By Vic Midyett
The beautiful little town of Busselton (population about 22,000) is just over 30 miles south of where we're now living, in Bunbury.
Some excerpts from Wikipedia's generous article:
The early history of European exploration of the Busselton area focuses on the French expedition of 1801 which brought Nicholas Baudin, with his ships the 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 believed to have drowned.The Wikipedia article on Busselton has lots of links to more information about the city and its surroundings. For example, to the Busselton Jetty.
Busselton was one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia. It was first settled by the Bussell family, who relocated there from their location on the Blackwood River after John Garrett Bussell discovered superior farm land in the area. The Bussells moved to the area in 1834, establishing a cattle station which they named Cattle Chosen....
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....
At 1,841 metres, the Busselton Jetty is said to be the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere. Construction began in 1853, and continued into the 1960s. It has also has been said [Wikipedia wonders by whom] that it's the third longest wooden structure in the world.
One thing you can do there is jump on board the famous Jetty Train to reach the spectacular Underwater Observatory. Descend 8 metres below the water’s surface to discover some of the 300 different marine species below the jetty. Take a dip, throw a line or visit the Interpretive Centre.
Shirley & I have had lots of fun in Busselton; you can too!
| Copyright © 2014 by Vic Midyett |
Vic Sue & I were there 12 years ago, I vaguely remember part of the jetty was damaged, have I got it right
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Oh Bear, I'm so sorry I didn't see this to answer it. Yes, it was damaged, but has since been repaired by the towns people. The govt. would not put any money towards it. It's beautiful again.
ReplyDeleteVic, how DID you happen to see this now - 17 months later? Interesting story?
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