Bunbury was discovered by French explorer Captain de Freycinet in 1803.

It was originally named Port Leschenault and was a camp site for a military regiment, dispatched to protect the, yet to arrive, settlers.

Further south at the time, the town of Augusta was being settled by pioneering families and Governor James Stirling led an expedition up the Collie River to the Darling Range, claiming large land grants as they went.

Eventually, when no settlers arrived at Port Leschenault, the soldiers returned to Augusta.

The area was re-named Bunbury in 1836 in honour of Lieutenant Henry William St. Pierre Bunbury who was the first European to trek there overland from Pinjarra.

It wasn’t until two years later in 1838 that Bunbury’s first settlers arrived, the Scott Family.

From its slow beginnings Bunbury was boosted by the arrival of convict labour, between 1851 and 1868.

The demand for goods increased, the workforce was expanded and the economy stimulated.

A boom in timber cutting for the construction of railways and the goldrush in nearby Donnybrook took Bunbury from being a small colony outpost to a town by 1900.

The Port of Bunbury became the region's main export channel and saw the closure of the Busselton port in 1972.

Visitors nowadays are offered a glimpse into Bunbury’s early life with King Cottage Museum (1880), Rose Hotel (1865), and St Mark's Church (1824) - the second oldest church in Western Australia.

Admire the 1860s architecture and workmanship evident in the Old Post Office, Courthouse and appreciate the significance of the Old Timber Jetty (1864).