This was published 9 years ago
Bunbury, Western Australia: Travel guide and things to do
Bunbury, WA
Bunbury is an attractive and interesting mixture of a pleasant, gracious city combined with a strong and successful industrial base built on the city's port. Located 173 km south of Perth it was once an important port for the shipment of wheat from the hinterland. Today no wheat leaves through the port. Instead the port concentrates on woodchip and alumina and the city of Bunbury has become the regional commercial centre.
The first Europeans to sail up the west coast near Bunbury were the Dutch who were duly followed by the British and the French. It was left to a French expedition in 1803, led by Captain Louis de Freycinet, to explore the site on which Bunbury now stands. Sailing in the Geographe and Casaurina, the French named Point Casaurina and mapped part of Port Leschenault, which was named after the expedition's botanist.
British interest in the area dates from 1829 when a survey party from the infant colony on the Swan River sailed down the coast and explored the area around Koombana and Vittoria Bays. The expedition leaders, Dr Collie and Lieutenant Preston, both reported favourably on the area and the following year the colony's Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, explored the region.
These early favourable reports led to the establishment of a military presence in the area when members of the 63rd Regiment were sent to a camp east of the mouth of Leschenault Inlet to protect settlers against attacks from Aborigines. No settlers arrived and no Aborigines attacked. The settlement was abandoned and the soldiers were moved to Augusta.
The establishment of European settlement in the area was the result of reports written by Lieutenant Henry William St Pierre Bunbury (after whom the city is named) who travelled through the area while on an expedition from Pinjarra to the Vasse River (now Busselton).
Bunbury's initial impressions of the area were good. He described the area in his journal Early Days in Western Australia: 'we soon got into a more open flat country lightly timbered with Tooats, with abundance of grass and not many bushes, and saw a thick Tea tree swamp about half a mile on our right forming the head of the estuary, upon which we soon arrived ourselves by a well beaten path through a most rich and luxuriant crop of grass and sow-thistles'.
In the same journal Bunbury describes the establishment of the settlement and its naming.
'A township has been formed, or at least laid down on the maps, comprising the southern promontory and part of the north beach at the entrance of Port Leschenault Inlet, which the Governor named 'Bunbury' in compliment to me.'
The first settlers, John Scott and his family, arrived in 1838 and they were followed a few years later by many of the settlers who had attempted to make a living in the experimental township at Australind. By 1841 there were almost 400 Europeans living in the new town of Bunbury.
The township prospered initially as a result of the whalers who anchored their vessels in Geographe Bay and Koombana Bay. There were times, when whaling was at its peak, when there were literally hundreds of whaling vessels in the area.
The town and district grew steadily through the nineteenth century. St Marks Church, the oldest church in Western Australia, was built at Picton in 1842, Bunbury became a municipality in 1871, and railway lines from Boyanup (1891) and Perth (1893) increased the port's importance. At this time Bunbury was a major port for the export of karri and jarrah which was being cut and milled in the hinterland.
Around this time the town acquired a reputation as 'The Brighton of the Colony'. It became a pleasant seaside resort for miners flush with gold from the eastern goldfields. Guest houses, hotels and new baths were built to meet a blossoming demand for accommodation.
The town's importance in the twentieth century has hinged on its development as a port. In 1903 the breakwater was constructed. For most of this century it has been a major port for both the wheat and timber which are produced in the inland. In the 1950s rich deposits of mineral sands were found along the coast. It became a city on 8 October 1979 and is now one of the half dozen largest cities in Western Australia.
Things to see
Bunbury's Major Attractions
Bunbury has a large number of genuinely interesting historic sites ranging from the old lighthouse (which is an extraordinary combination - an earlier lighthouse has been placed on top of the present lighthouse) to St Marks Church, King Cottage and the Regional Art Gallery Arts Complex.
Bunbury Heritage Trail
There is an outstanding Bunbury Heritage Trail which combines a 12 km loop covering 28 important sites in the city area with a 4 km walk through the central business district which adds another 22 interesting buildings and historic sites. The fact that there are 50 places of interest within the city is an indication that Bunbury deserves at least a day of inspection. This is a city of particularly beautiful old hotels, of interesting streetscapes (looking up Victoria Street and seeing the gothic eminence of St Patricks Roman Catholic Cathedral on the skyline is awe-inspiring) and of excellent walks along the coastline.
The Old Railway Station
It seems as though all journeys around Bunbury start at the Old Railway Station, which is now the local Bus Depot as well as housing the Tourist Bureau. The original station was burnt down in 1904 and the building which replaced it is a classic, solid, turn of the century, station designed when rail was the vital form of transportation. The Tourist Bureau has a wide range of publications about the city and, given that many of the major attractions are off the beaten track, it is necessary to get a good map for trying to find places like St Marks Church or the Bunbury Museum.
Stirling Street Historic Precinct
Near the Railway Station is the Stirling Street Historic Precinct - an area which has largely escaped modernisation. Originally the road from Bunbury to Australind, in the 1890s it became a popular area and its original character - long rectangular blocks of houses, steep pitched roofs, bay windows - has been retained. It offers an excellent insight into what Bunbury was like around the turn of the century. On the corner of Stirling and Moore streets is the building known as 'The Residency', a classic Australian bungalow with a bull nosed verandah, which was built in 1896 for the Resident Magistrate. At 82 and 84 Stirling Street are two cottages which date from 1875 when the first buildings were being constructed in the area. Number 84 is notable for its raised floor which is a precaution against flooding in Leschenault Inlet.
