City of Busselton

The proponents of a Puma Energy development on Dunsborough’s main street had a win in the Supreme Court yesterday, but the issue is far from settled according to a local advocacy group against the proposal.

Busselton has been shortlisted with nine other regional cities nationwide as the potential home for the new Qantas pilot academy, weeks after the environmental watchdog recommended conditional approval for the operations of a $70 million upgrade at the Busselton-Margaret River Airport.

How did Australia’s richest film prize come to land in Busselton, a regional town with a population of just 38,300?

The state government remains hopeful Busselton can become the second site for a Qantas pilot academy, pledging up to $1.7 million and formally committing to a new $13 million terminal if the South West town is chosen.

The developer behind a long-running bid to build a 24-hour Puma service station in Dunsborough faces an uphill battle to get the project approved, after Western Australia’s Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court ruling that gave it the go-ahead last year.

Opponents of a Puma Energy development on Dunsborough’s main street have emerged victorious from the three-year stoush, after the developer behind plans to build the 24-hour service station announced it would no longer proceed with its bid.

Named Australia’s third top tourist attraction at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards and visited by a record 500,000-plus people in 2018, Busselton’s iconic jetty is currently the subject of detailed plans to expand its tourist offering.

Funding for terminal upgrades at the Busselton-Margaret River Airport remain up in the air as Jetstar has announced it will operate direct flights between Melbourne and Busselton in March of next year.

Saracen Properties and Security Capital Australia have announced the development of a $100 million, five-star spa and resort in Margaret River, a boon for the South West region's tourism industry as it pursues a post-pandemic revival.

Jetstar will restart direct flights between Melbourne and Margaret River in March, one year after the COVID-19 pandemic had iced the route.

A proposal to develop a microbrewery and holiday accommodation on the corner of Dunn Bay Road and Cape Naturalise Road has been approved.

Dunsborough faces a challenge navigating growth while maintaining its coastal town charm.

Property magnate Adrian Fini intends to lodge plans for a $200 million coastal tourism village at Smiths Beach with the SDAU in a matter of months, despite concerns raised by the local government.

Construction of Busselton’s $38 million Performing Arts and Convention Centre will go ahead, despite concerns about the cost.

A $32 million plan to build Australia’s largest natural marine observatory in the South West is another step closer, receiving the endorsement of the City of Busselton.

Bunbury-based Perkins Builders has been appointed to spearhead the construction of an $18 million holiday accommodation precinct and microbrewery in Dunsborough.

EXCLUSIVE: It was set to kickstart tourism post-COVID, but a plan to build Australia’s largest marine observatory in Busselton is in jeopardy after coming in $20 million over budget.

A Western Australian builder has lodged plans to construct a $15.3 million off-the-grid tourism development across a 41-hectare site overlooking the coastline in Wilyabrup.

Margaret River-based Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co has taken its new landlord to court in an eleventh-hour bid to stop them from repossessing the premises amid a feud over the lease.

Broad Construction has been appointed to build the controversial $44.5 million performing arts and convention centre in Busselton.

The developer behind the shelved Puma Petrol Station in Dunsborough has had its $22 million replacement proposal shot down, despite lodging revised plans in an 11th-hour bid to gain approval.

The City of Busselton has backed the development of a $16 million, five-storey apartment in the centre of Dunsborough, despite more than 600 residents opposing the plan.

In a shock decision, planning authorities have knocked back a $16 million five-storey apartment plan in Dunsborough, despite it receiving the support of local planning officers.

A scaled back version of the initial $32 million Busselton Jetty expansion has been given the go-ahead by the city, after a drastic costs spike almost made the project "impossible".

The developer behind the failed $22 million Dugalup Centre in Dunsborough has lodged a scaled back iteration of the plan in a last-ditch attempt to revive it.

A scaled back version of a $22 million development in Dunsborough has been approved after a tribunal ordered a reconsideration.

The City of Busselton has remained firm in its opposition to Adrian Fini's Smiths Beach Project, questioning whether the proposal was "development ready".

The state government’s efforts to regulate holiday homes drag on while councils take matters into their own hands.

A $70 million hospital will be constructed in Vasse to meet the health care demands from the Busselton and Margaret River communities.

A $16 million apartment building proposal has been approved by a regional planning body, nine months after the initial design for the Dunsborough project was rejected.

Senior editor Mark Beyer discusses some of the highlights from his recent conversation with Nearmap's Rob Newman.

Jetstar is adding a fourth weekly service to its Melbourne to Busselton service to meet demand over the Easter holiday period.

The purchase represents the property fund’s second acquisition from the Vukelic family this year.

Rate hikes, large fines and development approvals will be implemented in Broome to crack down on the proliferation of AirBnBs.

Council elections in WA’s regions could throw up some surprises.

The $9.5 million building is set to be the first hotel in the regional town.

A 42-hectare wine property in the state’s South West has been earmarked for a $17.5 million holiday resort.

A disused tennis club on the Busselton foreshore will be turned into a chocolate factory by the owners of the South West town’s largest brewery.