Bunbury () is a coastal city in the Australian state of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, approximately south of the state capital,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. It is the state's third most populous city after Perth and

Mandurah Mandurah ( ) is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306. Mandurah's central business dis ...

, with a population of approximately 75,000. Located at the south of the

Leschenault Estuary Leschenault Estuary is an estuarine lagoon that lies to the north of Bunbury, Western Australia. It had in the past met the Indian Ocean at the Leschenault Inlet, but that has been altered by harbour works for Bunbury, and the creation of The Cu ...

, Bunbury was established in 1836 on the orders of Governor James Stirling, and named in honour of its founder, Lieutenant (at the time) Henry Bunbury. A port was constructed on the existing

natural harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

soon after, and eventually became the main port for the wider South West region. Further economic growth was fuelled by completion of the

South Western Railway South Western Railway Limited, trading as South Western Railway (SWR), is the British state-owned train operating company that took over the services of the South Western Railway (2017–2025), operator of the same name from FirstGroup and MTR ...

in 1893, which linked Bunbury with Perth. Greater Bunbury includes four

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

(the

City of Bunbury The City of Bunbury is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of along the coast about south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The City of Bunbury is one of four local governments ...

and the shires of Capel, Dardanup, and Harvey), and extends between Yarloop in the north, Boyanup to the south and Capel to the southwest.

History

Pre-European history

The original inhabitants of Greater Bunbury are the

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

people. The people hunted and fished throughout the sub-region prior to the first

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

settlement in the 1830s. The area was originally known as "Goomburrup" before the arrival of Lt. Bunbury.

Early colonial period

The first registered sighting of Greater Bunbury was by French explorer Captain

Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the Earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at M ...

from his ship the ''Casuarina'' in 1803. He named the area Port Leschenault after the expedition's botanist, Leschenault de La Tour. The bay on Greater Bunbury's western shores was named ''Geographe'' after another ship in the fleet. In 1829, Dr

Alexander Collie Dr Alexander Collie (2 June 1793 – 8 November 1835) was a Scottish surgeon and botanist who journeyed to Western Australia in 1829, where he was an explorer and Colonial Surgeon. Early life Collie was born in Insch in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on ...

and Lieutenant Preston explored the area of Bunbury on land. In 1830 Lieutenant Governor Sir James Stirling visited the area and a military post was subsequently established; it only lasted six months. The area was renamed Bunbury by the Governor in recognition of Lieutenant

Henry William St Pierre Bunbury Colonel Henry William St Pierre Bunbury CB (2 September 1812 – 18 September 1875) was a British Army officer who served for periods in Australia, South Africa, and India. Early life Bunbury was the son of Lt.-Gen. Sir Henry Bunbury, 7th Baro ...

, who developed the very difficult inland route from Pinjarra to Bunbury. Bunbury's first settlers were John and Helen Scott, their sons Robert, William and John Jr, and step-son Daniel McGregor, who arrived in January 1838. Bunbury township was mentioned in the Government Gazette in 1839, but lots in the township were not surveyed until 1841. In March 1841 lots were declared open for selection. Intermittent bay whaling activity was conducted on the coast from the 1830s through to the 1850s. By 1842, Bunbury was home to 16 buildings including an inn. Thereafter, a growing port serviced the settlers and the subsequent local industries that developed. One of the major industries to open up to cement the importance of Bunbury as a port was the

timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

. Timber logs would be floated down the

Collie River The Collie River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia. The Collie River was named by Lieutenant Governor Stirling after Alexander Collie who, along with Lieutenant William Preston, in November 1829 was the first European ...

to be loaded aboard ships headed to the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

or to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

where the hardwood timbers were used for

railway sleeper A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper ( Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties trans ...

s. In 1884, the Government decided to construct a railway from Bunbury to Boyanup, long. When the line was completed in 1887, the contractor who had built it obtained a contract to control and work it, which he did with horses. The line was eventually taken over by the Government in 1891 and operated with locomotives. The inconvenience of a railway isolated from the capital gave rise to agitation and in 1893 the

was constructed between

East Perth East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

and Picton, connecting Greater Bunbury and Perth. The Boyanup line was extended to Donnybrook in the same year. The railways connected the port of Bunbury to the

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

deposits and agricultural areas to the north and east of Greater Bunbury. The population of the town was 2,970 (1,700 males and 1,270 females) in 1898. In 1903, a breakwater to further protect the bay and port area was completed.

