The attraction of the Busselton jetty and foreshore precinct is obvious, but for us its other charm lies in the fact that most of the streets of the CBD are tree lined and leafy and park areas abound. The CBD itself is home to all manner of shops whilst a very comprehensive range of commercial services can be found in the industrial area which is close to the main shopping section of town, but distinctly separated from it.
We strongly suspect that the plethora of goods and services available in Busso (including two large Woolies... one of which is the largest we have ever seen.....a mere 500 metres apart would you believe) is a direct result of the recent and continuing population explosion. According to the latest relevant statistics, today's Busselton is not only the fastest growing population centre in WA, but it leads Australia.
Let's have a quick look around the town, starting at the southern end of the main CBD where the Vasse River lies as an extremity of the Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary and wetland about which I have previously written but did not photograph too well. Hopefully these two 'borrowed' shots
give a better idea of the extent of the waterways which lie to the west and north of Busselton.
In fact water, both saline and fresh, is an ever present feature of the town. Greater Busselton is 15 kms long by 1 kms wide, built on the narrow strip of suitable land which lies between the sea and the marshy ground of the nearby wetlands. As a quick aside, I was interested to note that a series of swamp drainage channels have been dug in this region just as has been done in SA's south-east.
The towns origin's date back to the Bussell family (surprise, surprise!) who moved to this area from Augusta in 1832 and took up land which they built into one of the young colony's most productive cattle properties, 'Cattle Chosen'. A site at Wonnerup, just east of the present town, was originally selected for settlement, but, as the previous photos of the marshy wetlands show, this was clearly unsuitable for such a project and the wiser head of the colony's Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe prevailed in determining that Busselton would be established where it now stands.
In addition to the burgeoning cattle industry, (the dairy industry is still very strong in this area) the dense local forests provided for a thriving timber felling industry. I am sure all would associate the south-west of WA with both Jarrah and Kauri forests, but in the Busso area it was the equally valuable eucalypt, the Tuart, which sustained the timber industry for many years.
These hardwood trees grow to over 30 metres. The light colour of the timber, very similar to Honey Oak, coupled with its fine grain, saw it become highly prized for the manufacture of quality furniture. Tuart timber was similarly valued by the building industry because of its density and durability. The demand for this timber, and the added pressure to clear land for grazing in the Busselton area, resulted in the decimation of the Tuart forests to the point that now a mere 2,000 hectares of old forest remain. The Ludlow Forest (pictured), a few kms from Busselton, is now one of the rarest forests in the world. Major attempts to manage and expand the forest are now underway. In an odd twist of nature, one of the serious impediments to its rejuvenation is the fact that the Western Grey kangaroo, the population of which is expanding in this area, just loves munching on young Tuart saplings. What a conservation dilemma!
But back to the town. On the banks of the Vasse at the southern extremity of the main street we find Breeden Park.
Whilst the still, almost stagnant and very dark waters of the Vasse (it really only flows when wetland channel gates are opened to release water after heavy rain) do not present as the most attractive waterway, its attendant parks make up for that in a major way.
Green, shady and well maintained, Breeden Park is also home to some interesting art work, not the least of which is the 'Vasse statute'.
A closer look at the rather naive figure of Vasse himself shows him depicted with a 'broken heart', literally. And herein lies an interesting tale. Thomas Timothy Vasse was a Midshipman with the Baudin expedition. In June of 1801 Baudin's corvettes, the Geographe and the Naturaliste, were at anchor in Geographe Bay when, in threatening weather, a party of the expedition's scientific members went ashore to explore the area. The weather continued to deteriorate over the following two days until, by June 8, a howling northerly gale was lashing the Bay.
In heavy and dangerous surf, the shore party were eventually hauled off the beach on ropes attached to longboats lying outside the surf line. Vasse did not make it. He was swept away by the powerful waves and shore currents and never seen again by Baudin or his crews.
This much of Vasse's story is relatively unchallenged, but beyond his actual disappearance, things become interesting. Local legend has it that he actually survived his watery ordeal and was given succour by the local aboriginal tribe, only to live out his days wandering the shore forever searching the horizon for any sign of a rescuing sail. (other accounts have him making his way back to Europe on an American whaler...but this version of his life has been roundly discounted by all even vaguely qualified to do so).
Whatever the real outcome of Vasse's disappearance, he is now depicted in Breeden Park, both in his statue and the inscription on the boat shaped board in front of him as having 'died of a broken heart' in the strange land of the antipodes. What a yarn! And I have to say that, having lived through two days here in Busso during a recent northerly buster, the normally benign waters of Geographe Bay do become bloody angry indeed. I can well understand why the visiting French were in strife attempting to regain their ships.
Enough history...back to today and the parks of Bussellton. To the west of Breeden Park, across Causeway Road, one can stroll further along the Vasse on a linear park which extends
past the Shire Offices for just under a kilometre towards the industrial area.
