A new underwater sculpture trail is now open in Busselton

Witness the magic of the marine world in Busselton’s new underwater sculpture trail.

At a whopping 1.84-kilometres-long, Busselton Jetty is the longest tourist jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. But there’s more than meets the eye to this Western Australian landmark. Beneath the water, the submerged timber and concrete pillars form an artificial reef, hosting more than 300 species of marine life.

This year, a new underwater sculpture trail has opened at the jetty, featuring 13 giant statues that blend art with the natural beauty of the blue planet. Visitors can snorkel, swim and dive through Busselton’s natural aquarium, admiring the theatrical works by local artists that sponges and corals have colonised. The sculptures have successfully created an artificial reef, with marine life taking hold just hours after the sculptures were lowered onto the ocean floor.

The trail features large-scale works by local artists, including ‘The Mermaid’s Muse’ by artist Daniel Fisher.

“Simply put, man built a jetty, but Mother Nature created the reef,” Busselton Jetty’s website states.

Highlights include a bronze mermaid, a 10-metre-long Southern Right Whale and a replica of the SS Poseidon shipwreck that was created in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The environmental manager at Busselton Jetty is Marine Biologist Sophie Teede, who has been recognised by David Attenborough and won the United Nation’s Annual Marine Studies Award for her unique method of using the jetty’s piles to rehabilitate marine life.

Marine life took to the sculptures almost immediately, including ‘The Southern Right Whale’ by Alan Meyburgh.

There will be signposts to guide visitors on the underwater trail and plenty of fish flitting about the displays. For those who would rather stay dry, the fascinating Underwater Observatory at Busselton Jetty is one of only six in the world, where you can descend eight metres below the ocean’s surface to view the vibrant marine habitat on the Jetty’s piles.

‘The Bronze Mermaid’ by Cerys Heying was specially designed to maximise space for corals and sponges to proliferate.