Climate
Average temperatures: January max 28C (82F) - min 18C (64F); July max 17C
(63F) - min 8C (46F); number of days a year with temperature over 30C (86F)
- 30. Average annual rainfall: 882mm (35 ins); wettest six months - May
to October.
Characteristics
Bunbury is the major seaport and administrative centre of the South-West
region, and the largest centre in Western Australia outside the metropolitan
area. It is an expanding regional centre with a wealth of natural and man-made
resources. It is surrounded by much of WA's best agricultural land, and
the area is also rich in minerals. Ilmenite, rutile and zircon have been
discovered in the sands along the coast, and bauxite is found nearby.
Bunbury, however, is primarily a holiday centre, and each year thousands
come here to enjoy their holidays. The city is also used as a base to visit
many beauty spots of the South-West.
How to Get There By Rail
Westrail operates a service from Perth Railway Station daily for Bunbury.
By Bus
South West Coachlines operate a Perth to Bunbury and return service daily.
By Road
Travel from Fremantle to Mandurah and along the Coast Road to Bunbury,
or from Perth to Armadale, then via the South West Highway. Either way,
it is about a 2 hour drive.
Tourist Information
Tourism Bunbury is in Carmody Place, (08) 9721 7922. They are open seven
days. Go online to www.tourismbunbury.com.au or send them an email at &welcome@tourismbunbury.
com.au. Alternatively, Tourism South West is located at 61 Victoria Street,
(08) 9791 9197.
Accommodation
As mentioned, Bunbury is a popular holiday resort, so there is plenty of
accommodation, but it is always a good idea to book ahead in the holiday
season. Here is a selection with prices for a double room per night, which
should be used as a guide only. hThe telephone area code is 08.
The Lord Forrest Hotel, Symmons Street, 9721 9966. 115 units, licensed
restaurant (Tues-Sat), swimming pool, spa, sauna, gym - $130 - 210.
The Clifton, 2 Molloy Street, 9721 4300. 48 units, licensed restaurant,
swimming pool, spa, sauna, bbq $90-125.
Parade Hotel, 100 Stirling Street, 9721 2933. 9 rooms (private facilites)
$88.
Welcome Inn Motel, Ocean Dve, 9721 3100. 51 units (private facilites),
licensed restaurant, swimming pool $65 -130.
Bunbury Motel, 45 Forrest Avenue, 9721 7333. 37 units (private facilities),
swimming pool $70-85.
Ocean Drive Motel, 121 Ocean Drive, 9721 2033. 26 units, unlicensed restaurant,
bbq - $70-80.
Rose Motel Hotel, Victoria Street, 9721 4533. 25 units, licensed restaurant
- B&B $80.
Highway Hotel Motel, Cnr Forrest Ave & Spencer Street, 9721 4966. 9
rooms (private facilities) $45.
Fawlty Towers Lodge, 205 Ocean Dve, 9721 2427. 12 units (private facilities),
swimming pool - $75.
Chateau La-Mer Motor Lodge, 99 Ocean Dve, 9721 3166. 28 units (private
facilities), swimming pool, bbq $70 - 85.
Caravan Parks
Riverside Caravan Park, 5 Pratt Road, Eaton, 9725 1234. (No pets allowed)
80 sites - powered sites $15 - 20 for two, chalet section $60 - 80 for
two.
Waterloo Village Caravan Park, Lot 9 South Western Hwy, 9725 4434. 70 sites
- powered sites $18 for two, on-site vans $40 for two.
Bunbury Glade Caravan Park, Bussell Highway, 9721 3800. (No pets allowed)
150 sites- powered sites $19 for two, cabins $50 - 60 for two.
Koombana Bay Holiday Resort, Koombana Drive, 9791 3900. (No pets allowed)
31 sites- powered sites $15 - 20 for two, chalet $135 for two, cabins $55
for two.
