Bunbury Historical Society - King Cottage Museum

12/10/2026

🏛️ MEET THE VOLUNTEERS – ALAN

Behind every museum are the people who help keep its history alive. Today, we'd like to introduce you to one of our wonderful King Cottage volunteers, Alan!

Alan has been volunteering at King Cottage for three years, inspired by his interest in local history.

What Alan enjoys most about showing visitors around is helping people understand how different everyday life was 100 years ago.

He particularly enjoys showing visitors just how hard people had to work, even to complete the simplest everyday tasks.

🚲 And there's a lovely connection in today's photograph! Alan is an avid cyclist, so we couldn't resist photographing him beside a bicycle that celebrates its 100th birthday this year!

It's volunteers like Alan who help bring the stories of King Cottage to life and preserve Bunbury's history for future generations.

❤️ Thank you, Alan, for sharing your time, knowledge and enthusiasm with our visitors!

02/10/2026

We say Bunbury every day. But who was the man whose name our city carries?

Henry William St Pierre Bunbury was born in England on 2 September 1812, the third son of Sir Henry Edward Bunbury.

At just 21, he arrived in Australia as a young officer with the 21st Fusiliers. After time in Tasmania, he arrived in Western Australia in March 1836.

During that year, Bunbury travelled extensively through the South West, recording the country and the people he encountered. In December 1836, he travelled south from Pinjarra to the Vasse, passing through the area around Port Leschenault.

Later that month, Bunbury and Governor Sir James Stirling surveyed the area near the mouth of the Preston River. Bunbury recorded that they walked over the ground together, examining the land, water and anchorage.

Stirling subsequently decided that a town should be established there — and named it Bunbury.

Bunbury's time in Western Australia was relatively short. He left the colony in 1838, continued his military career overseas, and eventually retired from the army as a Colonel in 1862. He died in 1875, aged 62.

Nearly two centuries later, his name remains part of everyday life for tens of thousands of people on the other side of the world.

Did you know who Bunbury was named after?

17/09/2026

📜 FROM THE ARCHIVES

🎾 Anyone for tennis?

Take a look at this wonderful photograph of Bunbury tennis players from 1896.

From the racquets to those incredible outfits, there’s plenty to take in — we can only imagine playing a match dressed like this! 😄

👀 Do you know who any of these people are?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

11/09/2026

🎉 40 years of Bunbury Wildlife Park!

What wonderful memories from a much-loved part of Bunbury’s history. 💚

Do you have an old photo or memory of the Wildlife Park? The City would love to hear from you. 👇

09/09/2026

🎶 COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT: CARLO MAZZOLETTI’S PIANOLA 🎶

Behind this beautifully decorated pianola is the story of an Italian craftsman, a dream of a new life—and a family left behind.

Carlo Giacomo Mazzoletti was born in Delebio, near Lake Como, Italy, in 1886. Together with two of his brothers, he made pianos by hand. Carlo later married Berta Gusmeroli, and the couple had two daughters, Edita and Carmen.

For several years, the family lived in Belgium, where Carlo continued making pianos. This remarkable pianola is believed to be one of the instruments they produced.

On 1 September 1928, Carlo arrived in Fremantle aboard the Caprera, bringing two pianos with him. He hoped to establish a factory and build more pianos in Western Australia, but sadly, his plans never came to fruition.

Carlo remained in Australia while Berta and their daughters lived in Italy. Although he never returned to them, he continued sending letters, photographs and money home. Berta reportedly established a bed and breakfast to help provide for their children.

Carlo worked as a carpenter in the coal mines and was interned in Australia during the Second World War. He later lived at 173 Aberdeen Street and became an Australian citizen in June 1948.

Remembered as a kind and honest man who made many friends, Carlo died at Royal Perth Hospital on 26 July 1949.

Family history tells us that his brother burned the remaining pianos for firewood during the war in Italy—making the survival of this instrument even more remarkable.

