The Busselton Jetty is one of the most recognisable icons in Western Australia.
It currently stands at 1836m in length making it the longest wooden piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.
Nowadays it is used exclusively for tourism and recreation but it has a colourful past as a working jetty.
In the early years of European settlement of the Busselton/Vasse region, agriculture was the main activity undertaken. Crops such as wheat, barley and oats were grown, although wheat quickly became the most successful. Livestock such as sheep, pigs and cattle were also raised. Some of these stocks were exported from the area as early as 1858. The timber industry was also underway at this time with the government offering large concessions and special timber licenses in 1850. This led to the first of the regions timber mills being built in Quindalup in 1858. American whalers also recognised the Geographe Bay as bountiful source of whales and these sailors regularly dropped off large amounts of whale oil and picked up supplies from the settlers of the south west.
A light beacon was erected in 1839 as a navigational aid. This beacon consisted of a spar - 10 meters high with a barrel containing a lamp on top. This rudimentary light house was affectionately known as “The Tub”. The need for a jetty in the Busselton region was first publicly recognised in 1851 and the government called for tenders.
No action was taken until 1861 when Henry Yelverton made a proclamation that “Vasse port, the first on the coast, needs a jetty”. At this time in history, there were no income taxes and the government relied heavily on the tax gained from imports and exports. Many ships were landing in the bay and thereby avoiding taxes and government charges. Due to this and the recognized benefit of a jetty to the fledgling settlement and tenders were once again called for the construction of a jetty in Busselton in 1864.
Henry Yelverton won the contract and in 1864 was paid the princely sum of around 180 pounds and the jetty was completed at the end of 1865 - only 33 years after settlement of the area. This construction was 176 metres in length. The high tide mark of the jetty then would have been situated where the junction of Marine Terrace and Queen Street is today, some 200 metres from the current high tide mark. Soon after the construction of this early jetty a lighthouse was erected in the early 1870s. This light house stood approximately 20 metres high and was made of jarrah. The kerosene lamp projected a light that could be seen for 20 miles out to sea. This light house stood until 1933 when it was demolished and replaced with a smaller bacon placed at the end of Busselton Jetty.
Although the industries of agriculture, whaling and tourism all benefited from these improvements to the port of Busselton, the timber industry really boomed post 1865. The timber industry was further increased by the development of infrastructure and the arrival of convicts. By the early 1870s the jetty at Busselton was inadequate for the ships which found the waters of Geographe Bay too shallow. In 1872 the first of numerous extensions was made to the jetty. Although 88 pounds was spent the Municipal Council deemed this extension inadequate and in 1875 another 143.3 metres was added for the sum of 626 pounds. The end point of this extension became known as the number one head. The silting action continued along the beach and the local government was once again under pressure to complete another extension.
In December 1883 Yelverton was once again awarded a contract to complete another extension although it was postponed due to lack of equipment. The equipment needed included a pile frame, an iron weight known as monkey and a strong horse. The jetty was constructed by skidding out two strong beams over the water which supported the pile frame; the horse was used to pull the monkey up through a system of pullies and trips until the weight was high enough to drop onto the pile with enough force to drive it into the sand. Once the equipment was located, the next extension of 229 metres was added to the jetty.
This was still not enough for the timber industry and further extensions again were called for. The next set was quite considerable and 353 metres were added in 1887. The jetty was extended again in 1890 by 40 metres. The shallow water soon began to hamper the increasing large ships and more extensions were called for. This was a frustrating exercise for the community but in 1894 the jetty increased its length by another 130 metres with yet another 150 metres added the following year. This brought the jetty to the number 3 head with a new depth of 6 metres.
Tourism in the 1880s began to increase and the jetty was also used as a stopping point for many passenger ships with an official agreement requesting that they stop for at least one and a half hours. This began Busselton life as a tourist town. There were facilities for bathing, accommodation, shelter sheds and swings were in place by 1906. Busselton was soon recognised as one of the leading holiday and health resort of the state due to its picturesque beaches, proximity to amazing caves and temperate weather. Holiday makers in 1910 who walked the length of Busselton Jetty claimed it to be as good as an ocean cruise.
