Augusta, Western Australia
| Augusta Western Australia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Augusta visitors centre | |||||||||
| Population | 1,068 (2006 Census) [1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1830 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6290 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Augusta-Margaret River | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Blackwood-Stirling | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Forrest | ||||||||
| |||||||||
34°18′43″S 115°09′32″E / 34.312°S 115.159°E
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the furthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of the town was 1,068. It is within the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River Local Government area, and is in the Leeuwin Ward.
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park mainly on the ridge to the west of the town.
History
The first Europeans to see the area were the Dutch in 1622 who named the nearby Cape "Landt van de Leeuwin" or Land of the Lioness. Flinders renamed it in 1801 as Cape Leeuwin.[2]
Augusta was formed in 1830. In March of that year, a number of settlers, including John Molloy and members of the Bussell family, arrived at the Swan River Colony on board the Warrior. On their arrival, the Governor of Western Australia, Sir James Stirling, advised them that most of the good land near the Swan River had already been granted, and suggested that they form a new sub-colony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin. The following month, Stirling sailed with a party of prospective settlers on board the Emily Taylor. After arriving at the mouth of the Blackwood River, the party spent four days exploring the area. Stirling then confirmed his decision to establish a subcolony, the settlers' property was disembarked, and the town of Augusta declared at the site.
The town was named after the daughter of King George IV, Princess Augusta Sophia, by Governor Stirling.[3]
During the 1880s an expansion of the timber industry occurred following the construction of a timber mill at nearby Kudardup and the completion of jetties at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay.[4]
Augusta was a stopping place on the Busselton to Flinders Bay Branch Railway, which was government run from the 1920s to the 1950s. Prior to that M. C. Davies had a timber railway system that went to both Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay jetties in the 1890s.
Augusta was a summer holiday town for many during most of the twentieth century, but late in the 1990s many people chose to retire to the region for the cooler weather. As a consequence of this and rising land values in the Augusta Margaret River area, the region has experienced significant social change.
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Augusta (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ "West Australian Vista - History of Augusta". 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ^ "History of names – A". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ^ "Augusta WA - History". 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
External links
- Australian Local Government Association - Shire of Augusta
- Augusta portal
- South West portal
- Official Augusta Information Website
