Busselton

Coastal town in the southwest of Western Australia, 229 km/142 mi south of Perth; population (1996) 10,600. Current industries include sheep, cattle and dairy farming, fruit, and fishing. Tourism has also become an important contributor to the local economy over recent years.

In 1865 construction began on a timber jetty which was completed in 1961; although partially destroyed by a cyclone in 1978, at 2 km/1.2 mi in length it is the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

It was named after the Bussells, a local family of settlers. The townsite of Busselton was declared in 1832, and a cattle and dairy industry gradually evolved in the district. In 1844 St Mary's Church was built, the oldest stone church in Western Australia. Close proximity to timber resources resulted in the establishment of the first timber mill in Western Australia, to the southwest of the town in 1854. The district expanded rapidly after a railway to Perth was opened in 1894.