Eating Out
There is no shortage of restaurants in all price brackets, and plenty of
takeaway food outlets. For a special night out try the restaurant in the
Lord Forest Hotel, 20 Symmons St, 9721 9966.
Alcazars Restaurant, 64 Victoria St, 9721 9604.
China City Garden Restaurant, 47 Victoria St, 9721 1711.
Kokoro Japanese Restaurant, 42B Spencer St, 9721 4474.
Mancini's Cafe Restaurant, 66 Victoria St, 9721 9944.
Points of Interest
The French explorer Nicolas Baudin was the first to sight Leschenault Inlet
in 1803, as Commander of the Geographe, after which Geographe Bay is named.
Baudin named the inlet after his botanist Jean Batiste Leschenault, and
the port was first named Port Leschenault. In 1836, seven years after the
founding of the Swan River settlement, Governor Sir James Stirling accompanied
an expedition in the man-of-war Sulphur to explore the Port Leschenault
and Busselton regions. Lieut. Henry William St Pierre Bunbury, then in
charge of a military detachment in Pinjarra, made the overland trek to
meet Governor Stirling in December 1836 at Port Leschenault. For that feat
Governor Stirling told the 24-year-old lieutenant that Port Leschenault
would be renamed Bunbury in his honour, and records show that he was highly
delighted. They also show that he was the first to note the black sand
peculiar to the shoreline in the area, recognising the ilmenite and related
beach sands which were to develop into a multi-million dollar industry
more than a century later.
The only public building surviving from the late 19th century is the Paisley
Centre, cnr Arthur & Stephen Streets. It was built in 1894 as a primary
school, and its architectural merit lies in the massing of the various
parts, the good proportions of the fenestration and the many steeply-pitched
gables that give a period character. Local sandstone was used for the window
facings.
An earlier school on the same site was notable for a state record - three
primary school pupils went on to become State Premiers: Sir John Forrest,
Sir Newton Moore and Sir James Mitchell.
The Rose Hotel, in Victoria Street on the corner of Wellington Street,
was erected by Samuel Rose in 1865, and rebuilt in 1897. Internally the
hotel impresses with items of period furniture and ornaments which reflect
the mood of bygone days. The solid stone statue of Henry II which stands
in the courtyard was once part of the British Houses of Parliament at Westminster.
It was purchased by the management of the hotel and shipped to Australia
in 1980.
The War Memorial in Anzac Park, cnr Stirling & Parkfield Streets, opposite
the post office, is a fine memorial to World War I armed forces. Alongside
is another memorial, to John and Helen Scott, first farmers in the Bunbury
District. They began work at Eelup Farm on Sir James Stirling's property
in 1838.
Boulter's Heights, Bunbury's most popular lookout is a vantage point for
a panoramic view of the city, the port, the north shore and the Leschenault
Estuary. The waterfall was constructed in March, 1966, and when in operation,
a cascade of water tumbles down the eastern face of the heights. Boulter's
Heights is in Withers Crescent, off Haig Crescent, and can also be reached
on foot from the base of the waterfall at the junction of Stirling and
Wittenoom Streets.
Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, Wittenoom Street, are in the old Convent
of Mercy building, which was opened and blessed in December, 1897. During
1981, the convent complex was purchased by the City Council, as it was
no longer being used to house the Sisters of Mercy and their pupils. The
Galleries are a multiple use facility, and are available for seminars,
meetings, exhibitions, lectures, discussions, etc. They also contain the
City of Bunbury Art Collection, which numbers 300 works, and has grown
from an initial gift of 20 paintings by Claude Hotchin in 1949.
St Patrick's Cathedral, Parkfield Street, Bunbury, is situated on the upper
level of Bury Hill, and commands a fine view of the inlet, the port and
the city. The building was completed in 1921, without the 18.3m (60 ft)
steeple which was added 46 years later. The pews and much of the interior
of the Cathedral were built of local jarrah.