Whilst a large number of impressive gums are flourishing,
many of the Flooded Gums on the rive banks itself have fallen victim to the predation of insects, (lerps, leaf minors and gall beetles to be precise!). Much is now being done along this park to encourage the return of bird species which keep these insect nasties under control. We wish them well in their endeavours.
Returning to the CBD, we find the charming Anglican Church. Built in 1845, the sign at its entrance proudly proclaims it as the oldest stone building in WA.
Opposite the church and its own delightful garden surrounds, is yet another park area
which is home to the Busselton Memorial gardens and monument to the fallen.
Continuing our wander north along the main street, we come to Albies, one of the largest of Busso's four main pubs.
From here I took in the view north along Queen Street, the main drag, to the not too distant esplanade. As you can see, the one drawback of this street is that it is very narrow, and, unlike this early Sunday morning shot, is usually crowded with traffic moving through at a snail's pace when the CBD becomes 'bustling Busso'.
Many of the streets which run off Queen Street are much wider, and trees abound.
It was down such a street we came across one of the most innovative re-uses of an old building I have ever seen. Rather than knocking it down in a redevelopment of the street, this original Chapel has been retained as a cafe by building around it,
as can be seen when viewed from inside the arcade in which its interior is located. (the rather ethereal glow at the top of the shot is actually light pouring in through the windows built over the original gable....and I have actually adjusted contrast!)
The obviously named 'Fig Tree Lane', which is entered through the arch in mid shot,
is another of Busso's delightful commercial nooks and crannies which provided an interesting method of walking between two streets.
Briefly back to the town's parks...Mitchell Park, which graces the intersection of Queen Street and Prince Street, provides yet another tract of open space in the CBD.
and in one final salute to the 'greening of Busselton', a view down Prince Street itself at a spot just opposite the Post Office (where we did spend a bit of time over the past week or so).
On the final leg of our stroll north along Queen Street towards the jetty and our caravan park, we pass the impressive facade of the Vasse Hotel building, which, whilst still housing a bar is
now home to a very well patronised corner cafe and other commercial ventures.
Within the next block we wander by the Busselton Court House and Police station, just around the corner from the Kookaburra park (comforting) as we complete our whistle-stop toddle around the Busselton CBD.
And now we are on the move again after three weeks in the Kookaburra...about 8 kms to the west of the CBD to the Sandy Bay Holiday Park, a stone's throw from the shores of Geographe Bay. This will be our base for exploring this part of the south-west for the next two weeks. We have already made a couple of sorties into the Margaret River area and beyond, and north to Bunbury, but still have much to see....and there a many more fish to be caught!
We strongly suspect that the plethora of goods and services available in Busso (including two large Woolies... one of which is the largest we have ever seen.....a mere 500 metres apart would you believe) is a direct result of the recent and continuing population explosion. According to the latest relevant statistics, today's Busselton is not only the fastest growing population centre in WA, but it leads Australia.
Let's have a quick look around the town, starting at the southern end of the main CBD where the Vasse River lies as an extremity of the Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary and wetland about which I have previously written but did not photograph too well. Hopefully these two 'borrowed' shots
give a better idea of the extent of the waterways which lie to the west and north of Busselton.
In fact water, both saline and fresh, is an ever present feature of the town. Greater Busselton is 15 kms long by 1 kms wide, built on the narrow strip of suitable land which lies between the sea and the marshy ground of the nearby wetlands. As a quick aside, I was interested to note that a series of swamp drainage channels have been dug in this region just as has been done in SA's south-east.
The towns origin's date back to the Bussell family (surprise, surprise!) who moved to this area from Augusta in 1832 and took up land which they built into one of the young colony's most productive cattle properties, 'Cattle Chosen'. A site at Wonnerup, just east of the present town, was originally selected for settlement, but, as the previous photos of the marshy wetlands show, this was clearly unsuitable for such a project and the wiser head of the colony's Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe prevailed in determining that Busselton would be established where it now stands.
In addition to the burgeoning cattle industry, (the dairy industry is still very strong in this area) the dense local forests provided for a thriving timber felling industry. I am sure all would associate the south-west of WA with both Jarrah and Kauri forests, but in the Busso area it was the equally valuable eucalypt, the Tuart, which sustained the timber industry for many years.
These hardwood trees grow to over 30 metres. The light colour of the timber, very similar to Honey Oak, coupled with its fine grain, saw it become highly prized for the manufacture of quality furniture. Tuart timber was similarly valued by the building industry because of its density and durability. The demand for this timber, and the added pressure to clear land for grazing in the Busselton area, resulted in the decimation of the Tuart forests to the point that now a mere 2,000 hectares of old forest remain. The Ludlow Forest (pictured), a few kms from Busselton, is now one of the rarest forests in the world. Major attempts to manage and expand the forest are now underway. In an odd twist of nature, one of the serious impediments to its rejuvenation is the fact that the Western Grey kangaroo, the population of which is expanding in this area, just loves munching on young Tuart saplings. What a conservation dilemma!
