Bunbury, Western Australia

Bunbury
Western Australia
Bunbury location map in Western Australia.PNG
Population: 57,744 (Urban) [1]  (27th)
• Density: 396/km² (1,025.6/sq mi)
Established: 1836
Area: 138.7 km² (53.6 sq mi)
Location:
  • 175 km (109 mi) from Perth
  • 52 km (32 mi) from Busselton
Region: South West
State District:
  • Bunbury
  • Collie-Preston
  • Murray-Wellington
Federal Division: Forrest

The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after Mandurah and Perth the state capital. It is situated 175 kilometres (109 mi) south of Perth's central business district (CBD). The port services the farming and timber industries of the south west originally connect via an extensive rail network.

Bunbury was the birth place of Western Australia's first Premier and explorer John Forrest.

Contents

Geography

Bunbury is situated 175 kilometres south of Perth, near the mouth of the Collie River at the southern end of the Leschenault Inlet, which opens to Koombana Bay and the larger Geographe Bay which extends southwards to Cape Naturaliste.

History

The first registered sighting of Bunbury was by French explorer Captain Louis de Freycinet from his ship the Casuarina in 1803. He named the area 'Port Leschenault' after the expedition's botanist, Leschenault de la Tour. The bay was named Geographe after another ship in the fleet.

In 1829, Dr Alexander Collie and Lieutenant Preston explored the area of Bunbury on land. Later Lieutenant Governor Sir James Stirling visited the area and a military post was established. The area was renamed Bunbury by the Governor in recognition of Lieutenant Henry William St. Pierre Bunbury (1812-75), who developed the very difficult inland route from Pinjarra to Bunbury.[2]

Rail Transport

See also: Wollaston, Western Australia#Transport

The Pinjarra to Picton Junction railway line was completed in 1893, connecting Bunbury to Perth, and also to the coal and mineral deposits and agricultural areas to the north and east. The famous railway roundhouse and marshalling yards located at what is now Bunbury Centrepoint shopping centre were a vital service centre for the steam engines of the day. The train station served as the terminal for the longest lasting named service in Western Australia - the Australind passenger train between Perth, transporting its first passengers on 24 November 1947 and connecting to a newly established bus network distributing passengers all over the South West.

By 1983, the railway into the city (closely following Blair Street's alignment) was considered an eyesore by the local council and developers, who wished to take advantage of the newly elected Burke Labor government's pledges to make Bunbury an alternative city to Perth. A new station was constructed at Wollaston 4 km to the southeast, and the last train to use the old station departed Bunbury on 28 May 1985 with the new terminal commencing operations the following day. The railway land was then sold and Blair Street realigned. The Australind passenger service was then substantially upgraded in 1987.

At present there are two departures and two arrivals at Wollaston every day of the week. The former train station is now the Bunbury Visitor Centre and is the main bus station for Bunbury City Transit services. It is also a stop for Transwa and South West Coach Lines bus services.

King Cottage Museum

King Cottage was built around 1880 by Henry King was owned by his family until 1923 when it was sold to the Carlson family. In 1966 it was purchased by the City of Bunbury and subsequently leased to the Bunbury Historical Society. The rooms of the cottage are furnished to fit the period from 1880s to the 1920s. The artifacts displayed are part of the Society's collection reflecting the way of life for a family in Bunbury during that period. [3]

Lord Forrest

Statue Dedicated to John Forrest with the inscription Lord Forrest PC GCMC Explorer Statesman 1847-1918
Main article: John Forrest

The first Baron Forrest of Bunbury,(Lord Forrest) was to be the title bestowed on Bunbury born John Forrest, who was the first Premier of Western Australia, explorer and surveyor of Western Australia. Leading three expeditions the first in search of Ludwig Leichhardt, two expeditions to Adelaide the first surveying the route of Edward John Eyre across the Nullabor, the second from Geraldton to the overland telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin in search of pastural land in the interior of Western Australia.[4][5]