St Boniface Cathedral, cnr Parkfield & Cross Streets, was consecrated
on October 14, 1962, on land originally purchased in 1916. The most unusual
feature of this Anglican Cathedral is the big tower at the east end crowning
the sanctuary rather than at the customary west end or in the centre.
Sir John Forrest Monument, cnr Victoria & Stephen Streets, is in honour
of WA's greatest son. Sir John Forrest, Baron Forrest of Bunbury, CMG,
KCMG, PC, GCMG, Hon LLD, FRGS, FGS, FLS, Kt of the Order of the Crown of
Italy, surveyor, explorer, politician and peer, was born in 1847 at Mill
Point at the mouth of the Preston River, 7km from Bunbury. He spent 18
years in State politics, all in executive office, then 18 years in Federal
politics, almost half as Cabinet Minister. First MLA for Bunbury, first
Premier of WA, five times Federal Treasurer, for a time Forrest was Acting
Prime Minister. In 1918, he was created Baron Forrest of Bunbury, the
first Australian to be raised to the British peerage. He died that year
at sea, aged 71, and is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery. In 1979, Bunbury
businessmen commissioned Mark Le Buse to sculpture Forrest's head, now
here in St Paul's Place.
Centenary Gardens, cnr Wittenoom & Princep Street, were built in 1936
to commemorate the town's centenary, and have a shade pavilion dedicated
to Lt Bunbury, and a wishing well built by the Apex Club in 1952. Facilities
include seating, drinking fountain, toilets and an infant health centre.
Bunbury Lighthouse, Ocean Drive, on the ocean side of Casuarina Point,
is a striking landmark and one of a fine collection of lighthouses that
are part of the state's heritage.
The Timber Jetty, off Henry Street, was commenced in 1864 and was to be
427m (467 yds) long. In 1957, after several extensions, it reached its
ultimate length of 1830m (2001 yds). Due to the development of the inner
harbour in the 1970s, the jetty ceased commercial shipping in October,
1982. It is now used for pedestrian traffic and is a popular fishing and
crabbing spot.
The Bunbury Basaltic Rock, at the northern end of Ocean Beach, is formed
from a volcanic lava-flow believed to have occurred 150 million years ago
in the cretaceous period. Volcanic activity was quite extensive over the
South-West corner for a short period of time a considerable amount of basalt
can still be found west of a line from Bunbury to Windy Harbour, buried
beneath sedimentary layers of sand and clay. The basalt rock formation
can only be seen in Bunbury and Black Point, south-east of Augusta.
King Cottage Museum, 77 Forrest Avenue, 9721 7546, is a small, well kept
cottage dating from 1880, and was opened as a local history museum in 1968.
It houses a valuable collection of pioneer material of the area. One of
Bunbury's oldest buildings, the cottage was the home of Henry King. Aided
by four sons and using home-made bricks, Henry King erected the family
dwelling of unique Flemish bond brick design. hOpen Sat-Sun 2-4pm.
The Bunbury Recreation Centre, in Hay Park off Parade Road, was officially
opened in 1979, and is a large multi recreation centre. The enclosed area
allows the presentation of major exhibitions, championships and celebrity
presentations. The centre is fully utilised by sporting groups, and is
equipped with a heated indoor swimming pool, spa and sauna.
Tourism Bunbury has details of an 11km (7 miles) inland river cruise through
scenery abounding with birdlife. hThe cruise operates from September through
May, on Saturday and Sunday.
Other attractions include: wine tasting at the Geographe Wine Region & Ferguson
Valley, Koombana Bay and the Old Goldfields Orchard & Cider Factory.
Festivals
The Bunbury Racing Carnival is held in mid-March, with The Bunbury Cup,
Australia's richest provincial race held on the Thursday of the Racing
Round.
Facilities
Squash, tennis, cricket, croquet, bowls, golf, basketball, badminton, archery
and bush walking. The Forrest Drive-In and Cinema is on the Bussell Highway,
the Little Theatre is in Molloy Street, and information and show times
are in the local paper.
