Go Fish!

Our fishing exploits haven't been very rewarding since we crossed into W.A, with no fish for dinner, even after several attempts (and Luke getting more and more frustrated with catching nothing but herring and toad fish). So driving into the beautiful town of Busselton, we decided that the only way to see some serious fish without going to the deli section of Coles, was to visit the Underwater Observatory at the Busselton Jetty.

One of the most popular eco-tourism icons in Western Australia, the Underwater Observatory lets you descend eight metres below sea level to see a huge range of amazing sea creatures. It's like scuba diving without getting wet. There is one catch though. The Observatory is built at the very end of the jetty. And the jetty is 1.7km long. The longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere (haven't I read that somewhere before?). So to see the fish, you get a nice little dose of exercise thrown into your admission fare.

Tours depart on the tour and the guide we had to take us down into the Observatory was so passionate about marine life, I swear she may have had a few scales hidden under her uniform. But this passion, mixed with an amazing facility that clearly lets you see the waterworld below the jetty and an array of fish that call the jetty their home, makes for a pretty special experience.

The Observatory from the outside. The nine metre round room was dropped into the ocean

as a whole and filled with water to sink it into place, then drained to create the facility.

Pretty cool, huh?

We saw so many fish, Luke was salivating but the Observatory has a 50metre fishing exclusion zone around it and is petitioning for more, so you'll find no dinner here. The community is also rallying the local council for a million dollar upgrade because the wharf is pretty old and unstable in parts. Our guide said they rarely see sharks in the calm waters of Geographe Bay but regularly spot manta rays, gropa, tuna, star fish and a huge range of spawning coral. It really is another world down there and definitely worth a look. The most impressive part is that unlike a normal aquarium, the fish and coral in the Busselton Jetty Observatory are all 100% natural - so fingers crossed the fish feel like making an appearance on the day you visit!

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette