Dunsborough is a coastal town in the South West of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, 254 kilometres (158 mi) south of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 on the shores of Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay

Geographe Bay is located in the South West of Western Australia around 220 km southwest of Perth.The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin; Baudin named the bay after his ship, Géographe. The bay is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Naturaliste past the towns...

.

Dunsborough is a popular tourist destination for Western Australians; in 1999 it was voted the state's best tourist destination. During the last decade the town has grown quickly and become quite affluent; consequently cafes have popped up everywhere. The town is a common destination for annual school leavers

Schoolies week

Schoolies or schoolies week refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December."Toolies" refers to older revelers who participate in Schoolies week but are...

 in WA, the other frequent choice being Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...

.

History

The town is named after the nearby Dunn Bay, which was named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn under whom Governor James Stirling

James Stirling (Australian governor)

Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...

 had served in the Hibernia and the Armide in 1810-11. Land for a townsite

Townsite

A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat or plan was often the first legal act in the establishment of a new town or...

 was set aside here in the late 1830s, and there is a recorded whale fishery at "Dunsbro" in 1850. When Dunsborough first appeared on a map in 1839 it was spelt "Dunnsbro" but the extra "n" seems to have disappeared by 1850, and the spelling of "bro" was amended to "borough" when the name was gazetted in 1879.

Present day

Dunsborough is the older settlement near to Cape Naturaliste

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...

 while the closer settlement Bunkers Bay is much more recent - having evolved from a group of holiday shacks to the local Millionaires Row community.

Transport

Dunsborough is serviced by Busseltons public bus service route 903 run by South West Coach Lines

South West Coach Lines

South West Coach Lines operates express coach services, town buses services, repeat passenger services for school and the public and charter services in and around the south-west of Western Australia...

. South west coach lines and Transwa

Transwa

Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 275 destinations within Western Australia, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south to Esperance in the east along with the regional centres of Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Northam, Geraldton and Albany.Transwa is...

 coach services also run service to Dunsbrough for connections to other south west towns and Perth.

Annual events

• Meelup Hill Climb - motorcar rally
• Anaconda Adventure Race
• Dunsborough Arts Festival

See also

• HMAS Swan
  HMAS Swan (DE-50)
  HMAS Swan , named for the Swan River, was a of the Royal Australian Navy . Constructed in Melbourne following the loss of HMAS Voyager, Swan entered service in 1970, and remained in commission until 1996...
  
  
• Cape Naturaliste
  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...
  
  
• Margaret River (wine region)
  Margaret River (wine region)
  Margaret River is the foremost Geographical Indication wine region in the South West Australia Zone, with nearly 5,500 hectares under vine and over 138 wineries as at 2008. Margaret River wine region is made up predominately of boutique size wine producers; although winery operations range from the...
  
  
• Margaret River, Western Australia
  Margaret River, Western Australia
  Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....
  
  

Further reading

• Jack, J. and Robertson, R. (editors) (2001) Cape Of Contrasts/Stories of Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia Dunsborough ISBN 0-9579601-0-7