Geographe, Western Australia

"Geographe" redirects here. For the bay, see Geographe Bay. For the ship, see French corvette Géographe. For the channel, see Geographe Channel.

Geographe is a suburb of the Western Australian city of Busselton. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 3,622.

Geographe Busselton, Western Australia
Geographe
Coordinates	33°38′S 115°22′E
Population	3,622 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	6280
Area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AWST (UTC+8)
Location	4 km (2 mi) from Busselton
LGA(s)	City of Busselton
State electorate(s)	Vasse
Federal division(s)	Forrest

Sandylands, one of the first houses built in Busselton, was constructed in the area beginning in 1840 by Charles Bussell, the younger brother of John Bussell.^[2] Geographe was developed as an urban area in the mid-1990s, with the Port Geographe Marina, which was opened in 1997, being constructed as part of the development.^[3] The suburb was established in 1998, being made up of the old East Busselton locality and parts of Wonnerup.^[4] Busselton Primary School was moved from the town centre to Geographe in that year,^[5][6] while Geographe Primary School was opened in the nearby suburb of Bovell in 2002.^[7][8] The construction of the marina caused seaweed to be trapped at the west of the development during winter, generating piles of the plants up to 2.5 metres (8 ft) high that rendered the beach unusable and resulted in health problems due to the hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg) smell; erosion also occurred at nearby Wonnerup Beach to the east due to the new marina. Therefore, from 2013 to 2015 the government Department of Transport funded works that reconfigured the port structures to reduce the severity of the seaweed accumulation and erosion.^[9][10] Since 2020, further works, such as ploughing channels in the seaweed, have been undertaken, which have significantly reduced the seagrass accumulation and reset it to a state closer to the way it was before the construction of the marina; by November 2020, the local beach was completely cleared of sea-grass for the first time since the marina was constructed.^[11][12]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Geographe (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. "Sandilands". Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
3. "Busselton established as one of Australia's most popular residential spots". Government of Western Australia. 18 January 1997. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
4. Landgate Geonoma database, entry for Geographe
5. "Ellenbrook and Busselton primary schools start term in new premises". Government of Western Australia. 19 July 1998. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
6. "Busselton Primary School in Geographe, WA, Schools". TrueLocal. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
7. "Busselton community thanked for new schools". Government of Western Australia. 15 November 2002. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
8. "Geographe Primary School & ESC". Western Australian Council of State School Organisations. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
9. "Port Geographe reconfiguration". Department of Transport. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
10. Loney, Georgia (May 2017). "Saving Busselton's Beaches". Edith Magazine. Edith Cowan University. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
11. Kirk, Emma (10 November 2020). "The beach is back at Geographe". Busselton-Dunsborough Mail. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
12. Bold, Sam (30 July 2022). "Port Geographe in Busselton tames seaweed problem after years of issues". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2022.