Not the Busselton Jetty

As the pastoral industry developed in Carnarvon in the late 1800s,  the local population pressured the government of the day to develop a port for the town. By 1897 the jetty had been built and wool and livestock produced in the region began to be exported to Fremantle and essential goods for the town imported using state shipping.

In 1904 the head of the jetty was added and in 1912 the jetty head was widened because of increasing traffic including passengers. Carnarvon was the first port in the world which loaded live stock on board ships for transport to markets. The One Mile Jetty once boasted an animal race the length of the jetty along which the sheep were driven from holding yards not far from where the jetty kiosk is located today. The jetty transport system and diesel locos on the tramway ceased in 1966 when state ships stopped calling. Road train transport commenced and the jetty began to fall into disrepair until 1998 when the community banded together to save what is the longest jetty in the north of the state. The jetty is now listed with state and national heritage trusts and is being progressively preserved.

 

It's no Busselton Jetty. Between the elderly man that was siting at the start of the jetty and warned us that an 18 foot shark had been spotted from the jetty today, to the rickety boards, holes in the wood and lack of a barrier along one whole side of the jetty - we felt that we were taking a few risks just venturing out along the Canarvon One Mile Jetty. The walk was long overdue however after a day in the car.