Federation to present day

The

Old Bunbury railway station The Old Bunbury railway station was the main railway station for Bunbury, Western Australia from 1894 until 1996. It was the terminus for the ''Australind'' passenger railway service from Perth. It was replaced in May 1985 by the current Bunbu ...

served as the terminal for the

Australind Australind is a town in Western Australia, located 12 km north-east of Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury's central business district. Its Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area is the Shire of Harvey. At the 20 ...

passenger train between

, transporting its first passengers on 24 November 1947. The last train to use the station departed on 28 May 1985 with a new station opening at East Bunbury, to the south-east the following day. The railway land was then sold and Blair Street realigned. The

Bunbury woodchip bombing The Bunbury woodchip bombing was an unprecedented and politically motivated act of property destruction that took place on 19 July 1976 at a woodchip export terminal in Bunbury, Western Australia. More than 1,000 sticks of gelignite were plan ...

in 1976 saw the bombing of Bunbury's export port terminal by environmental activists, in an attempt to disrupt the woodchipping industry in the South West. Two of the three bombs planted failed to explode and the resulting damage to the port was estimated at only $300,000 (), although shrapnel broke windows in a nearby housing estate and the blast was heard up to away. There were no injuries although a security guard was held at gunpoint by the bombers.

Geography

Bunbury is situated south of Perth, at the original mouth of the

Preston River The Preston River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia. The river has a total length of and rises near Goonac siding then flows in a north-westerly direction until discharging into the Leschenault Estuary. The headwaters ...

and near the mouth of the

at the southern end of the

Leschenault Inlet Leschenault Estuary is an estuarine lagoon that lies to the north of Bunbury, Western Australia. It had in the past met the Indian Ocean at the Leschenault Inlet, but that has been altered by harbour works for Bunbury, and the creation of The Cu ...

, which opens to Koombana Bay and the larger

Geographe Bay Geographe Bay is in the south-west of Western Australia, around southwest of Perth. The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin, after his ship, ''Géographe''. It is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Natur ...

which extends southwards to

Cape Naturaliste Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which was named after the cape. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Nat ...

Climate

Bunbury has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Csa'') with warm to hot, dry summers and cool wet winters. Precipitation peaks from the months of May to September.

Demographics

In 2007 Bunbury was recognised as Australia's fastest growing city for the 2005/06 period by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

. At the 2021 census the urban population of Bunbury was 76,452. At the 2021 Census the median age was 39. It is estimated that by 2031 the population of the Greater Bunbury region will exceed 100,000 people. In urban Bunbury at the 2021 census, 74.8% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

5.5%,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

3.0%,

1.9%, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

1.3% and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

0.8%. 85.7% of people only spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

at home. Other languages spoken at home included

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

0.9%,

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

0.7%,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

0.6%,

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

0.6%, and Filipino 0.5%. In the 2021 Census the most common responses for religion in Bunbury were No religion 47.5%,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

17.2%,

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

12.3%, Christian, nfd (not further described) 3.3%. The most common occupations in Bunbury included Technicians and Trades Workers 18.4%, Professionals 16.3%, Labourers 12.6%, Community and Personal Service Workers 12.0%, and Clerical and Administrative Workers 11.4%. In 2021 Bunbury had an unemployment rate of 4.9%.

Governance

ISS015-E-31842 - View of Western Australia

The Greater Bunbury sub-region comprises the four local government areas of the

Shire of Capel The Shire of Capel is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, taking in the land between the cities of Bunbury and Busselton about south of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of ...

Shire of Dardanup The Shire of Dardanup is a Local Government Areas of Western Australia, local government area in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia, immediately to the east and southeast of the City of Bunbury and about ...

and

Shire of Harvey The Shire of Harvey is a local government area of Western Australia. Harvey is located in the state's South West region, approximately 140 km south of Perth, and includes some of Bunbury's northern suburbs. The shire covers an area of 1 ...

