the supplier.
To get around Busselton there are taxis and a public bus transport service (a timetable for which is in the Shire of Busselton Community Directory) but we’d recommend hiring your own vehicle or bringing your own car as many of the attractions are out of town. The Cape Naturaliste Tourism Association’s main base in Peel Terrace opposite the Ballarat steam engine, will also assist with additional maps and local knowledge.
To drive a passenger vehicle in Western Australia, you must be aged 17 years or over and possess a Western Australian drivers’ licence.
If you are a visitor to Western Australia you may drive for a period of twelve months if you hold a valid driver's licence issued in your country of origin or a state/territory of Australia of which you are a permanent resident. You must carry your licence when driving and comply with any conditions (where reasonable) that are endorsed on the licence.
An International Drivers’ Licence is also acceptable and these can generally be obtained from your national automobile organization.
You will need to obtain a Western Australian driver's licence after this time. Residents from other Australian states only need to transfer their details, whilst overseas visitors will be required to pass a theory test on the road rules. A practical test may also be required.
Should you become a permanent resident (even for only tax purposes) of Western Australia, you have three months in which to transfer your driver's licence and like most government registrations there are pensioner or seniors’ discounts.
The main Post Office is in the CBD area near Bi-Lo, and postage stamps can also be purchased at local newsagencies. Postage for a standard letter, anywhere in Australia, is 50c. There are also Post Offices at Dunsborough and Margaret River and there are Australian Post agencies in Yallingup, Coweramup and Vasse.
The Busselton and Vasse postcode is 6280, Dunsborough and Eagle Bay 6281, Yallingup 6282 and Margaret River 6285. Overseas visitors to Australia may be surprised that a single postcode will generally cover an entire town in Australia.
Free to Air TV channels in Busselton are the ABC, GWN, WIN and SBS but many homes also receive the Perth networks 7, 9 and 10. Foxtel pay TV is also available.
The electricity supply in Busselton, like the rest of Australia, is 240v. Adapters and transformers can be purchased at airports on arrival to Australia or in many local department or electrical stores.
While you are travelling you can be updated on Busselton, Dunsborough and the South West region by turning to Western Tourist Radio. In Busselton turn to 96.5FM and in Dunsborough 98.4FM. Apple iPods and iPod accessories are widely available.
The Busselton Library located in Stanley Street in the CBD area and the Dunsborough Library in Dunsborough Lakes Drive are open Monday to Saturday with membership not only available to residents but also to visitors in the Busselton area.
Importantly for visitors, the Busselton Library provides internet access including web based email. Bookings for informational and research purposes may be made free of charge in 1 hour blocks, with a maximum booking time of 2 hours per day, while bookings for internet based e‑mail maybe made in half‑hour blocks with a maximum booking time of 1 hour per day, with a fee of $5.50 per half‑hour or $8.25 per hour.
The Busselton Library also offers rregular activities for children during the school vacations. Programmes of activities offered and any charges involved are advertised through the library just prior to each holiday period, and these are open to both residents and visitors alike.
The Busselton Shire maintains a number of community facilities that can be hired for private functions or meetings. These include the Civic Centre hall and grounds (Southern Drive, Churchill Park hall and grounds in Adelaide Street, Barnard Park in Marine Terrace, Bovell Park on Bussell Highway, the Naturaliste Community and Cultural Centre on Dunsborough Lakes Drive, and the Dunsborough Playing Fields also on Dunsborough Lakes Drive.
Busselton also has a skate park located on Scout Road near the Busselton Jetty.
Busselton enjoys a Sister City relationship with Sugito in Japan and many residents host Japanese families and are involved in other Sister City activities.
There are numerous property choices in the Busselton area ranging from small cottages to traditional suburban family homes and from beach retreats to rural or semi-rural properties.
Dunsborough
If Busselton is Western Australia’s tourism oyster, then Dunsborough is its pearl.
Heading north west from Busselton, along the coast, Dunsborough is 19 kilometres along Bussell Highway – Caves Road and 12 kilometres south east of Cape Naturaliste at latitude -33.6000 (33º 36’ 0S and longitude 115.1000 (115º 5’ 60E).
