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26-664: South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth 's southeast with Walpole . It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about 406 kilometres (252 mi) long. From Perth, the highway, signed as State Route 20, starts from the Albany Highway junction in Armadale , 28 km from Perth, and follows a north–south route 20–30 km inland from

52-587: A channel that opens the estuary into the ocean opposite the Collie River mouth, commenced in February 1950. Two explosive packages were found in the inlet in 2013. The first package composed of tri-cyclic acetone peroxide was found near a jetty and taken to Gloucester Park in Perth to be detonated in a controlled explosion. Divers searched the surrounding area the following day and found another package of

78-497: A new proposal for a Perth–Pinjarra–Bunbury route along the foothills, with a one chain (66 ft; 20 m) width, mostly following the alignment of previous tracks. Between 1864 and 1876, two parties of convicts were involved in the making of the road. A road from Bunbury to Boyanup, called the Blackwood Road, existed as early as 1864. A bi-weekly mail route from Boyanup to Bridgetown via Preston, Balingup, and Greenbushes

104-410: A significant settlement in the area; however, it would be shorter, had more water along the route, and did go through the village of Mandurah, with a population of twenty-nine people from six families. During the winter of 1842, the existing route became impassable, and Clifton decided to undertake the creation of the proposed coastal route. He sent his company's men to clear the path and make a road. By

130-444: A total population of approximately 65,000 people. The catchment area retains 40% of its natural vegetation , the remainder of the area has been cleared mostly for agricultural purposes with some light industry. The sand dune system responsible for the formation of the estuary began about 7,000 years ago. At this time the coast section between Mandurah and Bunbury was an open rocky limestone shore. A dune system began to build on

156-553: Is an estuarine lagoon that lies to the north of Bunbury, Western Australia . It had in the past met the Indian Ocean at the Leschenault Inlet , but that has been altered by harbour works for Bunbury, and the creation of The Cut north of the historical inlet location. The estuary is approximately 13.5 km (8.4 mi) in length and has a maximum width of approximately 2.5 km (1.6 mi). The total area of

182-459: Is from Lieutenant H. W. Bunbury in December 1836. The route he – and later others – took was slow and hazardous, taking four days to cover around 80 miles (130 km), and crossing four rivers. The route began with passage from Perth to Pinjarra , before turning south-west and passing through low, open scrubland, and subsequently a medium-timbered area with low marshes. The first river to cross

208-890: The South West is very diverse. It is a major world producer of aluminium oxide and mineral sands , and also has substantial agriculture , timber , and viticulture industries. It is Western Australia's second-most popular tourist destination after Perth . The South West region consists of the following local government areas : Some well-known attractions include Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and Discovery Centre , Ngilgi Cave , Augusta Jewel Cave , Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse , Busselton Jetty , Mammoth Cave , Easter Cave, Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre , Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree , Diamond Tree , and Gloucester Tree . Leschenault Estuary Leschenault Estuary

234-506: The area, the government declared the land open for pastoral settlement by ordinary settlers, but little progress was made. By 1840, the population was just fifty-three, and most of those were in or near Bunbury (then known as Port Leschenault). The settlement of Australind by the Western Australian Land Company in 1840–41 prompted the first real need for a good quality road to Perth. Throughout much of 1842, there

260-515: The coast, passing through several agricultural and timber towns that sprang up in the 1890s when the nearby railway came through, such as Pinjarra , Waroona , Yarloop and Harvey . In January 2016, the Samson Brook bridge, one of the highway bridges near Waroona, was damaged by a bushfire. Just past Brunswick Junction , the highway heads southwest towards Western Australia's third-largest city, Bunbury . The typical scenery on this part of

286-470: The dirt track to a formed and gravelled road, with works expected to be completed over the 1921–22 summer at a cost of £2,000. The road from Bunbury through Bridgetown to Manjimup was improved in 1926, as one of the Main Road Board 's first projects. The worst segments were identified for reconstruction, as part of an ongoing process to create a high-quality highway. The name South Western Highway

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312-671: The estuary is 25 km (9.7 sq mi) The lagoon is separated from the ocean by a thin peninsula of sand dunes called the Leschenault Peninsula. The catchment area below Wellington Dam for the estuary covers 1,981 km (765 sq mi). The catchment includes part of the Swan Coastal Plain , the Darling Scarp and the Darling Plateau. The Collie and Preston Rivers are

338-476: The government intended to settle returning servicemen in the far south-west of the state. To determine the public works required, a flying survey was undertaken. The route between Manjimup and Walpole (then known as Nornalup) was reported to be overgrown and impassable. The Public Works Department was tasked with clearing the route and forming a road, with works gradually progressing from c.  1919 onwards. By October 1921, £ 16,000 had been spent on upgrading

