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Natural and Ecological sites
The Dolphin Discovery Centre is a unique place. It is the only site in Australia which can offer shore-based and boat-based interaction with wild dolphins as well as dolphin watching tours and a fascinating and educational Interpretive Centre. The Dolphin Discovery Centre is operated by the Bunbury Dolphin Trust. Opportunities are provided for people to learn about dolphins by interacting with these animals in their natural environment. On site, you can watch or interact with the dolphins within the Interaction Zone, browse the Dolphin Shop, be entranced by the Discovery Room, or sit back enjoy lunch overlooking the Bay in the Bottlenose Café. For an in-water close encounter with the dolphins of Koombana Bay, Take a "Swim-On-The-Wild-Side" with with our Marine Biologist and trained volunteers. Enjoy snorkelling with the dolphins out in the calm waters of the Bay. Join a Dolphin Watch Boat Cruise aboard one of Naturaliste Charters' fantastic vessels - either the Whale Watcher, Cetacean Explorer or the Dolphin Dancer. You’ll be able to watch the antics of the dolphins as they frolic and play alongside the boat. Where is the Dolphin Discovery Centre? Dive the Lena - W.A's most accessable dive wreck A unique diving experience for divers of all levels of experience - and snorkellers as well. The Lena was sunk as a dive wreck on Friday 19th December 2003. Apprehended by the Australian Navy in February 2002 while fishing illegally for Patagonian Toothfish in Australian waters the Lena now provides a unique world class dive wreck only 3 nautical miles from the coast at Bunbury Western Australia. Bunbury is only 178 km and a comfortable 2 hour drive from Perth. The Lena provides a unique diving experience for all levels of diver experience. At 17 meters the bottom of the hull is accessible to open water ticketed divers where most of the other prepared wreck sites are, at 30m, beyond their reach. With wide open internal spaces and carefully planned entry and exit holes the Lenais a safe comfortable dive but with some special features to attract more experienced divers. Unlike other wrecks the Lena engine room is open to divers with both the main engine and generators left in place. The propeller has also been left in place and has proven to be a popular photo site for divers with the myriad of fish making their home in and around the stern. Public Mooring Permits Permits are required for any private boats wishing to use the public mooring established on the dive site. These permits are availble from the following locations in Bunbury and MUST be obtained prior to using any of the public moorings on site. Coastal
Water Dive, Bunbury Dive Charters, Bunbury
Yamaha
The Big Swamp Wildlife Park is a lovely place for picnics, children’s parties, tours, educational school excursions, an afternoon out, or a place to take overseas visitors The park has landscaped aviaries and gardens, picnic areas, a café, souvenir shop, and interactive display - as well as all the animals. There are over 60 varieties of Australian native birds and marsupials. A popular activity in the park is hand feeding the free range kangaroos that are roaming and entering into the large free flight aviary (for the brave) to hand feed the parrots. Big
Swamp Wildlife Park is open daily from 10am to 5pm. You can locate
the park on Prince Philip Drive, just 5 minutes from the city
centre in Bunbury. (08) 9721 8380. Geographe Bay, Rocky Point and Lighthouse To the west of Bunbury city centre is Geographe Bay which stretches south to Busselton. A drive along the shore is interesting because of the Rocky Point and the Lighthouse (See above). It is
believed that the black rocks at Rocky Point are part of a lava
flow dating back 150 million years which occurred as the great
integrated mass of Gondwanaland (Antarctica, South America, Africa,
the Indian subcontinent and Australia) started to drift apart. The
Bunbury basalt at Rocky Point cooled in columns giving it the
appearance of the Giant's causeway in Northern Ireland. It was no
accident that when Reverend Wollaston drew a map of Bunbury in 1843
he named this rocky outcrop 'Giant's Causeway'. Further along the headland is the Marlston Hill Rotary Lookout Tower, a Bicentennial project, which offers an excellent view of Bunbury harbour and the breakwater. Boulters Height Lookout Another excellent view across the city can be gained from Boulters Height Lookout. It is named after A. H. Boulter who established a rotunda on the site in the late 1920s. In 1966, to coincide with a visit from the Queen Mother, the local council built a 26 m waterfall. The Mangrove Boardwalk The
Port of Bunbury's white mangroves are Western Australia's southern
most mangroves and are estimated to be 20,000 years old and are
left over from an earlier tropical period experienced. A
sensitively constructed 200m boardwalk follows the tidal channels
through the mangroves providing visitors with a truly unique
experience to view these extraordinary plants. A great place for a picnic or barbecue, relaxing in the shade of the giant tuart trees and exploring the other natural species of trees and plants. Paths lead you through the bush to the coast or climb to the lookout for great views of coastline, bush and town. An ideal resting place for travellers and a must for those staying for a while. Wildflowers of the Region The
best wildflowers show can be seen in the South West from September
through to November. You can take any one of the walk trails
through spectacular jarrah forests or banksia bushland surrounding
the Port of Bunbury. Discover masses of yellow Wattle, Coral Vine,
Hovea, blue Leschenaultia, mauve Pepper and Salt, and white
Pimelias. In addition, Western Australia’s floral emblem the
Kangaroo Paw can be seen in abundance throughout the immediate
bushlands surrounding Bunbury. There are a number of tours with
trained guides provide details about various species of the |
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The Dolphin Discovery
Centre
Big Swamp Wildlife
Park