Bussell Highway was built in 1894 by M. C. Davies, a timber miller, as a road connecting Busselton with his mill at Karridale. The tender had been let to Davies by the State government under John Forrest. In 1932, the road from Busselton to Augusta was completed and named Bussell Highway after the Bussell family, some of the region's first settlers, on the suggestion of Premier James Mitchell in consultation with historian James Battye; the name, which incorporated a portion of Quindalup Road, was announced on 8 April of that year to coincide with Busselton's centenary celebrations. In 1946 Bunbury Road and Vasse Road were incorporated into Bussell highway, thus extending the highway to Bunbury. By the early 1960s, the road had been completely sealed. In 1995, the Ludlow deviation, a replacement of part of the highway that bypasses the Tuart Forest National Park, was opened; the old route through the forest is now named Tuart Drive. The Busselton Bypass was completed in December 2000, while the Vasse bypass was completed in January 2016. In 2016, Main Roads asked the local government Shire of Capel to clear land along the final stretch for the proposed dual carriageway between Capel and Busselton. In 2019, the Margaret River Perimeter Road, which diverts heavy traffic from Bussell Highway around, rather than through, Margaret River, was completed. In 2020, funding was brought forward for the dual carriageway to support jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Route description
Departing Bunbury, the highway commences at the intersection of Blair Street and Parade Road outside the Bunbury Racecourse in Carey Park. After about 500m, it intersects at a large roundabout with Bunbury's ring road, Robertson Drive, connecting the highway to several major routes: Australind Bypass and Old Coast Road lead to Perth via Mandurah; South Western Highway north-eastbound to Harvey, and to Collie via Coalfields Highway; and South Western Highway south-westbound to Donnybrook. It exits Bunbury as a sealed dual carriageway, bypassing the town of Capel before becoming a single carriageway to Busselton. At a large roundabout, it intersects with the Busselton Bypass and changes name to Causeway Road, then turns left into Albert Street in Busselton's CBD. After one block it reverts to Bussell Highway, proceeding for 9 km as a dual carriageway through Busselton's western suburbs before turning left at Abbey. The road then proceeds as a single carriageway with regular overtaking lanes to Augusta through small dairy and crop farms, orchards and wineries – the only slow point on this entire journey is when it becomes the main street of the popular tourist and seachange town of Margaret River. The linked Margaret River Perimeter Road bypasses the town. The highway ends at the entrance to Augusta, but the road continues as Blackwood Avenue through the town and then as Leeuwin Road for 9 km before reaching Cape Leeuwin, the southwestern tip of Western Australia.
