Busselton Jetty Busselton, Western Australia, Australia
By Lazarus_68 on 27-Dec-17. Waypoint GA11244

Simply take a selfie from near this point, and attach it to your log.

Stretching out to sea 1841 metres, Busselton Jetty is the longest wooden jetty in the world, and considered the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere.

Because the shallow waters of Geographe Bay restricted ship movement, a long jetty was required so that cut timber could be transported to ships. Construction commenced in 1853, and the first section opened in 1865. The jetty was extended numerous times until the 1960s, ultimately reaching a length of 1841 m. The last commercial vessel called at the jetty in 1971 and the jetty was closed the following year. It passed into the control of Busselton Shire and has been gradually restored and improved since. The jetty has survived Cyclone Alby in 1978, borers, weathering, fires, and the threat of demolition; to have become a major regional tourist attraction.

The jetty features a rail line along its length, a relic of the railway line into Busselton from Bunbury. The line now carries tourists along the jetty to an underwater observatory which opened to the public in 2003. A waterslide was built around a lighthouse structure next to the landward end of the jetty. It first opened in 1981.

On 9 February 2006, the Queen's Baton Relay passed through Busselton, the baton taken along the jetty and then underwater by a scuba diver. The baton passed by the Underwater Observatory during its swim, to allow the media to view the event.