Early Years
Busselton Jetty is one of the most recognisable icons in Western Australia. Stretching 1.841km out to sea, it is the longest timber piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere!
Although it is now used exclusively for tourism and recreation – it has an extensive and colourful past as a working jetty…
In the early years of European settlement, agriculture was the main commercial activity in the Busselton/Vasse region. Crops such as wheat, barley, and oats were grown and livestock such as sheep, pigs and cattle were raised. Some of these stocks were exported from the area as early as 1858 and the construction of the Jetty shortly after in 1865 meant more frequent and efficient exports and impors.
During this time, the timber industry also took shape with the government offering large concessions and special timber licenses in 1850. As a result of this, the region’s first timber mills were built in Quindalup in 1858.
Geographe Bay also became recognised as a bountiful source of whales with American whalers regularly dropping off large amounts of whale oil and collecting supplies from South West settlers. In 1836 a light beacon was erected as a navigational aid, made of a 10m-high spar with a barrel at the top containing a lamp.
This rudimentary lighthouse was affectionately known as ‘The Tub’ and was located north of Busselton’s Marine Terrace and Queen Street junction.