Outlying Attractions Busselton
Located 228km (142 miles) south of Perth, on the Bussell Highway, Busselton
lies on the shores of Geographe Bay, where the Vasse River flows into the
bay. The Tourist Bureau is at 38 Peel Terrace, (08) 9752 1288. They have
details of the available accommodation, and of the numerous scenic drives
in the area.
Attractions in the town include: The Busselton Jetty, a long wooden jetty
in need of repairs due to the battering it received from cyclone Alby in
1978; St Mary's Church of England, the oldest stone church in the State;
Wonnerup House, hopen daily 11am-noon, 1-4.30pm; Old Butter Factory, which
houses the Historical Society, hopen Wed-Mon 2-5pm, Fri 9am-11.30am and
2-5pm; Old School and Teacher's House, classified by the National Trust;
The Old Courthouse Complex; The Whistle Stop, the old Margaret River railway
station, which closed in 1957, and has been relocated 11km out of Busselton
on the Vasse Highway; and Ludlow Tuart Forest which holds the beauty of
rare rain forests and is located just outside the town.
Margaret River
The south-west coastal town of Margaret River is 52km (32 miles) south
of Busselton on the Bussell Highway. The annual concert at Leeuwin Estate
lures the cultural set, while the pounding surf in Prevelly Park challenges
competitors in the annual amateur and professional surf competitions. The
Tourist Bureau is on the Bussell Highway in the town, (08) 9757 2147, and
you should visit them for information on accommodation and eating out. They
have a website at www.margaretriver wa.com. Send emails to &amrta@ netserv.net.au
Attractions in the area include: the Caves of the south-west - Mammoth
Cave, 21km (13 miles) south of Margaret River, and Lake Cave, 2km further
south; the vineyards (there are plenty to visit); the Old Settlement Historical
Museum; the Berry Farm; and Boranup Forest which showcases some of the
State's prettiest karri forest.
Augusta
Situated 95km (59 miles) south of Busselton, on the Bussell Highway. The
Augusta-Margaret River area of the State is commonly known as the South-West
Corner, as it is within that anvil shaped protrusion of the land which
extends into the Indian Ocean. Renowned as having some of the most picturesque
scenery in WA, the district can also boast of spectacular underground attractions
- there are many beautiful limestone caves, of which three are open to
tourists. Modern lighting is provided and access is easy. Two are mentioned
under Margaret River, the other one is The Jewel Cave, 8km from Augusta.
Its attractions are the Organ Pipes and the Jewel Casket. It also has the
world's largest straw - a stalactite which measures 5.9m (19 ft) in length.
The Augusta Tourist Bureau can be contacted on (08) 9758 0166, and they
will advise on accommodation. Other attractions are Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse,
Augusta Historical Museum and Hamelin Bay.
Manjimup
Manjimup is 307km (191 miles) south of Perth at the junction of South West
and Muirs Highways, right in the heart of the karri and jarrah forest.
The town has over 5000 residents, and the Tourist Bureau is on the corner
of Rose and Edwards Streets, (08) 9771 1831. The town has modern shopping
facilities and most sports are well catered for, including golf, lawn bowls
and five squash courts.
Attractions include: Manjimup Timber Park; the King Jarrah Heritage Trail;
Fonty's Pool; Glenoran Pool; the Dingup Church; and the Perup Ecology Pool.
Collie
Situated 57km (35 miles) inland from Bunbury, and 203km (126 miles) south
of Perth, Collie is important as a coal mining town, and has in fact been
WA's only source of coal since the 1890s, and Muja Power Station supplies
the State electricity grid. The Tourist Bureau is situated at 156 Throssell
Street, (08) 9734 2051. You can contact them by email at ctb@collie.net
serv.net.au or check out the website at www.collieriver valley.org.au
Attractions in the town include: Muja Open Cut/Power Station Tourist Look-out;
the Historical and Mining Museum; Steam Locomotion Museum; All Saints Church;
Wellington Dam; and Collie Scenic Drive.
