This year of 2025 marks the 50th Anniversary year of the Busselton Museum being housed in the Old Butter Factory.

The Busselton Historical Society has seen several renewals since its inception. Originally formed in 1938, the Society went into recess due to World War II before reconvening in 1960. It then grew in strength and a committee was formed to record and file local history. As they lacked a central meeting place, using members’ homes and a primary school for meetings and gatherings, a group of ladies began to meet each Tuesday at the home of Jack Taylor in Foursomes Road to type, take newspaper cuttings and record local history in general. These records continue to a be vital part of the Society’s records.

The acquisition of the Butter Factory building in 1975 finally gave the Society a permanent home for meetings and to store research, papers and files. It also created a space to display artefacts which had previously been stored amongst Society members. The committee decided to create a small exhibition for the Festival of Busselton. The exhibition opened to the public for the first time on 18th January 1975 – and there began the Busselton Museum that exists to this day.

Over the past 50 years a valiant group of dedicated Busselton Historical Society members have been collating and researching, storing artefacts and displaying our many treasures and during the year we will celebrate and pause to remember, not only the survival and progress of the Museum, but also the memory of those who made it possible.

We look forward to your visit to the Busselton Museum.