The Buayanyup River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the South West of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

The headwaters of the river rise in the Whicher Range

Whicher Range

Whicher Range is a range in the South West region of Western Australia The range as an average elevation of above sea level.Bounded by the Swan Coastal Plain to the West and the South, the Darling Scarp to the North and the Blackwood Plateau to the East, the range is located approximately South...

 and flows north crossing the Bussell Highway

Bussell Highway

Bussell Highway is a generally north-south highway in the South West of Western Australia. The highway links the city of Bunbury with the town of Augusta and is approximately 150 km in length...

 near Vasse

Vasse, Western Australia

Vasse is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, west of the town of Busselton and southwest of Perth. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Busselton...

 before discharging into Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay is located in the South West of Western Australia around 220 km southwest of Perth.The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin; Baudin named the bay after his ship, Géographe. The bay is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Naturaliste past the towns...

 near Abbey about 8 kilometres (5 mi) West of Busselton

Busselton, Western Australia

-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...

. The river has three main tributaries of Dawson Gulley, Ironstone Gully and the other is not named. In total the river has a stream length of over 100 kilometres (62 mi).

Flowing through agricultural land that is predominantly used for raising beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

 and dairy cattle

Dairy cattle

Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....

 and to a lesser degree plantation timber

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

 and viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

. The area has been settled since 1834 when the Bussell family

Bussell family

The Bussell family were a family of early settlers in colonial Western Australia. Four members of the Bussell family emigrated from England to Western Australia in 1831, with more members following in the next few years...

 established a cattle station along the Vasse River

Vasse River

The Vasse River is a river in the South West of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Whicher Range below Chapman Hill and flows in the northerly direction until discharging into the Vasse Estuary near Busselton and then the Indian Ocean via Wonnerup Inlet and Geographe Bay.The...

 name Cattle Chosen. More farming families followed and now over 50% of the catchment is used for cattle farming.

The name of the river was first recorded by a surveyor in 1839 and is Aboriginal in origin but it's meaning is unknown.