It was September 1909 that the face of Busselton Jetty was changed for good. The jetty was seen to be inadequate not in depth as before but in strength and structure. The idea for a “skeleton jetty” was proposed and later approved by the government. The skeleton jetty was a rail link running from 166 metres east of the existing jetty. The rail lines were put in place for steam trains hauling loads of timber, potatoes and coal. Until this time, horse and cart were used to transport goods along the jetty. These steam trains ran until the 1960s when they were replaced by diesel trains. It joined onto the jetty at the 2nd head. This section is still standing today and is 635 metres in length and provided a rail link between the land and the jetty. The skeleton jetty took 3 years to complete.
Now at 1050 metres in length, the final two major extensions were added; 603 metres quickly followed by 168 metres of timbers were added in 1911. The final length was 1824 metres, considered at this time to be the longest in the Southern Hemisphere - a title still held by the jetty today. The timber industry began to boom and so did the tourism sector. To cater for the jetty’s function as an attraction, baths were established at the shore and a pavilion was constructed at the jetty’s number one head. The two World Wars and the great depression slowed the timber trade but apart from these temporary declines, the area of Busselton and its port was a success. In the 100 years from the 1850s to the 1950s timber exports went from a few hundred loads to almost 80,000 loads each year.
As the port of Bunbury began to strengthen, Busselton Jetty began to quieten. The last extension of a mere 16 metres was completed in 1960 bringing it to its current length of 1836 metres. The Busselton Jetty was closed as a shipping port in 1972. The final ship to use the jetty was believed to be the M.V. Kafitoa, from New Zealand, on her eighth trip into Busselton. She marked the end of a jetty which in its 100 years serviced 5000 ships and contributed greatly to the development of the south west. After an active life as a much needed port the long jetty now faced demolition due to the high costs of maintenance and the navigational hazard it presented to shipping.
The government proposed to destroy the jetty in 1972
following its closure as a commercial shipping port.
The public outcry curbed these plans and public meetings to help save the jetty were held. It was in one of these meetings in 1976 that the idea for the construction of an underwater observatory was first suggested. 1978 saw the worst cyclone in the history of the South West. Cyclone Alby swept down the coast and parts of the jetty was damaged beyond repair from the shore until just before the no 2 head.
The skeleton jetty remained intact. The government of the day condemned the promenade section of the jetty and they removed it. This disaster signalled the end for the jetty and yet again the government proposed to destroy the remaining sections and $500,000 was allocated for this. Even though the damage was extensive the public rallied to keep what was now an icon of the region. The community launched a clean up effort with hundreds of volunteers helping to collect the damaged timbers from the beach with the view of restoring the jetty. These people formed the basis for the Preservation Society.
In 1987 the Busselton Jetty Preservation Committee was formed and with the help from State and Federal government raised funds for the restoration and maintenance of the jetty. The Busselton Shire currently holds the license for the jetty. The maintenance costs cannot be raised by donations alone so methods of making the jetty into a commercially viable tourist attraction, generating its own income were sought. An entrance fee was charged to all users of the jetty from 1989. These user fees were collected by volunteers in a caravan, and then a kiosk was built at the end of the jetty in 1990. From these funds the first major reconstruction was commenced in 1990 at the cost of over $600,000.
Of these monies, $500,000 was granted by the government, ironically, these funds were taken directly from the monies originally allocated for the demolition of Busselton Jetty. A small train suitable of pulling groups of tourists on a scenic trip along the jetty was introduced in 1995. Since then 200,000 people have paid for a train ride out over the water. Apart from the tourists visiting the jetty as part of their South West intinerary, many locals continue to consistently use the jetty for fishing, swimming, sporting events, snorkelling and diving. The jetty is an important part of the social and recreational life of Busselton. The jetty also began to attract divers from all over the world and is now considered to be one of Australia’s top ten dive sites.
The next disaster occurred in 1999 in the form of a fire. The blaze broke out close to the end of the jetty and destroyed 70 metres of timbers. The fire was difficult to manage and staff were forced to chainsaw the burning section into the waters of Geographe Bay in order to control the flames. The cause of this fire remains a mystery the most commonly accepted theory is that a stray cigarette butt fell between the timbers. The fire didn’t slow the construction of an Interpretive Centre placed near the shore end of the jetty.