In 1890 when Western Australia gained rite to self rule from Brittan, Forrest was elected unoppposed to the seat of Bunbury in the Legislative Council and was appointed as the first Premier of Western Australia. Forrest government embarked on a large scale public works expansion under the direction of engineer C. Y. O'Connor including the building of Fremantle harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. On the 13th february 1901 Forrest resigned as Premier of Western Australia and member for Bunbury so he could contest the seat of Swan in the first federal election. On 29 March 1901 Forrest was elected to first Australian Parliament where he remained until he resigned due to cancer in March 1918.[4][5]

On 6 February 1918, Forrest was informed that he was to be raised to the British peerage as Baron Forrest of Bunbury in the Commonwealth of Australia and of Forret in Fife in the United Kingdom. Forrest died 2 September 1918 while travelling to London, to receive treatement and hoping to take his seat in the House of Lords. However no Letters patent were issued before his death, so the peerage was not officially created. According to Rubinstein (1991), "his peerage is not mentioned or included in Burke's Peerage, The New Extinct Peerage, the Complete Peerage, or any other standard reference work on the subject."[4][5]

Description

The main street of Bunbury

The local government of the City of Bunbury has a population of 32,499. Bunbury has sister-city relationships with Setagaya, Japan, and Jiaxing, China. In 2007 Bunbury was recognised as Australia's fastest growing city for 2005/06 period by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). [6][7] Bunbury's climate is similar to that of Western Australia's capital Perth.

Bunbury
BunburyLighthouse.jpg
Bunbury's lighthouse and Marlston Hill's lookout tower
Location: Western Australia
Height: meters
Focal Height: Metres
Intensity: cd
Range: nautical miles

The Bunbury Tower, often called the "Milk Carton" for its distinctive shape and blue-and-white colours, is the major feature of the city centre's skyline. It was built in 1983 by businessman Alan Bond. Also prominent are the old lighthouse and lookout tower in the Marlston Hill district, which has been a focus of the city's cultural and commercial growth since the late 1990s.

Bunbury is the home of the Golden West Network, a regional television network broadcasting to the state of Western Australia. GWN had its origins in Bunbury as Channel 3 in the late 1960s, and then purchased other stations from Kalgoorlie and Geraldton, as well as launching a satellite service in 1986 to form the current network. Bunbury houses the network headquarters and production facilities, with the Channel 3 transmitter located at Mt Lennard approximately 25 km to the east.

Regional television station WIN can also be received in Bunbury. WIN Television maintains an office and news bureau, however the station itself is not based there.

Recently a new hotel residential complex was built overlooking the estuary. The foundations and main building are built upon an old grain silo.

Suburbs

  • Bunbury
  • Carey Park
  • College Grove
  • Dalyellup
  • Davenport
  • East Bunbury
  • Gelorup
  • Glen Iris
  • Mangles
  • Marlston Hill
  • Millbridge
  • Pelican Point
  • Picton
  • South Bunbury
  • Usher
  • Vittoria
  • Withers
  • Wollaston

Media

Radio

AM band

FM band

Television

Newspapers

Bunbury Mail, Bunbury Times, Southwestern Times

Notable people from Bunbury

See also

Photo Gallery

External links

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Bunbury (Statistical Subdivision)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. Map
  2. ↑ Reed, A.W. (1973) Place Names of Australia, p. 48 Sydney, NSW: A.H & A.W.Reed, ISBN 0 589 07115 7
  3. ↑ "Bunbury Historical Society, King Cottage Museum". Bunbury Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Serle, Percival (1949). "FORREST, SIR JOHN, first Baron Forrest of Bunbury (1847-1918),". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 F. K. Crowley (1981). "Forrest, Sir John [Baron Forrest (1847 - 1918)]". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2008-11-20.
  6. ↑ 3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Australia. Australian Beureau of Statistics. February 27, 2007. 
  7. ↑ "3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Australia", produced by the ABS on 27 February 2007.
  8. ↑ Genine Unsworth, ABC South West WA, "Export: Paul Barnard", June 12, 2002. Accessed 2 October 2007.
  9. ↑ John Ward, Cricinfo, "Murray Goodwin - a short biography", September 20, 1999. Accessed 2 October 2007.
  10. ↑ "Essendon Football club - Leon Baker Profile" (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  11. ↑ "West Coast Eagles Football club - Player Profile - Adam Hunter" (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.