Busselton Jetty
Encyclopedia
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 from the town 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...
, 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...
. Because the shallow waters of 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...
restricted ship movement, a long jetty was required so that the cut timber could be transported to the ships. In 1839 Governor Hutt
John Hutt
John Hutt was Governor of Western Australia from 1839 to 1846.Born in London on 24 July 1795, John Hutt was the fourth of 13 children of Richard Hutt of Appley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, and in 1815 inherited Appley Towers...
appointed "the place in Geographe Bay opposite the Settlement at The Vasse
Vasse
Vasse may refer to:*Vasse , a village*Gordon Herbert Vasse , Royal Air Force officer*Thomas Vasse , a French sailor**Vasse, Western Australia, town**Vasse River. in Western Australia**Vasse Inlet. in Western Australia...
to be the legal place for the loading and unloading of goods". Construction of the jetty commenced in 1853 after persistent pressure by settlers. In 1865 the first section of the jetty became available for ships to moor. In 1875 an additional 131 metres was added to the original structure, as over 10 years' accumulation of drift sands had made the water too shallow for mooring. The jetty was continually extended until the 1960s when it reached its current length of 1841 metres.
The jetty also features a rail line along its length, which operated commercially as part of the railway line into Busselton from 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...
. The last commercial ship visited the jetty on 17 October 1971. On 21 July 1972, the jetty was closed to shipping by Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
's Proclamation in the W.A. Gazette after more than a century of use. Once closed, government maintenance of the jetty ceased and it began to deteriorate, suffering attack by wood borers, rot and the occasional fire. On 4 April 1978, Cyclone Alby
Cyclone Alby
Severe Tropical Cyclone Alby was regarded as the most devastating tropical cyclone to impact southwestern Western Australia on record. Forming out of an area of low pressure on 27 March, Alby steadily developed as it tracked southwestward, parallel to Western Australia...
swept south down the Western Australian coast from the North-West (a rare occurrence) and destroyed a large part of the shore end of the jetty. Subsequently, townspeople banded together to try to save the jetty and eventually persuaded the State Government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
and the Shire Council to provide some much needed funds for repair.
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
9 million has been committed to jetty restoration and development projects. A small tourist train operated following repairs in the 1980s and 1990s, but ceased in early 2005 due to concerns over the jetty's aging structure.
In December 1999, a devastating fire burnt 65 metres of jetty to the water line incurring $900,000 damage in the process .
On February 9, 2006 the Queen's Baton Relay
Queen's Baton Relay
The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London...
passed through Busselton. The baton was taken along the Busselton Jetty and then taken underwater by a scuba diver. The baton passed by the Underwater Observatory during its swim to allow the media to view the event.
The Jetty will be closed until August 2010 for repair work; meanwhile, only a small portion of the first 200 meters or so can be accessed.
Underwater Observatory
The observatory was opened on 13 December 2003 at a cost of A$Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
3.5 million. Since that time, over 250,000 people have visited the attraction. The underwater observatory is located 1.8 km from shore - almost at the end of the Busselton Jetty - and can accommodate up to 40 people at a time in its 9.5 m diameter observation chamber. Descending 8 metres below sea level, visitors can view the corals and fish life through eleven viewing windows.
In early 2011 the reconstruction was completed and the pier and railway were reopened to the public.