Things to do in Bunbury
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bunbury
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Sweet spots, with March warm and settled for Bunbury Cup and November bringing spring warmth and the start of swim season.
Peak summer and best beach weather, with highest prices, school holiday crowds and Bunbury Fringe in late January.
Mild and rewarding shoulders, with Lost and Found Festival in October and settled autumn weather in April.
Cool sea and no swim tour, but wildflowers and the Japan Festival in September and fine golf and valley weather in May.
Worst months, the wet winter season with frequent rain and storms, rough ocean and the lowest room rates.
What's on
- Bunbury Fringe Festival 23 to 31 January
The city's biggest arts week of theatre, comedy, cabaret, circus and music across the CBD.
- Geographe Bay Race Week 14 to 20 February
A major sailing regatta from Busselton, best watched from the jetty and foreshore with Bunbury as the cheaper base.
- Bunbury Cup March
The South West's premier horse race meeting at Bunbury Turf Club and the biggest social day of autumn.
- Tree Street Art Safari March
Tree Street residents open their front gardens as galleries for a weekend of art, music and food.
- Bunbury 3 Waters Running Festival April
A community running festival past Bunbury's ocean, bay and inlet in settled autumn weather.
- CinefestOz Bunbury August
Bunbury screenings of the South West film festival, and the best reason to visit in the wettest month.
- South West Japan Festival 7 to 20 September
Two weeks celebrating Japanese culture and the Setagaya sister city link, closing with a lantern ceremony and Matsuri day.
- Lost and Found Festival mid October
The region's signature food, wine, art and nature festival, with sell out long table dinners in the Ferguson Valley.
Best things to do in Bunbury
Dolphin Discovery Centre Bunbury
A marine centre built around wild dolphins that visit the beach Interaction Zone on their own terms, best in the morning.
Koombana Beach
Bunbury's calm bay beach for safe swimming, barbecues and a real chance of dolphins from the sand.
Back Beach
Bunbury's ocean surf beach on Ocean Drive, built for long walks and sunsets over the Indian Ocean.
Bunbury Farmers Market
A huge seven day produce hall supplied by over 150 local growers, and the best food shop in the South West.
Bunbury Wildlife Park
A small bushland park where children can hand feed kangaroos and see dingoes, wombats and native birds up close.
Marlston Hill Lookout Tower
A free tower climb for a 360 degree view over the bay, the ocean, the port and the lighthouse.
Bunbury Regional Art Gallery
The South West regional gallery in a pink former convent, with free rotating exhibitions of WA artists.
Big Swamp Parkland
A free wetland loop through paperbark trees with a bird hide and over 70 bird species beside the Wildlife Park.
Where to stay in Bunbury
Marlston Hill and Ocean Drive
scenic short leisure stay
Between the bay and the ocean, walkable to Back Beach, the lighthouse, the lookout and the CBD.
Koombana Bay waterfront and Lyons Cove
families and dolphin mornings
Facing the calm bay and the Dolphin Discovery Centre, a flat walk into the CBD.
Bunbury CBD and Victoria Street
food focused and car free stays
In the middle of the restaurants and cafes, walkable across the centre but the least scenic base.
Pelican Point and Sanctuary
golf trips
A resort base beside the estuary and the Sanctuary course, about ten minutes drive from the centre.
Think twice about
- East Bunbury and Picton East industrial area
Truck routes, warehouses and the passenger terminal, with almost no lodging or restaurants and no reason to base there.
- Forrest Avenue and Spencer Street highway strip, South Bunbury
Older highway motels on a busy arterial, noisy and car only, with a charmless walk to anything.
- Withers and Carey Park
Residential suburbs with no visitor lodging and no visitor reason to base there, despite occasional cheap listings.
Best restaurants in Bunbury
Market Eating House
Bunbury's best restaurant, fire cooked Middle Eastern share plates built on South West produce.
Vat 2
Waterfront seafood with sweeping Koombana Bay views, built for a sunset splurge and a shared platter.
Basalt by the Sea
Ocean view dining over Back Beach inside the Mantra, the best sunset dinner setting on the peninsula.
nicolas ristorante
Bunbury's Italian institution, a lively family ristorante with generous plates and a deep local following.
Mojo's Kitchen Bar & Bottle Shop
An all day kitchen and bar championing Geographe wine and local craft beer, with a bottle shop to take favourites home.
Aristos Waterfront Bunbury
Relaxed waterfront seafood for families, known for the fisherman's basket, chowder and oysters over the bay.
White Elephant Thai Restaurant
Bunbury's repeat visit Thai favourite on Victoria Street for curries, noodles and stir fries in the centre.