You are now on the fringes of the world famous Margaret River wine region, a short drive from the surf at Yallingup, only a short stroll to the Dunsborough – Quindalup beaches and at the entrance to Cape Naturaliste and some of Australia’s most spectacular coastline.
Americans will always tell you of the spectacular beauty of 17 mile drive at Monterey – Carmel, but rest assured that some of the USA’s most famous coastline and real estate pales in comparison to Cape Naturaliste.
Dunsborough was gazetted as a Townsite in 1879, but land for a townsite was set aside here in the late 1830's, and there is a recorded whale fishery at "Dunsbro" in 1850.
Dunsborough is located adjacent to Dunn Bay from which it derives its name. The bay is believed to have been named by Governor James Stirling in March 1830, whilst on the "Eagle" carrying out a survey of Geographe Bay. It is named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn, under whom Stirling served on the Hibernia and the Armide in 1810-1811, Stirling having named a number of features in Western Australia after naval officers under whom he served or was associated with.
When Dunsborough first appeared on a map in 1839 it was spelt "Dunnsbro" but the extra n appears to have disappeared by 1850, and the spelling of "bro" was amended to "borough" when the name was gazetted in 1879.
The area we know today as Dunsborough was formerly a timber, dairy farming and fishing community and was mainly known as Quindalup (the Aboriginal name for the small marsupial, the Quenda).
The beachfront lots were gazetted in 1899 and dirt roads, bicycles and cutting tracks through the virgin forest to reach secluded fishing beaches became the norm in the early to mid 1900’s.
As the community grew, a shop was established at the Dunsborough end of the beachside community, and as the area has developed into a tourist haven, it is the Dunsborough name that has stuck and been developed commercially.
Yallingup
Located on the “other” side of Cape Naturaliste Yallingup is the centre to one of Australia’s top surfing spots and some spectacularly rugged coastline. Yallingup is at latitude -33.6500 (33º 38’ 60S) and longitude 115.0333 (115º 1’ 60E).
Near Yallingup, there’s the amazing Canal Rocks that needs to be experienced first hand as no photo or video will ever do justice to this natural wonder, and Sugar Loaf rock – perhaps not quite as spectacular as the Cape at Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast, but close. It certainly is a lot more secluded, lonely and potentially deadly.
Canal Rocks is just off Caves Road in the Leeuwin‑Cape Naturaliste National Park. A series of protruding rocks form a natural canal and these rocks are a popular spot for fisherman and photographers
Please be warned, the western side of Cape Naturaliste is a stark contrast to the peaceful waters of the eastern side beaches and bays. King Waves arrive completely unannounced and there are a number of recorded deaths in this area, so keep away from those rocks near the water’s edge!
Vasse
The Vasse townsite is 11 kilometres south west of Busselton and was originally planned as the main Busselton townsite. Today most people drive right past the Vasse townsite on their way to Margaret River and Augusta. Upon reaching the Vasse townsite you are entering the Margaret River wine region.
Up until recently Vasse has been one of those typical Australian “blink and you’ll miss it” towns but it is now the scene for a major residential and commercial development named Vasse Newtown.
Vasse Newtown will be a completely self sustainable community that will accommodate the growing housing demand in the Margaret River and Busselton regions, offering a wide range of educational, business and health opportunities and a choice lot sizes and housing alternatives.
The development will extend over 400 hectares and include 1750 home sites, four schools, provision for a university, a state-of-the-art health care and hospital precinct, parks, sporting and recreational grounds, and at its heart, a village-style town centre.
What’s the time in Busselton?
All of Western Australia is on the same time, the same time zone as Singapore and Taiwan being +8 hours GMT.
Australia is split into 3 time zones where Western Australia is WST (Western Standard Time), South Australia and Northern Territory is CST (Central Standard Time), and Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania are on EST (Eastern Standard Time).
Just to make matters a little confusing though, some states operate a Summer Time, where the clock advances 1 hour, but otherwise CST is 1.5 hours ahead of WA, and EST is 2 hours. Western Australia does have a summer time or “daylight savings” clock change.
How do I phone Busselton?
If you are outside of Australia, you will need to consult your national directly for the international dialling code, such as 015 or 0011.
After entering your local international dialling code, enter 61 (the code for all of Australia) and then 8 (for Western Australia) followed by the number you wish to call. (8 is also the prefix for South Australia and the Northern Territory.)