. The ''Greater Bunbury Region Scheme'', in operation since November 2007, provides the legal basis for

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...

in the Greater Bunbury sub-region. The Greater Bunbury sub-region is administered by State and local governments. There is no sub-region government structure in place for Greater Bunbury. In December 2013 the

Western Australian Planning Commission The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia that exists to coordinate strategic and statutory planning for future urban, rural, and regional land use. The WAPC f ...

published the ''Greater Bunbury Strategy'' to guide urban, industrial and regional land use planning; and associated infrastructure delivery in the Greater Bunbury sub-region in the short, medium and long terms. The Strategy provides for the growth of Greater Bunbury through infill development of existing urban areas and the development of

greenfield land Greenfield land is a British English term referring to undeveloped land in an urban or rural area either used for agriculture or landscape design, or left to evolve naturally. These areas of land are usually agricultural or amenity properties ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

east of Eaton, to provide for a population of 150,000 people beyond 2050.

Economy

The economy of Bunbury is diverse, reflecting the range of heavy and general industries in the locality,

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

landscapes,

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

for the growing population, key

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

links and the influence of Perth. The mining and mineral processing sector remains the main economic driver for Bunbury ($2 billion annual turnover). The agriculture sector however, remains vitally important as the value of production is approximately $146 million per annum (2005/06) which equates to approximately 30 per cent of the South West region's agricultural production. Other industries that are vital to the economic well-being of Greater Bunbury include retail and service industries,

building industry Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, timber production and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. Bunbury is home to SIMCOA, which is Australia's only silicon manufacturing company. The Bunbury Port will continue to be the centre of economic activity for the Greater Bunbury sub-region with the flow of goods through it to and from all parts of the world. The proposed expansion of the port, as identified in the ''Bunbury Port Inner Harbour Structure Plan'', will promote further economic growth for the sub-region, and may in time be an economic stimulus for the corporate support and ancillary services associated with port-based industries locating to Bunbury city centre, further strengthening its role as a regional city.

Education

Education is compulsory in Western Australia between the ages of six and seventeen, corresponding to primary and secondary school. Schools that serve primary school students in the area include Bunbury Primary School, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Cooinda Primary School, South Bunbury Primary School, Grace Christian School,

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School (often denoted BCGS), is an private school, independent school in Gelorup, Western Australia, a semi-rural suburb 10 kilometres south of Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury. Providing kindergarten, primary school ...

, Carey Park Primary School, Picton Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School, and Piction Primary School. Schools that serve high school students in the area include

Bunbury Senior High School Bunbury Senior High School is a comprehensive public co-educational high day school, located in Bunbury, a regional centre in the South West region, south of Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of West ...

, Newton Moore Senior High School, Manea Senior College, College Row School (K–12 education support),

Australind Senior High School Australind Senior High School is a comprehensive public co-educational high day school, located in Australind, a regional centre in the South West region, south of Perth, Western Australia. Overview The campus is made up of modern buildings ...

Eaton Community College Eaton Community College is a comprehensive public co-educational high day school, located in Eaton, Western Australia, sited to the east of Bunbury and south of Perth. The school was established in 2003 and caters for students from Year 7 t ...

, Dalyellup College,

(K–12),

Bunbury Catholic College Bunbury Catholic College is a Catholic secondary school, located in Bunbury, in the South West region of Western Australia. The college was formed in 1973 after the amalgamation of St Francis Xavier's College (operated by the Marist Brothers) ...

, Grace Christian School, and Our Lady of Mercy College.

Tertiary education

Tertiary education is available through a number of universities and

technical and further education Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...

(TAFE) colleges. South Regional TAFE is a State Training Provider providing a range of vocational education with campuses in Bunbury, Albany, and other locations in the southern Western Australia region.

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public research university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is, , t ...

also has a campus based in Bunbury.

Media

Radio

AM band * SEN Spirit 621 Southwest 621 kHz AM – Sports/Talk/Music format. SEN Spirit 621 Southwest. Part of Sports Entertainment Network. Has local content including local sport and local talk back, and national live sport programming. *

ABC South West WA ABC South West WA is an ABC Local Radio station based in Bunbury. The station broadcasts to the South West region of Western Australia. This includes the towns of Busselton, Bridgetown, Manjimup and Margaret River. The station broadcasts t ...

