A DAY IN BUNBURY
Bunbury is a city in the south west of Western Australia with a population of over 170 000 people. It is the third largest city in WA. Founded in 1873, Bunbury was established as a port for imports and exports and continues to support a thriving economy. Although I grew up near Bunbury and my school life began there, it is a long time since I have lived there so when I had the opportunity recently to explore the town, I gathered some information and set off!
The timber industry has played an important role in the region since settlement.
There’s so much to see in Bunbury. If you’ve only got a day to wander, start with street art. There’s really interesting street art both in the main streets and in surrounding streets and laneways,too. In two and a half hours I saw many works on buildings and also had a lovely look around the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery. There is an enormous amount of street art in Bunbury. I only covered three blocks in the town centre but intend to return and look at more works in the near future.
To plan your day drop into the Bunbury Information Centre for this brochure:’ OUTSIDE THE BOX, Rediscover A Walking Urban Art Trail’ or click below for more suggestions.
Now the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, this building was formally the Sisters of Mercy Convent School. Built in 1897, the Chapel was added in 1923. The City of Bunbury bought the convent in 1981.
A reminder of the original purpose of the building, a nun’s cell. Very small and simple but the cells opened onto a wide verandah and had beautiful views across the town to Koombana Bay.
One of the exhibitions was a large table set with works by local potters. I really liked this one!
So many coffee opportunities in Victoria Street but the most impressive feature was the many, many cafes offering lunch menus. There’s Korean, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Italian and more. There’s also several hotels/pubs advertising lunch and dinner. I had the ‘lunch special’ with a pot of tea at a Chinese restaurant for $13! Good food, good service.
The Rose Hotel, built in 1865.
Wandering around I also took a couple of photographs of interesting buildings. The other noticeable thing was the number of new, big office buildings beginning to dominate the skyline. For more information on older buildings go to the Bunbury Information Centre and collect the brochure Bunbury Heritage Building Trail full of notable buildings and lots of interesting history.
I knew this building well as my Uncle Eddie had his law firm here.
There’s masses of free two hour parking all around Bunbury on the streets and in car parks. You display a ticket on the dashboard. You can pay at the same machines if you’re planning on staying for longer than two hours.
The other ‘don’t miss’ thing if you have limited time is the Dolphin Discovery Centre on Koombana Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach close to the town. Here you will find everything you ever wanted to know about Bottlenose Dolphins! The centre offers eco cruises, swimming experiences, 24/7 livecam of the beach and offshore reef tank, plus a cafe and bar.
The research done here informs universities, government departments and other partnerships as they monitor the marine environment.
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scam awareness week
Unfortunately, the stigma attached to being scammed prevents many people from talking about their experiences. In some cases, those conned are even reluctant to seek help in recovering their stolen money. Data released by Bankwest shows more than $18 million dollars was stolen by scammers in the past year. Three quarters of the reported cases involved people over 45, while a third involved people over 65. Just 15% of cases involved 18-34 year olds.
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So what can you about it?
*To avoid the most common scams, never allow remote access to your computer, such as tech support, unless you made the contact and requested help.
*Also, be very, very cautious around cryptocurrencies. Many show you are increasing your wealth until you want to withdraw money and then they disappear! If you’re interested in investing in cryptocurrencies deal through a local bank.
*Keep your software up to date and use strong passwords.
*Keep your personal information private. Don’t share this information with anyone.
*Make sure any online shopping sites you use offer secure technology. Take the time to read the small print so that you know how your shared information will be used.
*Don’t engage with cold call marketing.
*If you get a phone call or text saying you owe money and you’re told to log on to an address to check or pay your account, don’t do it! Check your own records if you are at all worried you may owe money or else ignore it.
This is SCAM AWARENESS WEEK, so seek more detailed information online from government sources about avoiding scams.