For example if you wanted to call WA Online Pty Ltd, after selecting the international call code for your country, you would dial –
61-8-97915556.
But don’t forget, to check the current Busselton time above as in Busselton it may just be in the middle of the night !
From the Australian east coast you dial 08 and then the number, so for WA Online that’s 08-97915556.
Despite its size, almost all populated areas of Australia receive mobile (or cell) phone coverage. You can join a mobile plan with many providers including a free mobile (cell) handset or if you bring your own phone, you’ll find many retail outsets selling prepaid cards.
There are some gaps in the GSM mobile coverage in some parts of the Busselton area and coverage may vary depending on your network provider. For the most part, the best mobile coverage in the south west area of WA is with Telstra MobileNet.
We’ve supplied the Telstra GSM network coverage below which takes in pretty much all the tourist areas.
If you are expecting to spend a lot of time in the wilderness areas or on farm properties you could look at using a CDMA phone that will give you better coverage into rural and isolated areas. The Telstra CDMA coverage is below.
Generally you can determine you are receiving a call from a mobile in Australia as the number will have a 4 digit prefix such as 0408 or 0419 and a 6 digit number. Landline calls are a 2 digit prefix and a 8 digit number.
It’s important to also be aware what you can carry with you or bring into or take out of Australia duty free as a traveller.
When departing or entering Australia you must declare amounts of $A10,000 or more in foreign or Australian currency.
When entering Australia you can carry $A900 worth of duty free or tax free goods ($A450 if you are under 18), 2.25 litres of alcoholic beverages and 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco.
Be aware that it is very likely that souvenirs made out of animal or plant material may be prohibited; and you must declare all food items, plant and animal material you bring back to Australia. This is a very strict policy conducted by the Quarantine authorities and the Customs Service with an aim to keep exotic diseases and bugs from entering Australia and damaging otherwise isolated flora and fauna.
If you need Australian Customs information while in another country you can contact Customs representatives in Bangkok + 66 2 287 2680 Extn 4407, Brussels + 32 2 286 0583, Tokyo + 81 3 5232 4078 or Washington +1 202 797 3189. In other countries general information is available from Australian missions or you can call Customs in Australia on +61 2 6275 6666.
As a visitor to Australia, you are also eligible to claim on the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) which enables you to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the goods and services tax (GST) and wine equalisation tax (WET) that you pay on goods you buy in Australia.
To claim a refund you must spend $300 or more in the one store and get a single tax invoice, buy goods no more than 30 days before departure, wear or carry the goods on board and present them along with your tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a TRS facility.
The refund only applies to goods you take with you as hand luggage or wear onto the aircraft or ship when you leave Australia. It does not apply to services or goods consumed or partly consumed in Australia, such as chocolate and perfume. However, unlike other tourist shopping schemes, most of the goods, such as clothing and cameras, can be used in Australia before departure.
The TRS is open to all overseas visitors and Australian residents, except operating air and sea crew.
The GST refund is calculated by dividing the total amount of the purchase by 11. The WET refund is 14.5 percent of the price paid for wine. For example, if you buy goods for a GST-inclusive price of $660 you will receive a refund of $60. If the $660 is made up of a camera ($460) and wine ($200), you will receive a total refund of $89 (total GST refund of $60 and $29 WET refund on the wine).
The refund will be paid on goods totalling $300 (GST inclusive) or more, bought from the same store, no more than 30 days before you leave Australia.
You may purchase several lower-priced items from the one store, either at the one time or over several occasions within the 30-day period, provided the total purchase amounts to $300 (GST inclusive) or more. You will have to ask the retailer to consolidate these lower-priced purchases onto a single tax invoice. Be sure the retailer will do this before buying the goods.
You may buy goods from several stores, provided each store's tax invoice totals at least $300 (GST inclusive).
You can collect your refund by cheque, credit to an Australian bank account or payment to a credit card.
Remember, if you wish to claim a refund, you must get an original tax invoice from the store where you buy the goods. All stores registered for GST will be able to give you a tax invoice. A refund cannot be given without this tax invoice.
A tax invoice prominently states the words 'tax invoice' and the Australian Business Number (ABN) of the retailer, the purchase price including the GST paid, a description of the goods, the name of the supplier and the date the purchase was made. Tax invoices for purchases of $1000 or more need additional information, such as the name and address of the purchaser.
