Dunsborough, Western Australia

The South West region of Australia, within which Dunsborough sits, is recognised as being one of the oldest continually occupied human habitats anywhere on Earth, with archaeology dating back approximately 40,000 years.[2] Dunsborough itself shares in this history, with multiple sites of Aboriginal importance in and around the town.

Prior to European colonisation, several distinct tribes inhabited the land and utilised the waters around Dunsborough. Those living on the coast were called Wardandi (sea people), and their language recorded as Burron Wongi.[3] These Indigenous peoples referred to Dunsborough by the name of Quedjinup, which means "Place of Women". The name Quedjinup is retained for the district immediately to the south of Dunsborough, encompassing the Dunsborough Lakes and Biddle's Common housing developments which form part of the greater Dunsborough development zone.

Important local Aboriginal Heritage sites include:

• Caves Road – Naturaliste Road Roundabout: a large area, extending some 400m east of the current roundabout, within which many artefacts including flints, crystal quartz, and blades have been discovered. The artefacts discovered at this site have been dated between 8,000 and 12,000 years old. The site is on the Permanent Register of Aboriginal sites, and is protected under the West Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act (1972).
• The Seymour Street Camping Grounds: located between what was Seymour Street (now Cape Naturaliste Road) and Naturaliste Terrace, and again on the southern side of the wet ground within the playing fields, including part of the playing field itself and where the netball courts now stand.
• Dunn Bay Road Ceremonial Ground: a reported "law ground" that was a ceremonial meeting site that brought traditional Wardandi people together.

The modern town is named after the nearby Dunn Bay, which was named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn under whom Governor James Stirling had served in the Hibernia and the Armide in 1810–11. Land for a townsite was set aside here in the late 1830s, and there is a recorded whale fishery at "Dunsbro" in 1850. When Dunsborough first appeared on a map in 1839 it was spelt "Dunnsbro" but the extra "n" seems to have disappeared by 1850, and the spelling of "bro" was amended to "borough" when the name was gazetted in 1879.[4]

In 1860, the Seymour family who worked for the Castle Rock Whaling Company built the Seymour Homestead. It would later be moved to Millbrook Farm in Yallingup.[5] In the 1920s the family built Seymour's Cottages, which were among the first holiday houses in the area; they were also relocated toMillbrook Farm.[6] A general store was opened in 1925 and the town's first bakery was established in 1930.[7] By the 1950s, Dunsborough's population consisted of about forty families; 1957 saw the opening of the Old Dunsborough Hall and Dunsborough Primary School opened in 1963.[8][9] Surfing became popular in the 1960s and wine tourism in the nearby Margaret River was emerging by the mid-1980s.[10] The population of the town began to significantly increase from the late 1970s onwards.[7][8][11]