(6BS): 684 kHz AM – News, talk and sport. Broadcasts breakfast and morning programs from Bunbury. *

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

963 kHz AM – Adult Contemporary for the 40+, with local news and sport. Mostly 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s & 2010s (formerly

RadioWest RadioWest was a group of 11 AM stations across the southern half of Western Australia playing 'Real Music Variety', and targeting the 35+ audience. On 15 December 2016, the network was rebranded Triple M as part of a nationwide move by parent com ...

, part of the Southern Cross Austereo LocalWorks network) *

Vision Radio Network Vision Christian Radio is an Australian narrowcast radio station owned and operated by Vision Christian Media, an affiliate of United Christian Broadcasters. It broadcasts a Christian radio format of music and talk from studios in the Brisban ...

1017 AM – Christian praise and worship music and talk * 6MM 1116 kHz AM – Easy listening and greatest hits format from Mandurah *

ABC Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

1224 kHz AM – Speciality talk and music *

ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News (United States), ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five-minute newscasts on the hour ...

1152 kHz AM – News, Parliament and sport * TAB Radio 1404 kHz AM – Racing and sport from Busselton * 3ABN Christian Radio 1629 kHz AM – Narrowband station from Busselton FM band * Western Tourist Radio 87.6 MHz FM - Narrowcast station * Magic FM 87.8 MHz FM - Narrowcast station * Faith FM 88.0 MHz FM - Religious station * 6MM (The Wave) 91.7 MHz FM – Easy listening and greatest hits format from Mandurah *

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...

93.3 MHz FM – Classical music *

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

94.1 MHz FM – Alternative music * Hit FM 95.7 MHz FM – Hit music (was Hot FM, part of the Southern Cross Austereo Hit radio network) * Bunbury Community Radio 103.7 MHz FM * Harvey Community Radio 96.5 MHz FM * Collie Community Radio 101.3 MHz FM - Community station from Collie * Coast FM 97.3 MHz FM – Hit music from Mandurah

Television

Television services available include: *The

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

(ABC) – ABC TV, ABC Family/ABC Kids, ABC Entertains, ABC News (digital channels) *The

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

(SBS) – SBS TV, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS Food, SBS WorldWatch, NITV (digital channels) *

Seven 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

( GWN), an owned and operated and formerly affiliated station of the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

, an affiliate station of the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

West Digital Television West Digital Television is an Australian digital television network jointly owned by Seven West Media and WIN Corporation. It broadcasts free-to-air on a number of digital terrestrial transmitters in regional and remote areas of Western Aust ...

, an affiliate station of the

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

(provided jointly by Seven West Media and WIN Television) The programming schedule is mainly the same as the Seven, Nine and Ten stations in Perth with variations for news bulletins, sport telecasts such as the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

and

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

, children's and lifestyle programs and infomercials or paid programming. Seven had its origins in Bunbury as BTW-3 in the late 1960s and then purchased other stations in

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...

and

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

, as well as launching a satellite service in 1986 to form the current network. Seven's studios and offices are based at Roberts Crescent in Bunbury, with its transmitter located at Mount Lennard approximately to the east. The station produces a nightly 30-minute local news program for regional WA at 5:30pm on weeknights. WIN Television maintains a newsroom in the city; however, the station itself is based in Perth. The WIN newsroom provides regional coverage of local news for sister station

STW STW is an Australian Australian television broadcasting, television station owned by the Nine Network that is based in Perth, Western Australia. ''STW'' broadcasts from a shared facility transmitter mast located in Carmel, Western Australia, Ca ...

's ''Nine News'' bulletins at 6pm each night, which are simulcast on WIN's Nine Western Australia. On 28 July 2011, new digital television services from GWN and WIN commenced transmission. A new stand alone

affiliated channel branded as

was the first of the new digital only channels to go on-air. The other new digital only channels that are also now available in Bunbury include 7two,

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

ishop tv ishop TV was an Australian free-to-air home shopping, teleshopping channel and associated advertorial datacasting service that was launched on 30 April 2013 which was co-operated by Seven West Media and Brand Developers. Launching officially ...

RACING.COM Racing.com (stylised as RACING.COM) is an Australian free-to-air standard-definition digital television channel, owned and operated by the Seven Network and Racing Victoria. The channel broadcasts live Victorian and South Australian horse raci ...

