Bunbury, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = city
name = Bunbury


state = wa
area = 138.7
est = 1836
pop = 57,744 (Urban) [Census 2006 AUS|id=51003|name=Bunbury (Statistical Subdivision)|accessdate=2007-07-30|quick=on|
]
poprank = 27th
density = 396
region = South West
fedgov = Forrest
stategov = Bunbury
stategov2 = Collie-Preston
stategov3 = Murray-Wellington
dist1 = 175 | location1 = Perth
dist2 = 52 | location2 = Busseltoncoord|-33.34|115.642|type:city(55000)_region:AU-WA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=title

The port of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after Mandurah and Perth the state capital. It is situated convert|175|km|mi|0 south of Perth's central business district (CBD).

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. [ Reed, A.W. (1973) "Place Names of Australia", p. 48 Sydney, NSW: A.H & A.W.Reed, ISBN 0 589 07115 7]

Bunbury was also in the past an important railway terminus. The railway station was close to the centre of the city. The railway roundhouse was an important servicing centre for the steam engines of the past. The daily passenger service between Perth and Bunbury - the Australind - is the longest-running named service in Western Australian railway history. The railway line connecting Bunbury to the southern towns of Bridgetown and Manjimup was closed in 2005.

The local government administering Bunbury was declared a city in 1979. Today, the city is the major centre of the state's southwest region.

Bunbury Historical Society's King Cottage Museum

King Cottage was built around 1880 by Henry King, a bricklayer by trade. The King family owned the house until 1923, when it was sold to the Carlson family. In 1966 it was purchased by the City of Bunbury, which has leased it to the [http://www.bunburyhistorical.org/ Bunbury Historical Society] since that date.

The main rooms of the cottage are furnished to fit the period of the King family ownership, from 1880s to the 1920s. The artifacts displayed are part of the Society's collection and reflect the way of life of a Bunbury family of that period.

Description

The local government of the City of Bunbury has a population of 32,499. Bunbury has sister-city relationships with Setagaya, Japan, and Xianjing, China.

Bunbury was recognised as Australia's fastest growing city in 2005/06 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figures were released in the report "3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Australia", produced by the ABS on 27 February 2007.

Bunbury's climate is slightly more temperate than that of Perth. This is as much a consequence of its coastal location as of the slight difference in latitude; Fremantle, on the coast immediately southwest of Perth, is more comparable in climate.

Climate information:http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009514.shtml

Infobox_lighthouse|name=Bunbury
location= Western Australia

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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.

Localities

Radio Stations

* 6EL 621 kHz AM - Easy Listening format. Different to its Easy Listening Network partners in the Eastern states. Has local advertising. Will soon becoming a part of the The Spirit Network.
* ABC South West 684 kHz AM - News, talk and sport. Broadcasts breakfast and morning programs from Bunbury.
* 6TZ 963 kHz AM - Adult Contemporary for the 40+, with news feeds and sport from 6PR in Perth. Part of the Radio West Network (which in turn is part of the LocalWorks network).
* 6MM 1116 kHz AM- Easy Listening Format from Mandurah
* ABC Radio National 1224 kHz AM - Speciality talk and music.
* GWN 91.75 MHz FM - Generalist TV network.
* ABC Classic FM 93.3 MHz FM - Classical music.
* Triple J 94.1 MHz FM - Alternative music.
* Hot FM 95.7 MHz FM - Adult Contemporary.
* 96.5 Harvey Community Radio
* 97.3 Coast FM
* Vision Radio Network 1017 AM - Christian praise and worship music and talk.
* ABC TV 107.75 MHz FM - Generalist TV network.

Bunbury has a relative dearth of FM services due to the broadcasting of GWN on Channel 3 and ABC1 on Channel 5. These TV channels fall in the FM band and thus no FM radio services can broadcast in the Bunbury license area within the 88-92 MHz and 101-108 MHz ranges. One can receive both TV audio carriers through 91.75 MHz FM (GWN) and 107.75 MHz FM (ABC1) respectively. These TV channels will be removed from the FM band once digital TV is mandatory. Fact|date=June 2007

Rail 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. Fact|date=August 2008 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.

Notable people from Bunbury

* Paul Barnard, AFL footballer for Essendon Football Club, played in 2000 Premiership [Genine Unsworth, ABC South West WA, " [http://www.abc.net.au/southwestwa/stories/s581045.htm "Export: Paul Barnard"] ", June 12, 2002. Accessed 2 October 2007.]
* Murray Goodwin, Zimbabwe, Western Australia and Sussex cricketer [John Ward, Cricinfo, " [http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/83961.html "Murray Goodwin - a short biography"] ", September 20, 1999. Accessed 2 October 2007.]
* John Forrest, First Premier of Western Australia and cabinet minister in Australia's first parliament
* Troy Elder, Australian field hockey player
* Natalie Barr, current "Sunrise" news presenter
* Barry Shepherd, Australian cricketer
* Aristos Papandroulakis, television "Surprise Chef"
* Sara-Marie Fedele, popular Australian Big Brother 1 housemate
* Leon Baker, AFL footballer for Essendon Football Club, played in 1984 and 1985 Premierships [cite web|url=http://www.essendonfc.com.au/history/profile.asp?ID=1|title=Essendon Football club - Leon Baker Profile|year=2008|accessdate=2008-06-03]
* Adam Hunter, West Coast Eagles AFL player [cite web|url=http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/TheClub/Players/PlayerProfile/tabid/7302/Default.aspx?playerid=14570&typeid=2|title=West Coast Eagles Football club - Player Profile - Adam Hunter|year=2008|accessdate=2008-06-03]
* Bob Maumill, 882 6PR radio presenter
* Gemma Weston, Contemporary Visual Artist and author

Trivia

* The town is mentioned in the song "Marvellous" on Disc 2 of the album "Boned!" by comedian Billy Birmingham (The 12th Man). The line reads "From Bondi in the east across to Bunbury in the west".
* James Ricks' novel, "Eleven Months in Bunbury" (published in 1997 by Allen & Unwin), was runner-up in the 1995 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award.

ee also

* Bunbury Regional Prison
* Bunbury City Transit
* City of Bunbury

Photo Gallery

External links

* [http://www.bunbury.wa.gov.au/ City of Bunbury website]
* [http://www.bunburyhistorical.org/ Bunbury Historical Society's King Cottage Museum]
* [http://localhero.biz/article/permatitle/history_of_bunbury,_western_australia/ Local History of Bunbury]
* [http://www.byport.com.au/index.htm?page=/bpa.html Bunbury Port Authority]

References