Busselton () is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton Port in 1972 and the contemporaneous establishment of the nearby Margaret River wine region have seen tourism become the dominant source of investment and development, supplemented by services and retail. The city is best known for the Busselton Jetty, the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.
Toponymy Busselton is named after the Bussell family, one of the four groups of first European settlers to take up residence in the area in 1834. The name Busselton was first officially used in June 1835.
The Bussells, who were not consulted about the name's use, had a preference for the name Capel, which would have honoured a relative of theirs in England, Capel Carter. However, the official name Busselton was retained, and a town named Capel was later established to the north of Busselton.
Until the end of the 19th century, the name "The Vasse" was also used for the Busselton area, interchangeably with its official name.
In the Noongar language variety spoken by the local Wadandi people, the name of the area is , which honours 'Undal', "... a great Wadandi Warrior ..." and leader.
History
Pre European settlement and 19th century The Busselton area is part of the Noongar country known as Wadandi Boodja. Before white settlement in 1832, and for at least 40,000 years, the area was home to the Noongar Aboriginal people from the Wardandi and Bibulman language/ancestral groups.
The colonisation of Western Australia in 1829 had a major impact on the life of the Noongar people. Many towns in the Busselton area, such as Wonnerup, Yallingup and Carbunup River, still hold their original Noongar names. The Wonnerup massacre of Wardandi Noongar people by European settlers occurred in the vicinity of Wonnerup in 1841.
The early history of European exploration of the Busselton area focused on the French expedition of 1801 which brought Nicholas Baudin, with his ships Géographe and Naturaliste, to the coast of Western Australia. Baudin named Geographe Bay and Cape Naturaliste after his vessels, and named the river Vasse after a sailor, Thomas Vasse, who was lost as he went overboard and was believed to have drowned.
Busselton was one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia. It was first settled by the Bussell family, George Layman, and the Chapman brothers, who relocated there from their location on the Blackwood River. John Garrett Bussell first visited Busselton in December 1831, describing the land as follows: "The country as we advanced improved rapidly; the ground on which we trod was a vivid green, unsullied with burnt sticks and blackened grass trees". Bussell was granted land in the area in July 1832 and the settlers moved there in April 1834. The Bussells established a cattle station which they named Cattle Chosen, which quickly became one of the most prosperous stations in the colony, and as a result, nearly all of the settlers at Augusta relocated to the area within a few years. A number of settlers established themselves at Wonnerup, and eventually a contingent of troops was stationed there under Lieutenant Henry Bunbury. It was originally intended to locate the townsite at Wonnerup, but the area was low-lying and marshy, and Bunbury considered it unsuitable for a townsite. The present area was then recommended by the Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe.
The townsite was planned and surveyed in 1836 by Bunbury and in 1839, by which time it had a population of 77, it was laid out by surveyor Henry Ommaney. This was followed by the opening of the post office in 1842 and St Mary's Church in 1845. In 1847, the town was officially gazetted as Busselton, and the first government-assisted school was opened there in 1848. In the early days of the settlement, and for some time afterwards, the area was visited by whaling ships from the US, France, and England. The Americans in particular traded with the settlers, who gained vital supplies such as iron, flour, and clothing in exchange for fresh food; there was also a trade in smuggled rum and tobacco. The American whalers delivered mail to England via the US, providing an alternative to infrequent government schooners. Visits from foreign whalers declined in the 1860s due to the introduction of fossil fuels to replace whale oil, but a nearby whaling group in what is now part of the Meelup Regional Park, the Castle Bay Whaling Company, survived until 1872.
Being in close proximity to the tall timber country, Busselton soon established itself as a leading port. In 1850, timber was being exported and the small town prospered. Jetties for this purpose were built at Wonnerup, Busselton, and Quindalup. Of these, only the Busselton Jetty remains. During the 1850s, Busselton began to receive convicts who were beginning to arrive in Western Australia; they particularly helped with the timber industry. Western Australia's first railway line, the Ballaarat tramline, was built just north of Busselton at Lockville in 1871, the original engine being known as the Ballaarat steam engine. The privately owned line was used for the transport of timber to the Wonnerup jetty across the Ballaarat Bridge. By the 1880s Busselton had a regular mail and passenger coach service from Perth and Bunbury and, in 1894, a passenger rail service commenced between Busselton and Bunbury on the South Western Railway via Boyanup; it operated until 1985.
