Things to do in Busselton Walk the jetty, then meet the makers

Walk the jetty or take the train, and go down into the Underwater Observatory at the far end. Then give the rest of the day to the town: the free 2pm factory tour at Little Otto's on the foreshore, Origins Market for local makers, the Cultural Precinct and the shops on Queen Street, a stretch of the Wadandi Track, and coffee at the roastery in Vasse. If you're heading south afterwards, our Busselton to Margaret River day trip starts at the jetty too.

1. Walk the jetty or ride the train. 2. Go down into the Underwater Observatory. 3. Take Little Otto's free 2pm chocolate factory tour. 4. Let the kids loose at Sea Play on the Bay. 5. Browse Origins Market, Thursday to Sunday. 6. See the Cultural Precinct and the Old Courthouse's Georgette exhibition. 7. Find the six bronze figures on the Settlement Sculpture Walk. 8. Visit the Busselton Museum in the Old Butter Factory. 9. Walk or ride the Wadandi Track through the wetlands. 10. Drive out to Wonnerup House or the Tuart Forest. Check hours for each before you go.

Morning on the jetty: the train out, the Underwater Observatory, the walk back. Then Little Otto's 2pm factory tour, Origins Market on West Street (Thursday to Sunday) and the Cultural Precinct on Queen Street. Finish with a stretch of the Wadandi Track or coffee at the roastery in Vasse. If it rains, most of the town stops are indoors.

On Sunday mornings there's a market at Signal Park on Marine Terrace: the Foreshore Markets on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays and the Rotary Markets on the 2nd and 4th. The Community Garden Markets on Strelly Street are on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Origins Market is open Thursday to Sunday, and the jetty is open every day. For one-off events, set the dates on the City of Busselton events calendar.

Look for the 13 sculptures on the seabed around the end of the jetty, some visible from the deck on a clear day. See the Forgotten Voyages exhibition on the SS Georgette in the Old Courthouse. Find the six bronze figures of the Settlement Sculpture Walk. Visit Wonnerup House, the National Trust's mid-1800s homestead, on a Friday or Saturday (check first). Or walk the Possum Night Spotlighting Trail in Tuart Forest National Park with a torch.

Walk the jetty, then see the changing exhibitions at the Cultural Precinct. Ride or walk the Wadandi Track, which runs 15.5 km from near the jetty out to Carbunup River. Tourism WA says the foreshore has views of sunsets and of the jetty, and the jetty's own site says it's open 24 hours. Origins Market and Queen Street fill an afternoon of shopping. Want to fish? The jetty allows it up to the steel gates near the Observatory.

They suit different trips. Bunbury is closer to Perth (180 km, according to the City of Bunbury) and a bigger built-up town (about 84,000 people against about 46,000, ABS 2025), with a working port, the Leschenault Inlet mangrove walk and dolphins that visit its beach. Busselton is about two and a half hours' drive from Perth, according to Tourism WA, and sits at the start of the Margaret River region, with the 1.841 km jetty and a long, calm foreshore. If Margaret River is the aim, Busselton is the closer base. Many people see both: by our own map estimate, they're about 55 km apart by road.

The jetty's shore end is on Foreshore Parade, with the Visitor Centre at no. 17. The Cultural Precinct is at the jetty end of Queen Street, and Signal Park, where the Sunday markets are held, is on Marine Terrace. As landmarks only: the Hilton Garden Inn Busselton is at 4 Jetty Way, beside the jetty, Shelter Brewing Co is at 11 Foreshore Parade, and Rocky Ridge Brewing Co's Busselton venue is at 10 Marine Terrace. We name the hotel and the breweries only to help you find your way, not as recommendations.

The jetty is the big one: 1.841 km long, with a solar train and an Underwater Observatory 8 metres below the surface at the end. Close by are the foreshore playgrounds, Little Otto's chocolate shop and the Busselton Museum in the Old Butter Factory. At the jetty end of Queen Street, the Cultural Precinct's public buildings, from 1860 to 1897, now hold gallery and exhibition space and artists' studios.

Start at Origins Market on West Street, Thursday to Sunday: more than 50 makers under one roof, Obison Coffee Roasters, Capricopia and Elamoore Natural Soaps among them. On the foreshore, Little Otto's makes its chocolate on the spot. Margaret River Roasting Co roasts its coffee in Vasse. Busselton's own soap maker, Moon Haven, sells online only and posts from its own site. Moon Haven, Elamoore and Capricopia are all on our soap and skincare trail. For ideas to post home, see our South West gift guide. Check hours before you go.

Plenty, and most of it is indoors. Origins Market is an indoor market, Little Otto's factory tour is indoors, and the Cultural Precinct has gallery and exhibition space in heritage-listed buildings from the 1800s. The Busselton Museum is in the Old Butter Factory on Peel Terrace (closed Tuesdays), and the cafe at Margaret River Roasting Co in Vasse sits inside the working roastery. Underwater Observatory tours depend on the weather, so check before you set off along the jetty. For more wet-weather ideas down the coast, see our rainy day guide.

Yes, especially if you go all the way out. It's the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, and the solar train can save you the 1.841 km walk each way. The Underwater Observatory at the end takes you 8 metres down to see the fish. Book the Observatory ahead: tours take up to 44 people and depend on the weather. Then come back into town for the parts the jetty photos leave out.

Not always. While the Interpretive Centre is open, visitors aged 17 and over need a Jetty Walk Pass to walk the jetty. When the centre is closed, admission is free. A jetty train ticket also works as a Jetty Day Pass for walking. We don't print prices because they change, so see current prices on the jetty's own site. The foreshore playground and Little Otto's 2pm factory tour cost nothing (booking for the tour is recommended, it takes 15): see our free things to do in Margaret River guide.

Yes, up to the large steel gates near the Underwater Observatory. Beyond them is a sanctuary zone where all fishing is banned. The jetty's rules allow up to two lines, and wire trace isn't allowed. WA's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), which manages recreational fishing, says you don't need a licence to fish from the shore, with some exceptions. Check DPIRD's recreational fishing rules for bag and size limits before you cast.

No. Dogs and other animals aren't allowed on the jetty, the jetty train or in the Underwater Observatory. Accredited guide and support dogs are the exception. For where dogs can go around town, see our dog-friendly South West guide.

Yes, and for more than the jetty. Add chocolate made on the foreshore, an indoor market with more than 50 makers, heritage buildings from 1860 to 1897 turned into gallery space, a shared path through the wetlands and a roastery cafe in Vasse, and it easily fills a day. Planning the whole trip south? Our Margaret River itinerary starts at the jetty, and our things to do in Margaret River guide carries on down the cape.

A full day covers the six stops in this guide: the jetty and the observatory in the morning, Little Otto's, Origins Market and Queen Street after that, then a stretch of the Wadandi Track and coffee in Vasse. Arriving by cruise ship? Our Busselton cruise day guide shows what is a short walk from the jetty. With kids, a second day leaves time for the foreshore playgrounds. If it rains, most of the town stops are indoors.