Vasse is a suburb of the city of
Busselton in the
South West region 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 ...
, west of Busselton and southwest of
Perth. Its
local government area is the
City of Busselton. At the
2021 census, Vasse had a population of 2,853.
The area was originally inhabited by the
Wardandi people.
Hurford and Penney seem to have had a bay whaling operation in Geographe Bay in 1846.
The town is named after the
Vasse River and Vasse Estuary, both of which in turn are named after French seaman
Thomas Vasse
Thomas Timothée Vasse (27 February 1774 in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime – presumed 8 June 1801) was a French sailor who was lost in the surf on the South West of Australia in 1801, and presumed drowned. From Vasse's name is taken the name ...
, who disappeared in the area in June 1801 during
Nicolas Baudin's expedition. The townsite of Vasse was gazetted in 1927; the area had previously been known as Newtown.
A hall (originally known as Newtown Hall) was built in 1898, while the Old Vasse Primary School was constructed in 1901 and replaced by a newer school on the same site in 1960; the present cite was in use as a school as early as 1884 and there was a public school in the area in 1869.
The population of Vasse was around 75 according to a 2001 estimate. It was predominantly a farming area until the establishment of a housing estate in 2004.
Along with the government primary school, Vasse is also serviced by a high school at
Cape Naturaliste College (established in 2008). On 1 August 2023, the boundary between Vasse and
Kealy was moved north to
Bussell Highway for easier recognition.
References
{{Towns South West WA
Suburbs of Busselton
Whaling stations in Australia
City of Busselton