Benesse Bunbury
Bunbury's best brunch, a busy Victoria Street cafe with strong coffee, pancakes and a dog friendly patio.
Outdoor things to do in Bunbury
Dolphin Eco Cruise, Dolphin Discovery Centre
A 60 to 90 minute Eco Cruise to meet resident bottlenose dolphins, with a cruise again free guarantee.
Dolphin Swim Tour, Dolphin Discovery Centre
A seasonal guided swim where wild dolphins choose whether to approach swimmers in their own habitat.
Koombana Bay Sailing Club
Wednesday twilight sailing and Saturday racing on Geographe Bay, with a clubhouse deck over the water at sunset.
Bunbury Golf Club
The region's championship 18 hole parkland course between the Collie River and Leschenault Estuary, open to visitors.
Capel Golf Club
A relaxed 18 hole bush course south of Bunbury where kangaroos graze the fairways and green fee players are welcome.
Busselton Jetty
Walk or ride the train 1.8 km out to sea, then descend into the Underwater Observatory among the jetty pylons.
Gnomesville
A free forest village of thousands of gnomes left by visitors, the joyful centre of a Ferguson Valley day loop.
Wellington Dam
Home to the huge Reflections mural on the dam wall, with forest trails and the Honeymoon Pool river swim nearby.
Best hotels in Bunbury
Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse
Bunbury's premium hotel, with ocean views, an indoor pool and Basalt by the Sea restaurant on the peninsula.
Mercure Bunbury Sanctuary Golf Resort
A golf resort on the estuary with course view rooms, a big pool and dawn tee times outside your door.
Quest Bunbury Apartment Hotel
Serviced apartments opposite Koombana Bay with full kitchens, the best all round base for a first Bunbury visit.
Bunbury Hotel Koombana Bay
A modern bayfront hotel with an indoor heated pool, a day spa and Silos Restaurant, walkable to the centre.
Bunbury Seaview Apartments
Sea view apartments facing Back Beach for surf and sunset, with a pool and cafe attached.
Discovery Parks - Bunbury Foreshore
Cabins and sites on the foreshore minutes from the dolphins, the cheapest well located base in Bunbury.
Wander Inn Bunbury Backpackers
The central backpacker hostel for solo travellers who want a shared kitchen and company on a budget.
Is Bunbury expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | A$110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | A$210 a person |
| Splurge | A$380 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dolphin Discovery Centre Bunbury: a few days ahead
- Dolphin Eco Cruise, Dolphin Discovery Centre: a few days ahead
- Dolphin Swim Tour, Dolphin Discovery Centre: weeks ahead
- Koombana Bay Sailing Club: a few days ahead
- Bunbury Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Busselton Jetty: a few days ahead
- Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse: weeks ahead
- Mercure Bunbury Sanctuary Golf Resort: weeks ahead
- Book the dolphin swim tour as soon as dates are set for November to April, and the Eco Cruise in school holidays.
- Book Busselton Jetty train and observatory tickets online at least 48 hours ahead in busy periods.
- Book Market Eating House the week before for Friday or Saturday, as it only opens Wednesday to Saturday.
- Book weekend tee times at Bunbury and Capel, and rooms early for Fringe, Lost and Found, Bunbury Cup and school holidays.
Is Bunbury safe?
- Swim between the flags at Back Beach and follow SharkSmart and beach closure advice in the bay and estuary.
- The WA sun burns fast even on breezy days, so hat, sunscreen and water are essential, including on the jetty and golf courses.
- Lock cars and hide valuables in foreshore and trailhead car parks, and watch for kangaroos on roads at dawn and dusk.
- In an emergency call 000.
Bunbury travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Two nights is the sweet spot for Bunbury itself, and more only works as a cheaper touring base for Busselton and Margaret River.
- A dolphin no show morning is possible because encounters are wild and voluntary, so build in a second morning.
- Do not judge Bunbury by the Forrest Avenue highway strip you arrive on, and do not swim outside patrolled areas at Back Beach.
- Gnomesville delights children and the cheerfully unserious, and disappoints anyone expecting a major attraction.
Getting around Bunbury: public transport and more
- The centre, Koombana Bay, Marlston Hill and Back Beach form a walkable core, but the Farmers Market, Wildlife Park, golf and all day trips need a car.
- Perth is about 175 km and just under two hours by car via the Forrest Highway.
- The Transwa Australind train runs twice daily between Perth Station and Bunbury Passenger Terminal, with bus 827 meeting trains for the centre.
- Transwa coaches from Bunbury serve Busselton, Margaret River, Manjimup and Albany.
Who Bunbury suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Bunbury your trip
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