The Busselton Jetty needs no introduction. It’s the longest timber piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, and it ends with something few places on Earth can offer – one of only six underwater observatories in the world. Chances are you’ve been here before, or you’ve at least pictured yourself out there, drifting into the bright blue horizon with Geographe Bay all around you.
And yes, it delivers on the classics. There’s the iconic red Jetty Train and the simple joy of the breeze in your face, the thrill of jetty jumping, and that wonderous moment you step below the surface and spot marine life moving through the azure depths. You can wander through the gift shop, pause in the Marine Discovery Centre, or go deeper again with a dive through the underwater sculpture park.
But what stays with you long after the photos fade, is not just what you did here. It’s the history, the heritage, and moments you share, with family, friends, and other travellers. All marvelling at one beautiful thing. The Busselton Jetty is a living story that began in 1865, weathered the years through the locals proud determination, and still gives back to the community it belongs to.
A timeline you can walk or ride
Step onto Busselton Jetty and you’re stepping onto a living timeline. With every board underfoot, the shoreline fades behind you and Geographe Bay opens wide into calm, bright, and deceptively shallow waters.
That bay is exactly why the Jetty began. In 1865, Busselton (Undalup) needed a practical connection to deeper water so goods and passengers could move between land and sea more efficiently. What started as a working structure quickly became essential, expanding again and again as trade grew and bigger vessels needed more reach. Over its early years, the Jetty stretched further and further, until it eventually reached 1,344 metres by 1907.
By 1960, after its final major extension, it reached 1,841 metres, becoming the longest wood-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Along the way, its purpose widened too. As Busselton’s seaside appeal grew, the Jetty began to welcome more than cargo. Tourism rose from the late 1800s, passenger ships were encouraged to stop, and simple holiday comforts followed. The Jetty became part of how people experienced Busselton, not just how Busselton functioned.
Then came the moments that tested whether it would last.
The years that tried to break it
In 1972, the Jetty was closed as a shipping port, ending its working life on the water. Without trade to justify constant upkeep, the question shifted from usefulness to value. Was it still worth saving?
In 1978, Cyclone Alby delivered a brutal answer, damaging sections of the structure and scattering timber along the coast. The scale of the repairs could have ended the story, but it did the opposite. Volunteers turned up, debris was cleared, and the Jetty became something the community actively defended, not just something it lived beside.
Then in 1999, fire tore through part of the Jetty near the end. It was dramatic, devastating, and a turning point. The loss sharpened a bigger truth, survival required a sustainable way to fund restoration and long term care. From that urgency came a bold new idea – to create a one of a kind experience at the Jetty’s end that could help secure its future.
This is the heart of Busselton Jetty’s story: Not perfection, but repair. Not certainty, but commitment. The decision, made again and again, that what you love is worth the work.
A new chapter beneath the surface
Out at the end of Busselton Jetty, the story shifted from survival to reinvention. The Underwater Observatory is part of the Jetty’s incredible comeback story, a inviting visitors to immerse themselves in Geographe Bay rather than simply look at it.
Down there, the world quietens. Light softens into every shade of blue. The Jetty piles transform into marine habitats, home to marine life that move with season and tide. It isn’t staged. It’s the bay as it is, living, changing, continuing.
And there are more ways to discover what lies beneath than the observatory alone. Just nearby, eight metres below the surface, the Busselton Jetty Underwater Sculpture Park sits quietly in the blue like a secret, 13 artist crafted sculptures adding another layer to the living reef beneath the Jetty, waiting to be explored. Pack your snorkel, purchase a pass or guided tour, and take a closer look.
When you come back up, you carry weight of seeing something real and close, like you’ve been let in on a secret.
A Jetty that gives back
The story doesn’t end at the shoreline. It circles home.
Through the Busselton Jetty Environment Foundation, the Jetty supports marine conservation, education, and research, work that cares for the waters it stands in and the community that surrounds it. This includes monitoring marine life, coastal clean ups, daily observations, and programs that help people understand Geographe Bay deeply, not just as scenery, but as a living system.
So, your visit becomes more than a moment. It becomes part of something ongoing, as a place that teaches, gives, and keeps looking after its own.
Walk it like you mean it
If you want Busselton Jetty to stay with you, let it take its time. Walk the boards and feel the rhythm underfoot, watching Geographe Bay shift colour with every step. Or catch the Busselton Jetty Train and save your energy for the end, letting the coastline slide past as the salt-air does its work.
Come when the light is gentle and the bay looks like glass. Stay until sunset when wining and dining comes alive. Stop halfway and look between the boards. Gaze across the water. Toss a line off the side of historic wood that has survived cyclones. Look back at Busselton and the beauty we too often pass without noticing.
And as you go, remember this: You are not travelling a straight line into the sea. You are moving through more than 160 years of local story, held together by weathered timber and the steady decision to rebuild.
The invitation
You can visit Busselton Jetty quickly, but it’s better when you don’t. Let it stretch your day open and shift you from busy to present, leaving with something deeper than a photo.
The Jetty will still be out there, reaching into Geographe Bay, waiting for the next set of footsteps. Become part of its history.
Book your visit today and step deeper into the stories that have shaped Busselton Jetty.
