Busselton’s Best Kept Secrets

You can easily spend a sublime weekend walking the famous Busselton Jetty, jumping aboard a whale watching cruise and watching the world go by at one of the excellent beachside restaurants.

But we dare you to try something new; discover Busselton’s best kept secrets and fall in love with the jewel of Geographe Bay all over again. You might enjoy it so much that you need to extend your stay!

Activities and Adventure

Take a Tiger Moth ride above Geographe Bay

Not for the faint-hearted, you’ll score incredible views of Busselton right over to Dunsborough and Cape Naturaliste as you loop the loop with Tiger Moth Adventure Tours. It’s a vintage ex-RAAF plane, and pilot Steve can take you for a ‘mild’ or ‘wild’ adventure spotting whales, the Busselton Jetty and performing the loops, barrel rolls and steep turns the Tiger Moth was designed for.

Fly through the tuarts at Forest Adventures South West

Two hours of climbing swaying ladders, ‘snowboarding’ between treetops and riding countless flying foxes goes really, really fast at Forest Adventures South West. But step off the six-level adventure course and you’ll immediately be planning your next visit, it’s that fun. Dial up the adrenaline and get ready for some serious tree top challenges. Perfect for adults or families with slightly older kids, as you must be 7+ years to take part.

 Yoga on Busselton Jetty

This one’s for the warmer months; imagine waking up, walking the length of the jetty, yoga mat tucked under your arm, then stretching it all out with yacht sailing past and the sound of water lapping the timber piles of the southern hemisphere’s longest jetty.

KatieYoga runs the class, with part proceeds going towards Busselton Jetty restoration projects.

See a rare coral ecosystem

Coral shouldn’t grow this far south, but the Leeuwin current brings warm water into Geographe Bay, helping create a unique maritime ecosystem for coral, sponges, octopus, starfish and fish. See it for yourself at the Busselton Jetty Underwater Observatory, nine metres below the surface at the end of the jetty. Adventure lovers, do the underwater helmet dive or snorkel tour in summer – an exhilarating experience.

NEW The Underwater Observatory installed all new interpretive signage, new technology and sound system during COVID-19 lockdown.

Jump and splash

Bit of a local’s secret; 50 metres west of Busselton Jetty is a U-shaped timber jetty, enclosed by a huge net. We love jetty jumping on hot days, jumping in and climbing out, over and over till the kids get tired. You’ll also find Aquatastic set up in front of The Equinox in summer; a huge floating obstacle course – plenty of fun in the sun.

Indulge in Arts and Culture

Check out the historic ArtGeo complex; tour the old gaol cells, browse the seasonal art exhibitions, meet the artist in residence or take part in their workshops. There’s also a café/shop and the Settlement Art Project – a series of bronze sculptures depicting the people and industries that contributed to the town’s development. Alongside ArtGeo is the Merenj Boodja Bush Food Garden – created by the Undalup Association, the region’s Aboriginal representative group. The garden creates an ideal path in reconciliation with the community, a place of remembrance for the Aboriginal people, acknowledging the past and moving into the future.

Ceramic artist Sally May Mills recently participated in Margaret River Region Open Studios, opening her beautiful pottery studio and garden to visitors for 16 days. She also runs popular pottery classes, teaching students the art of the pottery wheel and hand building with clay.

Phil Hollett Gallery features stunning landscape photographs from around the region, presented in his Fig Tree Lane studio. It’s great shopping in the centre of town; surrounded by indie bookshops, boutiques, cafes and kitchenwares. Also in Fig Tree Lane is Jenny Taylor Designs with a pop up studio running until January. Jenny’s paintings and hand-painted glassware are perfectly south west in look and feel and make great travel mementos.

The pop up shop is actually at Fig Tree Lane also.  Shop 3 next to Williams Shoes.  Open until the end of October but possibly extended until January.  If it does get extended I can update the blog.  She has a painting corner set up in the shop where she is currently working on glasses and will be moving to artworks soon.  It’s closed Tuesdays. No studio visits while she is at the Pop Up shop but will likely start up again once done.

Wednesday night is Film Harvest night at Orana Cinema, featuring a different independent film each week. Book ahead – it’s popular.

Wine, Dine and Drinks

The Goose and Equinox Café are famous and fabulous, with rock star views. Opening any day now is the new Shelter Brewing Co, sitting between the two beach side restaurants, next to Sea Play by the Bay playground and Busselton Visitor Centre.

Burger Bones has a cult-like following – we’ve queued next to people who’ve made the journey from Perth especially for one of Cooper DeVille’s esteemed burgers. Get there at 11.15am or 2.45pm or prepare for a well-worth-it wait.

Whicher Ridge is a well-kept secret; an award winning cellar door and wine sensory garden (the only one in Australia) about 20 minutes south of Busselton. The garden gives visitors both a wine education and wine and food pairing experience rolled into one. It is also a fascinating garden for garden lovers to visit as it planted out with heirloom vegetable sand a variety of herbs, flowering plants and fruit trees. Take a seated wine tasting or one of their guided garden tours and tastings, some of which include a lunch hamper full of Jersey Farm Olive Grove goodies.

BG’s Farmstand sells awesome local fruit and veg, alongside a great array of gluten free products. Western Growers Fresh has fresh fruit and veggies as well as a fabulous selection of pre-prepared meals such as pies and salads, perfect for your self-catered holiday.

Gelato Buonissimo is made fresh here in Busselton, owned and operated by a local family who love coming up with fabulous new flavours.

Another brilliant addition to the craft brewing scene is Rocky Ridge and their chilled-out cellar door near the foreshore. Normal Van is often parked out the back, serving up awesome burgers and fries.

Monkey Bar is Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co’s lesser known cousin; it’s their production facility in Vasse’s light industrial area. Grab a pizza and taste the complete range of Cheeky Monkey specialty beers.

The Quill Collective is a quirky but fabulous café-artisan gift shop-creative garden just outside Busselton. It’s the kind of place you can relax with a great coffee and croissant, pick up some locally designed gifts and watch the kids play in the bell tents and extensive kitchen garden.

Stay

There are plenty of wonderful accommodation options in Busselton; and many are scattered along the bay, just a short walk from the beach. Aqua Resort, Abbey Beach Resort, Mandalay Holiday Resort and Busselton Villas and Caravan Park are all on the beach side of Bussell Highway. While Tree Chalets and Chapman Hill Cottages are tucked away a little south of Busselton.