When the pianola was opened, several Italian 10 centesimi coins were discovered hidden inside. Bearing the image of King Vittorio Emanuele III and a honeybee resting on a flower, they provide another small connection to the country where Carlo’s story began.

Today, Carlo Mazzoletti’s pianola is preserved at King Cottage Museum—not only as a beautiful and ingenious musical instrument, but as a lasting reminder of the man who created it and the dreams he carried with him to Western Australia.

Did your family ever own a pianola—or do you remember hearing one play? 🎼

02/09/2026

Meet the Kings – Part 3: Susannah King

In 1855, a young Susannah King arrived in Western Australia with her husband Henry, just months after their marriage in England.

Born Susannah Ruskin in Essex in 1834, she and Henry went on to raise their family in Western Australia, eventually making their home here in Bunbury.

While Henry's working life is well documented, some of the loveliest glimpses we have of Susannah come from her grandchildren.

Living close by in her later years, they would visit their “Granny” almost daily. They remembered being given tarts and liquorice straps, climbing the ladder to play in the loft above the stables, and Susannah herself as a short woman dressed in black who often laughed.

After Henry died in 1899, Susannah remained at the family homestead, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

In 1911 she suffered a severe stroke and was cared for by her son John and daughter-in-law Eliza. Susannah died on 16 November 1912, aged 78.

More than a century later, the home where Granny welcomed those grandchildren is the place we now know as King Cottage Museum. ❤️

📷 Bunbury Historical Society Collection

Do we have any King descendants following along who have stories of Susannah passed down through their family? We'd love to hear them.

31/08/2026

📜 From the Archives

Take a look at Stirling Street around 1880, looking west from Arthur Street towards the sandhill later known as Boulters Heights.

The building with the curved verandah roof was a store owned by Ephraim Mayo Clarke.8

It's incredible to see just how different this familiar part of Bunbury looked nearly 150 years ago — wide unsealed streets, small buildings and the largely undeveloped hillside beyond.

And we particularly love the message preserved on the old photograph:

“Wishing You A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

What do you recognise in this view? We'd love to hear any memories or stories you have of Stirling Street and the surrounding area. ❤️

📷 From the Bunbury Historical Society collection.

25/08/2026

We love this piece of Bunbury history from Memories of Bunbury! 🌸

Their page does a wonderful job of keeping our community's memories and stories alive, and this one was too good not to share.

Bunbury – City of Gardens 🌿 Who remembers this?

Following our post today regarding the everlasting flowers planted along Ocean Drive, we remember that one of our 1979 logos was BUNBURY - CITY OF GARDENS. See the shirt in this photo from the South Western Times 1979. We had competitions for the best presented street. Wouldn't this be great to do again!

23/08/2026

🚨 THE REVEAL!

A lot of you knew this one! 👏

Our mystery photo was taken inside Bunbury's old Police Station, on Wittenoom Street facing Stephen Street.

Bunbury's police history goes back to the earliest days of the settlement, with a lock-up recorded as early as 1838. James Blythe, one of Bunbury's early policemen, was appointed in 1841 by Governor Sir James Stirling.

Following the arrival of convicts in 1850, a police station was established on the site, with the station facing Stephen Street and the old Wittenoom Street cell block behind it. There were also two houses for police quarters, with a track leading around to the stables at the rear.

The police station pictured here was built in 1852 and remained part of Bunbury for more than a century. These photographs, mostly taken in 1969, give us a fascinating look inside shortly before the old buildings were demolished and replaced.

Swipe through to see the main office, main cell block, Cell #1, the cell block dining room and day room.

And one piece of the old station still survives with us today — the old gaol door is now at King Cottage.

The replacement station remained on the site until it too was demolished, with the South West District Police Complex opening in December 2001.

Thank you to everyone who had a guess — we were very impressed by how many people recognised it! 👏

📷 Bunbury Historical Society collection

19/08/2026

🔎 Can you guess where this is?

This photo might look familiar to some long-time Bunbury locals… 👀

Do you recognise it? Tell us your guess in the comments!