10 HD Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

10 Bold Drama 10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...

10 Peach Comedy 10 Peach Comedy (set to rebrand as 10 Comedy in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air television channel operated by Network 10. It was launched on 11 January 2011 as Eleven. It is owned by ElevenCo, which was established as a joint venture betwee ...

, A placeholder on channel 54 currently showing WIN Television’s Australian landmark videos,

TVSN TVSN (an acronym for "Television Shopping Network") is an Australian and New Zealand broadcast, cable television and satellite television network specialising in home shopping. It is owned by parent company Direct Group Pty Ltd, a home market ...

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History The la ...

9Life 9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...

and

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...

. Subscription Television service

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

is available via satellite.

Newspapers

''Bunbury Herald'', ''South Western Times'' and ''Bunbury Mail'' are local newspapers available in Bunbury and surrounding region. Newspapers from Perth including ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'' and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' are also available, as well as national newspapers such as ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' and ''

The Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

''.

Culture

Arts and entertainment

A number of cultural organisations are located in Bunbury, including: *Bunbury Regional Art Galleries *Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, with theatre, film and live performance *Stirling Street Arts Centre The Bunbury Historical Society is located in the historic King Cottage, which was built around 1880. In 1966 the cottage was purchased by the

and subsequently leased to the Society. The rooms of the cottage are furnished and artifacts displayed to reflect the way of life for a family in Bunbury in the period from the 1880s to the 1920s. The WA Performing Arts

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

is held annually at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.

Tourism and recreation

There are many tourism and recreational opportunities in Bunbury. Some of the most popular attractions include * Dolphin Discovery Centre * Bunbury Back Beach * Koombana Bay * Bunbury Wildlife Park * Bunbury Farmers Market *

Bunbury is also very close to the Ferguson Valley.

Sport

A number of

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

clubs are based in Bunbury and play in the

South West Football League The South West Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the south-west of Western Australia. The league is affiliated to Country Football WA, formerly known as the West Australian Country Football League. History The i ...

. A notable stadium is

Hands Oval JE Hands Memorial Park, more commonly known as Hands Oval, is a stadium in South Bunbury, Western Australia. The ground is mainly used for Australian rules football matches, but has also hosted cricket and soccer. Uses Australian rules footb ...

in South Bunbury. In 2024, it was announced that the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

would play one home game a year across a three-year deal in Bunbury. The first match was played on June 8, 2025, at Hands Oval, with North Melbourne defeating West Coast by 10 points. It was the first AFL game in Western Australia played outside of the state capital,

. In May 2025 it was announced that the Australian women's national soccer team would face

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

in an

international match ''International Match'' (Swedish: ''Landskamp'') is a 1932 Swedish drama film directed by Gunnar Skoglund and starring Georg Blomstedt, Fritiof Billquist and Olof Sandborg. It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm and on location in ...

at Bunbury's Hands Oval in July. It will be the first Matildas fixture played in regional Western Australia, and is one of four international matches scheduled to be held across the state. Hay Park Sports Precinct is home to many junior and senior sports codes. Located in the precinct is South West Sports Centre, home to Bunbury Basketball Association. Bunbury has three clubs in the South West Soccer Association: the Bunbury Dynamos, Bunbury United and Hay Park United.

Transport

Bunbury Airport Bunbury Airport is an airport servicing the Western Australian city of Bunbury. Bunbury Airport is located south-east of the city centre and is the only airport serving the city. The airport is used largely as a facility for General Aviation, ...

services Greater Bunbury and is located southeast of the city centre.

TransWA Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east. The Transwa system provides transport between Perth and the ...

provides rail and coach services from Bunbury Terminal: Australind train, GS3, SW1 and SW2 to Bunbury and services south from Bunbury and

South West Coach Lines South West Coach Lines is a bus and coach operator in South West Western Australia. It is a subsidiary of the Australian Transit Group. History South West Coach Lines was founded in 1977 by David and Lenita Adams. In January 1986, it commen ...

provides coach services to and from Bunbury. Bus services in Greater Bunbury are run by

TransBunbury TransBunbury is the public bus transportation system in Bunbury, Western Australia, consisting of 13 public routes as well as 30 school routes. History Bunbury City Transit was established in January 1986. On 2 May 2011 it was rebranded as T ...

with 10 routes. National Route 1 provides road access to the wider region, and includes: *

Forrest Highway Forrest Highway is a highway in Western Australia's Peel (Western Australia), Peel and South West (Western Australia), South West regions, extending Perth's Kwinana Freeway from east of Mandurah down to Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury. ...

