Busselton

Located 230km south of Perth, Busselton graces the shores of Geographe Bay. This friendly town is the backdrop to the glorious Busselton Jetty. The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber pier in the southern hemisphere, thereby allotting it as a world heritage site. Needless to say the principle reason to check this out is its world renowned scuba diving and fishing.

The seas around here are a scuba diver's dream world. The sea life ranges from the normal but pretty clear to the exotic and rare. If you are not a scuba diver, no need to fear. The *underwater observatory (on the end of the Busselton Jetty) provides you with some astonishing aquatic views. See www.busseltonjetty.com.au for prices, opening hours and info.

Back on terra firma, Busselton and its hinterland have several other unique attractions. The Naturaliste Reptile Park, a mere 10 minutes south of Busselton has a dazzling variety of both common and rare reptiles. To the northeast of Busselton lies Tuart Forest National Park; the largest remaining 'pure' forest of tuart in the world.

Asides from these attractions Busselton also plays host to numerous job opportunities and has a cosy backpacker's hostel. For further details contact the Busselton Visitor Centre.

*The Busselton Jetty is undergoing a full restoration project. Access is permitted for the first 200m including the Interpretive Centre and Museum. The Underwater Observatory and Jetty Train will re-open early 2010.