364-604: The highway includes small dairy farms and orchards, jarrah and marri remnant forests and pine plantations. Until the 1980s, the Armadale-Bunbury section was part of National Highway 1 , but following the upgrading of Old Coast Road and construction of the Mandurah bypass, Highway 1 now follows the coastal route via Kwinana Freeway and Old Coast Road to Bunbury passing through the resort town of Mandurah . The highway does not actually enter Bunbury – it stops at

390-543: The highway passes through thick forests featuring many native trees like jarrah , marri and karri . The region was settled much later than other parts of south western WA , under a soldier resettlement scheme beginning in 1919. Typical scenery is farmland interspersed with forests and small timber towns. The highway then goes through Bridgetown (where it meets the Brockman Highway from Augusta and Nannup ), Manjimup and finally to Walpole . This part of

416-528: The highway, especially from Manjimup, is sparsely populated and very thickly forested, with abundant wildlife and wildflowers as well as many old growth trees, especially the giant karri . From Walpole, the Highway 1 continues as South Coast Highway to Albany . Following the establishment of the Swan River Colony , the earliest report of exploration of the district around what is now Bunbury

442-439: The industrial suburb of Picton , following Robertson Drive (Bunbury's ring road) for 1 km south before turning southeast past Bunbury Airport towards Boyanup . The highway actually used to follow what is now Boyanup-Picton Road from Picton via Dardanup, but changed to the present shorter route in the 1980s. From Bunbury, the highway goes through Boyanup and on to Donnybrook , the heart of WA's apple country. From then on

468-570: The main catchment rivers and enter the estuary from the southern end and with the catchment runoff discharging into the Indian Ocean via the cut in the peninsula. Other rivers in the catchment area include the Brunswick River , Ferguson and Wellesley as well as numerous other creeks, streams and irrigation drains. Seven local government areas are located within the catchment including Bunbury , Collie , Capel , Dardanup , Harvey , Donnybrook-Balingup and Boyup Brook . The catchment has

494-623: The same explosive that was detonated on site. Traffic along the Old Coast Road was disrupted as a result. A white mangrove colony exists within the estuary. These are the most southern mangroves in Western Australia and are believed to be 2,500 years old. The mangroves inhabit an area of 6.4 ha (16 acres). A boardwalk with informative signage has been constructed around the Mangrove colony so that visitors can inspect

520-422: The second half of the nineteenth century, the importance of the coast road was diminishing. For most of its length, the road went through well-timbered, sandy limestone country of little value to agriculture, and settlers in the vicinity of the road were scarce. In contrast, settlements had spread and prospered in the foothills of the Darling Scarp , and on 1 July 1853, Colonial Secretary Frederick Barlee announced

546-413: The shore forming a long barred estuarine lagoon between the current estuary as far north as Lake Preston and effectively separated the lagoon from the ocean. About 4,500 years ago the dune system met up with the eastern shore of the estuary separating the lagoon into two sections. The northern portion filled with mud leaving the southern section as the estuary that exists today. Construction of The Cut,

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572-584: Was at Brockman Street, Pemberton. South West (Western Australia) The South West region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia . It has an area of 23,970 km , and a population of about 170,000 people. Bunbury is the main city in the region. The South West has a Mediterranean climate , with dry summers and wet winters. There is about 900 mm of precipitation per year, with most between May and September. Mean maximum daily temperatures range from 16 °C in July to 34 °C in February. The economy of

598-488: Was established by 1891; it also extended further south to Balbarrup on a weekly basis. Surveying of a direct Bridgetown–Albany route was requested in January 1871, so that an electric telegraph line could be established, but the government surveyors were overwhelmed by other work. Surveying of the route from Manjimup (south of Bridgetown, adjacent to Balbarrup) was undertaken in 1909 by Fred S. Brockman. Following World War I,

624-532: Was much debate and discussion over providing a new route to Bunbury. A coastal route from Fremantle had been proposed, while an alternative proposal published on 11 May 1842 was a new route from Pinjarra to Bunbury, via an upstream crossing of the Harvey River, where a bridge could easily be built. The coastal route would require a ferry to cross the Murray River's estuary, and did not go through Pinjarra,

650-576: Was suggested for the road from Armadale to Pemberton in 1940 by the Under-Secretary for Lands. The name was in common usage by March 1941, and in July 1941, the name was officially applied to "the main road from Armadale to Pemberton via Pinjarra, Harvey, Picton Junction, Boyanup, Donnybrook, Bridgetown and Manjimup". The northern end was at the Perth–Albany road in Armadale, and the southern end

676-555: Was the Harvey River , which could only be forded by horses at a single point, near the river mouth. Continuing south-westward, the northern tip of Leschenault Estuary was reached, and its shores followed before curving around into Bunbury. The last stretch of approximately 12 miles (19 km) was the most dangerous for many years, as it required precarious crossings at the Collie and Preston Rivers. In an initial attempt to settle

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