, a dual carriageway road linking north to Perth *

South Western Highway South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about long. Route description Perth to Bunbury ...

linking to the southeast of Bunbury

Bussell Highway Bussell Highway is a generally north–south highway in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia. The highway links the city of Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury with the town of Augusta, Western Australia, A ...

links to

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...

to the west. The Eelup Rotary, where Forrest Highway terminates in East Bunbury, was named by the

Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC WA) is a motoring club and mutual organisation, offering motoring services and advice, insurance, travel services, finance, driver training and exclusive benefits for their members. As an indep ...

as the worst regional intersection in Western Australia and has since undergone a $16m upgrade, which included eight sets of

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

s (which were switched on in the early hours of Monday 21 May 2012) and extra lanes for each entrance. The government was criticised for breaking a 2008 election promise to build an overpass and underpass. Bunbury was bypassed by the completion of the Wilman Wadandi Highway in 2024, linking Forrest Highway in Australind to Bussell Highway in Dalyellup.

Notable people

Notable people who come from or have lived in Bunbury include: John Forrest 1898

* Leon Baker, AFL footballer for

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers or colloquially the Dons, is a professional Australian rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCrac ...

, played in 1984 and 1985 Premierships * Paul Barnard, AFL footballer for

, played in 2000 Premiership *

Natalie Barr Natalie Ann Barr (born 19 March 1968) is an Australian television presenter, journalist, and news presenter. Barr is currently co-host of the Seven Network's breakfast television program ''Sunrise'' alongside Matt Shirvington. She was previous ...

, current ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

'' host * Jamie Bennell,

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

AFL player *

Noel Brunning Noel Brunning is an Australian television presenter, currently working as the main anchor of '' Seven News Regional WA'' (formerly GWN7 News and Golden West News) on Seven (formerly GWN7 and the Golden West Network) in regional Western Australia. ...

Seven Regional WA Seven Regional WA is an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network serving all of Western Australia outside metropolitan Perth. It launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury, and became k ...

news anchor *

Dianne Buswell Dianne Claire Buswell (born 6 May 1989) is an Australian professional dancer who is best known for her appearances on the British television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. After competing on ''Dancing with the Stars'' in Australia, she joined t ...

, professional dancer, ''Strictly Come Dancing'' *

Dorothy Carroll Dorothy Carroll (1907–1970) was an Australian geologist. Dorothy Carroll was born on 7 June 1907 in Western Australia. Her father was the manager of a stock company. The family lived at Bunbury, and participated in agricultural shows, stock sa ...

, geologist * Brett Peter Cowan, convicted murderer and rapist * Tracey Cross, Paralympic swimmer *

Kevin Cullen Kevin Cullen (born May 1, 1959) is an American journalist and author. He was a member of ''The Boston Globes 2003 investigative team. ''The Boston Globe'' as an institution won a Pulitzer Prize for ''Public Service'' for coverage of the sexual ...

, doctor and winemaker * Mary Ellen Cuper, Aboriginal postmistress and telegraphist * Courtney Eaton, actress, '' Mad Max: Fury Road'' *

Troy Elder Troy Elder OAM (born 15 October 1977 in Bunbury, Western Australia) is a field hockey striker and midfielder from Australia, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the golden medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in ...

, field hockey player *

Alexander Forrest Alexander Forrest CMG (22 September 1849 – 20 June 1901) was an explorer and surveyor of Western Australia, and later also a member of parliament. As a government surveyor, Forrest explored many areas of remote Western Australia, particula ...

, explorer, politician and investor *

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...

, First Premier of Western Australia and cabinet minister in Australia's first parliament * Jennifer Fowler, composer *

Cameron Gliddon Cameron Richard Gliddon (born 16 August 1989) is an Australian basketball coach and former professional player, currently the head coach of the Auckland Tuatara in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played four years of col ...

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...

NBL player *

Murray Goodwin Murray William Goodwin (born 11 December 1972) is a Zimbabwean former cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals. He was a right-handed top-order batsman, strong on the back foot, and a good cutter and puller of the ball. Int ...