You will need to present the following at the Customs TRS when you are leaving Australia - your goods (to prove you are taking them out of the country), the original tax invoice from the retailer (to provide information for Customs officers), your passport and your international boarding pass or other proof of travel. Be aware that it is a legal requirement that the person who purchases the goods must be the person who makes the claim for a refund of GST.
Claims can be made after you have passed through Customs and Immigration outward processing at the TRS facilities at international airports at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin and Gold Coast, cruise liner terminals at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Fremantle and Hobart. If you are leaving Australia from another port you should contact Customs to find out if you can make a claim.
We’ve tried to include as much, appropriate information on Busselton as we can. One other resource that can we can recommend to you, whether you are visiting Australia from abroad or simply visiting Busselton from another part of Australia. There’s a massive amount of information as well as current travel promotions including Qantas’ Australian Travel Pass which is a very affordable way to see Australia. The entire site is presented in multimedia format and we thoroughly recommend you make a visit.
Busselton History
The first recorded mapping of what is now Geographe Bay and the eventual town of Busselton, was in 1801 by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, from the ships the Geographe and Naturaliste. The Bay was named after his ship whilst the river was named the Vasse after a sailor who went missing in mysterious circumstances.
The area was settled in 1832 when explorers from the Augusta area, led by John Garrett Bussell, travelled north to farm the areas around the Vasse River after they found the Cape Leeuwin area to be largely infertile and difficult to reach by sea. These settlers moved their homes and families to the area in 1834.
The first official mention of the name Busselton was on 30 June 1835, when the Colonial Secretary wrote informing the Surveyor General that nine towns, among which was Busselton, were to be considered open for the purchase of allotments.
On 4 July 1835 a General Notice to that effect was issued from the Surveyor General's office, Perth. The district continued to be referred to as "the Vasse", and in general "the Vasse" and "Busselton" were equally used as late as the turn of the century, when "the Vasse" began to be dropped.
A growing port serviced the settlers and the subsequent local industries that developed which included the exportation of horses to India and a developing trade in beef, dairy and timber (which continue to be major exports of the Busselton area to this day). Construction of the Busselton jetty began in 1865 and by 1960 had reached out 2 kilometres from the shore. Jetties servicing the timber industry were also built at Wonnerup and Quindalup but only the town jetty survives today.
Prior to white settlement and for at least 38,000 years, this area has been the traditional land of the Noongar Aboriginal people with many Noongar names and travel routes still widely used today. The Noongar (which means "man") people tell traditional stories of the Waagle (or Rainbow Serpent) giving life and sustenance to their people who in return were the caretakers of the land.
They used fire as a tool to clear undergrowth, promote new growth in plants and to assist in the capture of animals. They also trapped fish but were the area’s first conservationists, always respecting what the land could provide for them.
The land of the Noongar nation stretches from approximately Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast. Of all the Aboriginal peoples in Western Australia, the Noongar were the most affected by early white settlement.
Visitors to Western Australia are often struck by the number of place names ending in “up” such as Cardup, Wonnerup, Burekup, Yallingup and Karrinyup. The “up” in these names comes from the Aboriginal Noongar language but there is some dissension as to whether it means place of, water place or meeting place and most likely it is a combination of all three translations.
All of these towns were originally spelt with a double “p” – so Cardupp, Wonnerupp, Burekupp, Yallingupp and Karinyupp.
The double “p” spelling in the original Western Australian Government gazettal of these names was used because the Lands and Surveys Department had adopted a system for spelling Aboriginal names developed by the Royal Geographical Society. The RGS system had a rule that vowels are pronounced as in Italian and consonants as in English.
This would have meant that names ending in "up" should have been pronounced as "oop", because the Italian "u" was a long "u", as in flute. These Aboriginal names were meant to be pronounced as "up", and the Department asked the RGS for a rule to assist in correct pronunciation.
The RGS solution was that doubling the following consonant shortened the preceding vowel, and this meant the "upp" ending ensured the "up" pronunciation. However, this particular rule was rescinded in 1915 for south west towns with the suffix "up", as the Australian way of pronouncing the letter "u" was almost always short, and rarely the Italian "oo" – something you always wanted to know!