But back to the town. On the banks of the Vasse at the southern extremity of the main street we find Breeden Park.
Whilst the still, almost stagnant and very dark waters of the Vasse (it really only flows when wetland channel gates are opened to release water after heavy rain) do not present as the most attractive waterway, its attendant parks make up for that in a major way.
Green, shady and well maintained, Breeden Park is also home to some interesting art work, not the least of which is the 'Vasse statute'.
A closer look at the rather naive figure of Vasse himself shows him depicted with a 'broken heart', literally. And herein lies an interesting tale. Thomas Timothy Vasse was a Midshipman with the Baudin expedition. In June of 1801 Baudin's corvettes, the Geographe and the Naturaliste, were at anchor in Geographe Bay when, in threatening weather, a party of the expedition's scientific members went ashore to explore the area. The weather continued to deteriorate over the following two days until, by June 8, a howling northerly gale was lashing the Bay.
In heavy and dangerous surf, the shore party were eventually hauled off the beach on ropes attached to longboats lying outside the surf line. Vasse did not make it. He was swept away by the powerful waves and shore currents and never seen again by Baudin or his crews.
This much of Vasse's story is relatively unchallenged, but beyond his actual disappearance, things become interesting. Local legend has it that he actually survived his watery ordeal and was given succour by the local aboriginal tribe, only to live out his days wandering the shore forever searching the horizon for any sign of a rescuing sail. (other accounts have him making his way back to Europe on an American whaler...but this version of his life has been roundly discounted by all even vaguely qualified to do so).
Whatever the real outcome of Vasse's disappearance, he is now depicted in Breeden Park, both in his statue and the inscription on the boat shaped board in front of him as having 'died of a broken heart' in the strange land of the antipodes. What a yarn! And I have to say that, having lived through two days here in Busso during a recent northerly buster, the normally benign waters of Geographe Bay do become bloody angry indeed. I can well understand why the visiting French were in strife attempting to regain their ships.
Enough history...back to today and the parks of Bussellton. To the west of Breeden Park, across Causeway Road, one can stroll further along the Vasse on a linear park which extends
past the Shire Offices for just under a kilometre towards the industrial area.
Whilst a large number of impressive gums are flourishing,
many of the Flooded Gums on the rive banks itself have fallen victim to the predation of insects, (lerps, leaf minors and gall beetles to be precise!). Much is now being done along this park to encourage the return of bird species which keep these insect nasties under control. We wish them well in their endeavours.
Returning to the CBD, we find the charming Anglican Church. Built in 1845, the sign at its entrance proudly proclaims it as the oldest stone building in WA.
Opposite the church and its own delightful garden surrounds, is yet another park area
which is home to the Busselton Memorial gardens and monument to the fallen.
Continuing our wander north along the main street, we come to Albies, one of the largest of Busso's four main pubs.
From here I took in the view north along Queen Street, the main drag, to the not too distant esplanade. As you can see, the one drawback of this street is that it is very narrow, and, unlike this early Sunday morning shot, is usually crowded with traffic moving through at a snail's pace when the CBD becomes 'bustling Busso'.
Many of the streets which run off Queen Street are much wider, and trees abound.
It was down such a street we came across one of the most innovative re-uses of an old building I have ever seen. Rather than knocking it down in a redevelopment of the street, this original Chapel has been retained as a cafe by building around it,
as can be seen when viewed from inside the arcade in which its interior is located. (the rather ethereal glow at the top of the shot is actually light pouring in through the windows built over the original gable....and I have actually adjusted contrast!)
The obviously named 'Fig Tree Lane', which is entered through the arch in mid shot,
is another of Busso's delightful commercial nooks and crannies which provided an interesting method of walking between two streets.
Briefly back to the town's parks...Mitchell Park, which graces the intersection of Queen Street and Prince Street, provides yet another tract of open space in the CBD.
and in one final salute to the 'greening of Busselton', a view down Prince Street itself at a spot just opposite the Post Office (where we did spend a bit of time over the past week or so).
On the final leg of our stroll north along Queen Street towards the jetty and our caravan park, we pass the impressive facade of the Vasse Hotel building, which, whilst still housing a bar is
now home to a very well patronised corner cafe and other commercial ventures.
Within the next block we wander by the Busselton Court House and Police station, just around the corner from the Kookaburra park (comforting) as we complete our whistle-stop toddle around the Busselton CBD.
And now we are on the move again after three weeks in the Kookaburra...about 8 kms to the west of the CBD to the Sandy Bay Holiday Park, a stone's throw from the shores of Geographe Bay. This will be our base for exploring this part of the south-west for the next two weeks. We have already made a couple of sorties into the Margaret River area and beyond, and north to Bunbury, but still have much to see....and there a many more fish to be caught!
Hi, I would like to use one of your "borrowed" Vasse Wonnerup images for a small community presentation about the wetlands. Where did you get the images from, so I can correctly cite them? Thanks :)
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