, Zimbabwe, Western Australia and

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

cricketer * Alexandra Hagan, Olympic rower in Australian Women's Eight at the

2012 London The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games *

Ben Howlett Ben Howlett may refer to: * Ben Howlett (footballer), Australian rules footballer * Ben Howlett (politician), British politician * Ben Howlett (basketball), American college basketball coach {{hndis, Howlett, Ben ...

AFL player * Ethan Hughes, former AFL player * Adam Hunter,

ex-AFL player *

Neville Jetta Neville Jetta (born 12 February 1990) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the current senior coach of the Fitzroy Stars in the Northern Football Netb ...

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

AFL player *

Bob Maumill Walter Robert Maumill (born 10 March 1938) is a Western Australian radio presenter and writer. Early life Maumill was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. His father was Walter William Maumill (Wharf labourer) and his mother Elsie (barmaid). He ...

, 882 6PR radio presenter *

Newton Moore Major general (Australia), Major General Sir Newton James Moore, (17 May 1870 – 28 October 1936) was an Australian politician, businessman and army officer. He served as the eighth Premier of Western Australia from 1906 to 1910 and, following ...

, Mayor of Bunbury, Minister for Lands and Agriculture, 8th Premier of Western Australia, Major General (WWI), member of the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

John Boyle O'Reilly John Boyle O'Reilly (; 28 June 1844 – 10 August 1890) was an Irish poet, journalist, author and activist. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australi ...

, Irish-born poet, sent to Bunbury in February, 1868 as a convict, escaped on an American whaling ship in 1869. *

Aristos Papandroulakis Aaron "Aristos" Papandroulakis (born 1965 in Bunbury, Western Australia) is an Australian chef best known for hosting the Seven Network cooking show '' Surprise Chef''. He also hosted ''BYO Chef'', also for Seven. Papandroulakis has authored two ...

, television, '' Surprise Chef'' * Kyle Reimers,

ex-AFL player *

Josh Risdon Joshua Robert Risdon (born 27 July 1992) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Perth Glory in the A-League Men competition in Australia. Risdon has represented Australia on several occasions since debuting in ...

, Soccer player for

Western Sydney Wanderers FC Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football, association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South W ...

in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

and Australia national soccer team *

Edwin Rose Edwin Rose (12 December 1863 – 11 January 1948) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1916 to 1934, representing South-West Province (Western ...

, pastoralist president, Royal Agricultural Society of WA * Barry Shepherd, cricketer *

Richard Adolphus Sholl Captain Richard Adolphus Sholl, J.P., (18 December 1847 – 9 May 1919) was a Postmaster-General in Western Australia. Sholl was the son of Robert John Sholl and Mary Ann (''née'' Berckelman) his wife, and was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. ...

, Member of the WA Legislative Council 1886–90, member of Legislative Assembly 1890–97 *

Robert Frederick Sholl Robert Frederick Sholl (27 August 1848 – 4 December 1909) was an entrepreneur and a member of the Parliament of Western Australia. His business interests included pearling vessels, real estate and mining. Sholl was also a representative at t ...

, Western Australian representative at the Australasian Federal Convention 1897 *

Nicole Trunfio Nicole Trunfio (born 16 March 1986) is an Australian model. Early life Trunfio was born on 16 March 1986 in Dubbo, New South Wales to father Giuseppe and mother Kim. She is the youngest of three siblings. Her father was of Italian descent an ...

, model * Bruce Wallrodt, Paralympic athlete *

Shani Waugh Shani Waugh (born 2 September 1969) is an Australian professional golfer. She played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, as well as on the ALPG Tour in her home country. Waugh turned professional in 1991 and joined the Ladies E ...

, professional golfer *

Mark Worthington Mark Worthington (born 8 June 1983) is an Australian basketball player for the Willetton Tigers of the NBL1 West. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). Early life and career Born in Bunbury, Western Australia, Worthingt ...

NBL player, 2008 and 2012 Olympian

References

External links

City of Bunbury website

Bunbury Historical Society's King Cottage Museum

Local History of Bunbury

{{Authority control Coastal cities in Australia Port cities in Western Australia 1836 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1836 Whaling stations in Australia