The function of this facility is to create a learning environment so visitors and locals alike can appreciate the long and colourful history of the jetty. It would also take the place of the kiosk - providing infrastructure for the collecting of entry fees. Tourists can purchase souvenirs and beautiful giftware products with the knowledge that all proceeds go into the restoration of the jetty. The Interpretive Centre was opened in 2001; the quaint boat shed style building complementing the jetty itself. Although the fire halted plans for an underwater observatory for awhile, the fire itself highlighted the need for a method of raising large funds to be funnelled back into the jetty.
The idea of an observatory was warmed to and the construction began in 2002. The structure was relatively simple in design - shaped like a large water tank- the observatory is 13 metres deep, 8 and a half meters wide, weighs 550 tones, has 11 viewing windows and is made of steel and concrete. The idea was simple, to allow people who didn’t dive or snorkel a chance to see beneath the waves. The structure was built in Fremantle and transported using a barge. It was then floated into place and held down using 12 anchors driven 18 metres into the sand. The Underwater Observatory sits on the ocean floor - 8 metres below sea level and allows visitors to view the underwater world in stages or zones as they descend to the ocean floor.
The creation of this $3.6 million attraction is testament to the quality of the underwater viewing beneath the jetty. With 300 known marine species living beneath the jetty visitors are treated to the sights of an array of creatures they may never otherwise have the opportunity to see. The Underwater Observatory was opened to the public on 13 December 2003 and in the first 6 months more than 60,000 people visited. The marine ecosystem of Busselton Jetty is unique. The influences of different currents bring a large number of different species to this area. The Leeuwin Current is a band of warm water which passes down the West Australian coastline.
It is also responsible for the beautiful Ningaloo Reef - a coral reef ecosystem situated along the Northwest coast. It washes into Geographe Bay, bringing with it a large number of tropical water species uncommon to these cooler waters. The temperate or cool water species come up on the cold water Cape currents originating from the Southern Ocean. It’s this mix of warm and cool water which creates an amazing biodiversity beneath the jetty. The jetty itself is also responsible for the life found beneath it - the deck of the jetty limits the amount of direct sunlight under the jetty. This in turn limits the growth of algae and sea grass which would otherwise become the dominant species. The fire in 1999 highlighted the role played by the decking in this ecosystem.
After the fire the destroyed section quickly lost all the colour and life, leaving that area almost lifeless whilst the rest of the jetty continued to flourish. Both the piles and the decking of the jetty provide protection for juvenile and more vulnerable species. Life beneath the jetty is a colourful affair and most of the colours admired by divers and visitors to the Underwater Observatory belong to colonies of invertebrates.
The piles which hold up Busselton Jetty are driven 4 metres down into the sand and provide the perfect basis for the huge numbers of invertebrate species. The most common are the colonies of a soft coral called Teletso Coral. Sponges also flourish here and they come in a variety of colours. The life seen on the piles occurs in stages; once the piles are driven into the sand, colonies of Bryozoans and Blue Throated Ascidians quickly form. Other ascidians such as Solitary Ascidians are also amongst the first to colonise. The sponges are next and range in colour from grey and brown to bright yellow, pinks and blue. The final colonies are those of the Teletso Coral. The piles take about 7-10 years to become completely covered over by life. These huge varieties of invertebrates offer a food source for many small fish. These smaller species attract larger predatory fish such as the Samson Fish, Australian Salmon and John Dories.
As the fire in 1999 demonstrated the loss of the jetty as a structure would not only be a loss to the community as a historical icon and tourist attraction, it would also result in the loss of a significant and unique marine ecosystem. Unfortunately jetties are expensive and difficult to maintain. The Busselton Shire has now split the management of the jetty and its resources into two committees; Busselton Jetty Environmental Conservation Association (BJECA) which serve to raise funds from jetty entry fees, UWO fees, train fees, donations and retail sales, and the Busselton Jetty Management Committee which then decide the best way to spend those funds.
An audit of the jetty is currently underway to determine the scope and requirement of restoration work to be undertaken as part of a proposed major capital works program to take place over the next ten years. These works include, but are not limited to, the final 95 metres of the jetty, replacement of 600 metres of the skeleton jetty and the replacement of the existing wooden sections of the jetty. The estimated cost for these works sit at around $18 million. The future of Busselton Jetty not only lies in the raising of funds, but also in the careful management of restoration projects, community awareness and education of the fragility of the ecosystems under the jetty and the importance of protecting this important community resource.