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Dunsborough, Western Australia

Coordinates: 33°37′0″S 115°6′0″E / 33.61667°S 115.10000°E / -33.61667; 115.10000
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Dunsborough
Western Australia
Dunsborough is located in Western Australia
Dunsborough
Dunsborough
Map
Coordinates33°37′0″S 115°6′0″E / 33.61667°S 115.10000°E / -33.61667; 115.10000
Population7,182 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established1879
Postcode(s)6281
Elevation10 m (33 ft)
Area16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)City of Busselton
State electorate(s)Vasse
Federal division(s)Forrest

Dunsborough is a coastal town in the South West of Western Australia, 254 kilometres (158 mi) south of Perth, on the shores of Geographe Bay.

Dunsborough is a popular tourist destination for Western Australians; in 1999 it was voted the state's best tourist destination and in 2013 awarded the Top Tourism Award for Population Under 5,000. The town's location in the Margaret River Wine Region provides easy access to many wineries and breweries. The town is a favoured destination for annual school leavers in Western Australia, the other frequent choice being Rottnest Island.

History

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Indigenous prehistory

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Prior to European colonisation, several distinct tribes inhabited the land and utilised the waters around Dunsborough. Those living on the coast were called Wardandi (sea people), and their language recorded as Burron Wongi.[2] These Indigenous peoples referred to Dunsborough by the name of Quedjinup, which means "Place of Women". The name Quedjinup is retained for the district immediately to the south of Dunsborough, encompassing the Dunsborough Lakes and Biddle's Common housing developments which form part of the greater Dunsborough development zone.

Important local Aboriginal Heritage sites include:

  • Caves Road – Naturaliste Road Roundabout: a large area, extending some 400m east of the current roundabout, within which many artefacts including flints, crystal quartz, and blades have been discovered. The artefacts discovered at this site have been dated between 8,000 and 12,000 years old. The site is on the Permanent Register of Aboriginal sites, and is protected under the West Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act (1972).
  • The Seymour Street Camping Grounds: located between what was Seymour Street (now Cape Naturaliste Road) and Naturaliste Terrace, and again on the southern side of the wet ground within the playing fields, including part of the playing field itself and where the netball courts now stand.
  • Dunn Bay Road Ceremonial Ground: a reported "law ground" that was a ceremonial meeting site that brought traditional Wardandi people together.

British settlement

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The modern town is named after the nearby Dunn Bay, which was named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn under whom Governor James Stirling had served in the Hibernia and the Armide in 1810–11. Land for a townsite was set aside here in the late 1830s, and there is a recorded whale fishery at "Dunsbro" in 1850. When Dunsborough first appeared on a map in 1839 it was spelt "Dunnsbro" but the extra "n" seems to have disappeared by 1850, and the spelling of "bro" was amended to "borough" when the name was gazetted on 29 April 1879.[3][4]

In 1860, the Seymour family who worked for the Castle Rock Whaling Company built the Seymour Homestead. It would later be moved to Millbrook Farm in Yallingup.[5] In the 1920s the family built Seymour's Cottages, which were among the first holiday houses in the area; they were also relocated toMillbrook Farm.[6] A general store was opened in 1925 and the town's first bakery was established in 1930.[7] By the 1950s, Dunsborough's population consisted of about forty families; 1957 saw the opening of the Old Dunsborough Hall and Dunsborough Primary School opened in 1963.[8][9] Surfing became popular in the 1960s and wine tourism in the nearby Margaret River was emerging by the mid-1980s.[10] The population of the town began to significantly increase from the late 1970s onwards.[7][8][11]

Tourism and culture

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Dunsborough's beaches, restaurants, cafes, and boutique shops attract tourists. The town is also near Meelup Regional Park (including Meelup Beach), Cape Naturaliste and its lighthouse (which are in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and part of the Cape to Cape Track), Ngari Capes Marine Park (containing the dive wreck of HMAS Swan, and the Margaret River Wine Region.[10][12][13]

The CinefestOZ film festival stages some of its screenings and events in Dunsborough in late August each year.[14]

Transport

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Caves Road and Cape Naturaliste Road are major roads in the area, linked by a roundabout.[15] Dunsborough is serviced by Busseltons public bus service route 815 run by Swan Transit South West (TransBusselton).[16] South West Coach Lines and Transwa coach services also run service to Dunsborough for connections to other south west towns and Perth.[17][18]

Education

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Dunsborough is served by one government school, Dunsborough Primary School, and two private schools, Our Lady of the Cape Primary School and Dunsborough Christian College (a co-educational primary and secondary college in Quedjinup).[9][19][20]

Events

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  • Dunsborough Arts Festival and Sculpture By The Bay
  • Dunsborough Bay Fun Run
  • Dunsborough Lions Easter Fair
  • X-Adventure Dunsborough

References

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  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Dunsborough (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "An Aboriginal Heritage Survey For The Proposed Landscape Enhancements To Dugalup Brook, Dunsborough Foreshore And Seymour Park, Dunsborough, Western Australia" (PDF). Shire of Busselton. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ "History of country town names – D". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
  4. ^ "Gazettal of Dunsborough Plaque Unveiled". Bay to Bay. City of Busselton. June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Seymour Homestead site". Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Seymour's cottages site". Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Dunsborough". The Sydney-Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Dunsborough". Municipal Heritage Inventory (PDF). City of Busselton. 2013. pp. 204–207. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Our History". Dunsborough Primary School. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Things To Do In Dunsborough". Your Margaret River Region. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Local Planning Policy No. 3C: Old Dunsborough Special Character Area" (PDF). City of Busselton. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Ngari Capes Marine Park Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Department of Fisheries. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Walking Trails". Meelup Park. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Geographe French Australian Festivals Incorporated: CinefestOZ". Screen Australia. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  15. ^ Jurewicz, Jade (29 November 2013). "Dunsborough roundabouts officially open". Busselton-Dunsborough Mail. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Busselton Timetable" (PDF). Public Transport Authority. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Stop Locations". South West Coach Lines. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  18. ^ "SW1 Timetable" (PDF). Transwa. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Our Lady of the Cape | Dunsborough". Our Lady of the Cape Primary School. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Dunsborough Christian College". Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 November 2024.

Further reading

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  • Jack, J. and Robertson, R. (editors) (2001) Cape Of Contrasts/Stories of Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia Dunsborough ISBN 0-9579601-0-7
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