Federation to present day By the early 20th century, Busselton had become well known as a resort town, aided by the railway along with the 1890s Western Australian gold rushes, which greatly increased the state's population and prosperity. Caves in the area of what is now the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park including Yallingup Cave (now Ngilgi Cave) had been discovered and developed, and the strip of coastline between Cape Yallingup and Cape Naturaliste had become popular for camping and seaside holidays. The 1913 Cyclopedia of Western Australia stated:Busselton which has come to be known as the sanatorium of Western Australia lies within the shelter of Geographe Bay some 30 miles south of Bunbury. Up to some 20 years ago, it was merely a charming country village, with grass-grown streets where arum lilies rioted in profusion. ... Its cool temperate climate, excellent beach and well-established bathing facilities have made it one of the favourite summer resorts. If to these we add the caves reached daily by motor service from the town and, in addition to the scenery, this excellent boating, bathing and fishing, Busselton can probably claim to be the most favoured haunt of the holiday seeker.Busselton began to grow significantly when the Group Settlement Scheme brought people to the area between 1923 and 1926; nine of the first sixteen groups were organised in the Busselton area. In about 1927, the Flinders Bay branch railway was developed, which connected Busselton to Flinders Bay; it was closed around 1957. In the 1930s, agricultural prices dropped due to the Great Depression, causing many people to leave the area. During World War II, 476 Busselton-born men signed up for service; 20 in the Royal Australian Navy, 110 in the Royal Australian Air Force, and 346 in the Australian Army. The names of the fallen are displayed on the town's war memorial alongside those of World War I in St Marys Park. During the war, Busselton was home to an Air Force training base; remains of the base can still be seen today from the Busselton Bypass Road. A Royal Australian Air Force P-51 Mustang fighter was given the nickname Busselton in honour of the people of Busselton and their support of War Loan fundraising activities.
In the 1950s many facilities for holiday-makers were built west of Busselton and the 1960s saw the beginnings of the professional fishing industry and, in particular, the Margaret River wine region, which greatly increased tourist numbers in and around Busselton. The Busselton port closed in 1972. From the 1970s Busselton began growing particularly as a tourism centre and retirement location. By 1996 it had become one of the fastest-growing areas in Western Australia. In 2012, the Shire of Busselton gained city status.
Geography Busselton is in the South West region of Western Australia, about south-west of Perth. The city is composed of a city centre along with the suburbs of Abbey, Ambergate, Bovell, Broadwater, Geographe, Kealy, Vasse, West Busselton, and Yalyalup. It is bordered by Geographe Bay to the north, with urban development traditionally being concentrated on the bay, extending from Abbey in the west to Geographe in the east. Urban development south of this area has traditionally been obstructed by wetlands and estuaries; however, since the 1980s, development has taken place to the south of these waterway systems. The Vasse River flows through the city to the Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary; reserves adjoining this estuary to the north form Busselton's eastern border. The city's western border is formed by The corner of Caves Road and Bussell Highway. Caves Road leads to the nearby town of Dunsborough, which is separated from Busselton by a green belt, notably including the Locke Estate, known locally as the "Holy Mile". Busselton's nearest city is Bunbury which is north-east of Busselton.
Climate Busselton has a borderline warm/hot summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb/Csa), depending on the recording station used, as the warmest months have mean temperatures around , the cut-off mark between these two climate types. The Bureau of Meteorology has had three major temperature-recording sites in Busselton: the Busselton Shire office, with temperatures recorded from 1900 to 1975 and rainfall from 1877 to the present, Busselton Town near The Busselton District Hospital site on Mill Road in West Busselton (recording from 1998 to 2011), and the Busselton Margaret River Airport, east of the Busselton Shire station (recording since 1997). Wind observations have been made at Busselton Jetty since 1997, and temperature observations have been made in the general area at Ludlow, Jarrahwood, and Cape Naturaliste. Summers are generally warm to hot with afternoon sea breezes, with average daily maxima of at the shire station and at the airport station, and a winter that delivers cooler temperatures of and wetter weather. The annual average rainfall at the Busselton Shire station is , with the wettest period being from May to September.
Demographics
The 2021 Australian census recorded Busselton's population as 27,233, 67.0% of the population of the City of Busselton local government area, which was 40,640. The 2021 census also recorded Busselton's median age as 45, higher than the national average of 38. Australian-born residents made up 75.9% of Busselton's population, followed by those born in England (7.8%), New Zealand (2.3%), South Africa (1.1%), Scotland (0.7%), and the Philippines (0.5%). English was the only language spoken at home by 89.5% of residents, with the next most common languages being Afrikaans and German (0.5%), Italian and Hazaragi (0.3%), and French (0.2%). The most common industry for employed people in Busselton was listed as "accommodation" at 3.7%, compared to the national average of 0.9%; others were cafes and restaurants" (3.6%), "supermarket and grocery stores" (3.5%), "iron ore mining" on a fly-in fly-out basis (3.2%), and "hospitals (except psychiatric hospitals)" (3.2%).
At the 2021 census the combined population of the Busselton East and Busselton West statistical areas was 28651. It has been estimated that by 2050 Busselton's population will be between 50,000 and 70,000, with the local government area containing between 70,000 and 100,000 people.
Transport