Busselton, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Growth and development
According to the Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
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 approximately 34,000 in 2011 and 46,000 in 2021. According to the Australian Bureau of statistics during the year 2004-2005 Busselton's growth rate for the 12 month period was 6.5%, bringing 1700 new residents to the shire and increasing the population to an estimated 27,546. This means Busselton is likely to attain city status in the near future.
Busselton's growth over the past decade has been centered along the shores of Geographe Bay; this has created a narrow urban strip 15 km long and around 1 km wide. The heavy coastal development has led to a shortage of beachside blocks.
Tourism
Busselton Jetty
Busselton is home to the longest wooden jetty (pier) in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
stretching almost 2 km out to sea. Construction of the jetty began in 1853 and was continually extended until the 1960s when it reached its current length of 1841 metres. It was closed to shipping in 1972, and maintenance was discontinued for a time. It has since been restored, and is now the site of an underwater observatory and an interpretive centre. It has also has been said that it's the third longest wooden structure in the world.
Wonnerup House
The current Wonnerup House was built in 1859 by the Layman family (original settlers). The original building built between 1837-1841 was destroyed by fire in 1858. The complex also includes the Dairy and Kitchen which predate the main house (and survived the fire of 1858 because they were separate buildings). Over the road are the Teacher's House (1885) and School (1873).Since 1973 the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
has operated the property as a museum its open to public.
St Marys Church of England
St Marys Church of England was built in 1844–1845 and claims to be the oldest stone church in Western Australia. John Molloy
John Molloy
Captain John Molloy was an early settler in Western Australia. He was one of the original settlers of Augusta.-Early life:...
and John Garrett Bussell were the main forces behind the construction of the church. The church was not consecrated until 1848 and it was another decade before a clergyman could be attracted to the region. Alongside the church is a graveyard; some of the graves date back to 1841 - before the church was built.
Weld Hall
Augusta-Busselton Heritage Trail
Retraces the Pioneer Route from Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
to the Vasse taken by the original settlers in the 1800s. The trail is over 100 km long, starting at the jetty and finishing in Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
.
Airport
Busselton Regional Airport
Busselton Regional Airport is located from Busselton's town centre. Busselton is located in the South West of Western Australia, about south of Perth in the heart of the Margaret River wine region.-Facilities:...
. No scheduled services operate out of the airport, though chartered flights can be arranged. There has been indication by Skywest Airlines that they will operate a scheduled flight from Perth Airport
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport serving Perth, the capital and largest city of Western Australia. The airport itself is located in the suburb of Perth Airport....
during the peak Summer period.
Schools
Primary schools in the Busselton area include Busselton Primary, West Busselton, Cornerstone Christian College, Dunsborough Primary, Geographe Primary School and Education Support Centre, Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, Our Lady of the Cape, St. Joseph's, and Vasse Primary.High schools in the area include Busselton Senior High School (years 8-12), Mackillop Catholic College (years 8-12), Cornerstone Christian College (years K-12), Georgiana Molloy Anglican School (years 8-11, but will be years 8-12 within 1 years), Cape Naturaliste College (years 8-12).
The only tertiary institution in the area is the South West Regional TAFE
Technical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
.
Hospital
Busselton Regional Hospital is located 3 km west of the town centre.In October 2005, the Western Australian Government announced that Busselton would receive a new $65 million hospital. The Hospital will be completed by around 2010 and will remove the need to travel to Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
or Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
for many medical services.
Events
Events are held year round in Busselton. The most notable being:- Southbound Music FestivalSouthbound (festival)Southbound is an arts, camping and music festival. A variety of Australian and international artists perform at this event. The festival occurs annually, early January, at the Sir Stewart Bovell Park in Busselton, Western Australia.-History:...
in January - Busselton Beach Festival
- Festival of Busselton
- Geographe Bay Race Week http://www.geographebayraceweek.org.au
- Busselton Festival of Triathlon http://www.busseltonhalf.com
- Ironman Western Australia Triathlon Busselton http://www.ironmanwa.com
- The Busselton Jetty Swim http://www.busseltonjettyswim.org.au/
Places of worship
There are only Christian places of worship in Busselton. These include:- Anglican St Mary's
- Assemblies of God (Abundant Life Centre Busselton)
- Baptist
- Church of Christ
- Hope
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- Potter's House
- Roman Catholic Our Lady of the Bay
- St Joseph's
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- the Salvation Army
Media
Busselton is serviced by 2 local weekly newspapers; the Busselton Dunsborough times (Friday) and the Busselton Dunsborough Mail (Wednesday) . The West AustralianThe West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
is available from Monday to Saturday and the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (Western Australia)
The Sunday Times, owned by News Limited, is a tabloid Sunday newspaper printed in Perth and distributed throughout Western Australia.-History:...
is available on Sundays.
Busselton is serviced by two commercial television channels, GWN and WIN
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
. The public broadcast channels ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
are also available.
Local Government
The town of Busselton is located in the 1454 km² Shire of Busselton, which is home to 28,000 people (2005 est.) and also includes the towns of DunsboroughDunsborough, Western Australia
Dunsborough is a coastal town in the South West of Western Australia, south of Perth on the shores of Geographe Bay.Dunsborough is a popular tourist destination for Western Australians; in 1999 it was voted the state's best tourist destination. During the last decade the town has grown quickly and...
and Yallingup
Yallingup, Western Australia
Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.-History and industry:...
.
State Government
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Busselton is located in the Lower House
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Vasse
Electoral district of Vasse
-External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:...
, represented by Troy Buswell
Troy Buswell
Troy Raymond Buswell is currently the Liberal member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Vasse, and the Minister for Transport and Minister for Housing. He was Leader of the Opposition for several months in 2008, then served as Treasurer of Western Australia in the Barnett...
(MLA), who holds the blue-ribbon seat for the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. In the Upper House
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, Busselton is within the South West Region
Electoral region of South West
The electoral region of South West is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state...
.
Federal Government
Busselton is located in the safe LiberalLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
seat of Forrest
Division of Forrest
The Division of Forrest is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia and a federal Cabinet minister. It is located in the south-western corner of the state, including the towns of...
. The seat is currently represented by Nola Marino
Nola Marino
Nola Bethwynn Marino has been the Liberal Party of Australia representative for the electoral division of Forrest in Western Australia since the 2007 federal election.Marino was born in Harvey and established a small business in 1972....
who has held the seat since 2007.
Busselton Health Study
Busselton is the location of one of the longest running epidemiologicalEpidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
studies in the world. Since 1966, over 16,000 residents of Busselton have participated in surveys concerning such health topics as cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
, pulmonary function
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
, diabetes, and allergies, resulting in over 300 publications. The program was initiated by Dr Kevin Cullen, and is administered by Busselton Population Medical Research Foundation and the of Population Health, University of Western Australia]. The Busselton Health Studies have been described as a national treasure and continue to provide important information about the prevalence and risk factors of many common diseases and health conditions.