Further along Stirling Street are a number of significant dwellings. At 131 is a substantial residence built around 1890. Number 137 Stirling Street was originally built for the businessman and politician, Thomas Hayward whose Thos Hayward & Sons, farm equipment stores, spread throughout the south west after World War I. The Heritage Trail booklet describes the history of a number of other significant buildings in the Street.
Leschenault Homestead
One of the oldest buildings in Bunbury is Leschenault Homestead on the Old Coast Road. It was built in three stages starting in 1844 with additions in 1854 and 1874. The original owner was William Pearce Clifton, son of Marshall Walter Clifton, the Commissioner for Australind.
The first stage of the cottage was built from pit sawn timber with clay, woven wattles, weatherboards and newspapers and whitewash. It is a wonderful example of necessity providing interesting building materials.
Additions to this simple dwelling have included a detached verandah, bay windows and some very sophisticated joinery. It is a hugely important building both architecturally and historically. Unfortunately it is not open to the public.
St Marks Anglican Church
Another building of great historical importance is St Marks Anglican Church on the corner of Flynn and Charterhouse Close (a map is needed to find the building).
The story of the church is extraordinary. On 8 July 1840 the American whaler Samuel Wright was wrecked in Koombana Bay. The skipper, Captain Coffin, salvaged timber from the whaler and built himself a cottage at Picton. In 1842 the cottage was purchased off Coffin by the newly arrived Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston. Wollaston had arrived to become chaplain at Australind but by that time the settlement was collapsing and he was told that there were no funds to build a church and nowhere to stay.
Wollaston was undeterred by his problems in Australind. With the help of local farmers and with remarkable tenacity (he was over 50 at the time) he built his own church out of pitsawn timber using cloth soaked in linseed oil for the windows.
The present building was extensively restored in 1942 but the character has been retained. The churchyard contains the graves of many important early Bunbury citizens including William and Margaret Forrest (the parents of John and Alexander Forrest), Henry and Susannah King who built King's Cottage, and John and Helen Scott who were some of the district's earliest settlers.
King Cottage Museum
Bunbury's King Cottage Museum is located at 77 Forrest Avenue and is open by appointment (contact the Tourist Bureau for details) or by phoning (08) 9721 1586. The attractive King Cottage, which is a typical country residence, was built of hand made bricks around 1880. It was built progressively but the end result was a typical Australian brick bungalow with wide verandahs.
The museum recreates various periods in local history. The sitting room is furnished in typical Victorian style with a painting of Lieutenant Bunbury over the sideboard. The bedroom has interesting displays of old fashioned garments and cosmetics and the kitchen has items like a butter churn, mangle and water pump.
Geographe Bay, Rocky Point and Lighthouse
To the west of Bunbury city centre is Geographe Bay which stretches south to Busselton. A drive along the shore is interesting because of the Rocky Point and the Lighthouse.
It is believed that the black rocks at Rocky Point are part of a lava flow dating back 150 million years which occurred as the great integrated mass of Gondwanaland (Antarctica, South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Australia) started to drift apart. The Bunbury basalt at Rocky Point cooled in columns giving it the appearance of the Giant's causeway in Northern Ireland. It was no accident that when Reverend Wollaston drew a map of Bunbury in 1843 he named this rocky outcrop 'Giant's Causeway'.
Bunbury Lighthouse
At the end of the beach is the Bunbury Lighthouse with the checkered lighthouse which dates from 1959 on top of the more recent section which was built in 1971. Look carefully and you can see a join about 10 m from the ground. The original lighthouse has been attached to the present one. The light is now 25 m above the ground and can be seen 27 km out to sea.
Marlston Hill Rotary Lookout Tower
Further along the headland is the Marlston Hill Rotary Lookout Tower, a Bicentennial project, which offers an excellent view of Bunbury harbour and the breakwater.
Bunbury's Pubs
In the city centre are some attractive old pubs - The Grand Central Hotel (1900), the Wellington Hotel (1918), the Burlington Hotel (1895) and the Bunbury Hotel (1896). Perhaps the most interesting of all the hotels is the Rose Hotel (1897) on the corner of Victoria and Wellington Streets. A Rose Hotel was built on the site in 1865 but it was completely rebuilt in 1897 to cater for the booming holiday trade. Its decorative cast iron verandahs and attractive facade make it an important part of the city's streetscape.
Other Buildings
Other interesting features of the city centre include the Regional Art Galley and Arts Complex in Wittenoom Street which have been located in the impressive Chapel and Sisters of Mercy Convent which was sold to the local council in 1981.
Boulters Height Lookout
Another excellent view across the city can be gained from Boulters Height Lookout (turn beside the Art Gallery and proceed up the hill following the signs). It is named after A. H. Boulter who established a rotunda on the site in the late 1920s. In 1966, to coincide with a visit from the Queen Mother, the local council built a 26 m waterfall. The view from the lookout is dominated by St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral (1920) with its red roof and soaring gothic lines.
Tourist Radio
Additional information - particularly very good up-to-the-minute information - about this town can be accessed by checking out Western Tourist Radio at http://www.touristradio.com.au < http://www.touristradio.com.au> . Not only does it provide excellent information for people planning to visit Bunbury but it also provides access to information for people while they are actually travelling through the area. Check it out. It is very useful information.
Tourist Information
Bunbury Tourist Bureau
Old Railway Station Carmody
Bunbury WA 6230
Telephone: (08) 9721 7922
Facsimile: (08) 9721 9224
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