Bridgetown WA Travel Guide
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How To Get To Bridgetown & Distance from Perth
Bridgetown is in Western Australia’s South West, about 270 km south of Perth.
International and domestic visitors will fly into Perth Airport.
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Bridgetown is a 3-hour drive along State Route 2, then National Route 1. Once off the main highway, it’s a beautiful drive through the countryside and farms.
TransWA runs buses to Pemberton that stop in Bridgetown. However, it’s easier to get around this region with a car. SouthWest Coachlines also have a service from Elizabeth Quay to Manjimup that stops in Bridgetown.
Bridgetown Forecast & Weather
The hottest months are January & February, where the average highs are 29 degrees, and still a lot cooler than Perth.
The coldest months are from June to August. During this time, the temperature will be around 15 with a minimum of 5, although it can get down to -1. Being so cold has earnt it the nickname Fridgetown, with its winter festival being called Fridgetown Fest. If you like cosying up by a log fire and being surrounded by lush green hills, winter would be an ideal time to visit Bridgetown.
The most rain falls between May and August, with December to February being the driest months.
My favourite time of year is September/October when it’s cool enough to hike but not too cold, the wildflowers are out, and the grass is green. There may be some rainy days, though.
See the detailed 7-day forecast at the Bureau of Meteorology.
Brief History & Settlement of Bridgetown
First, I’d like to respectfully acknowledge the Nyungar People, the Traditional Owners, and First People of these lands. I would like to pay my respect to the Elders past, present, and future, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture, and hopes of the Nyungar People.
The area was originally known as Geegelup, which is thought to translate to “place of gilgies” in the Noongar language, referring to the fresh water lobster that lives there.
The first European to explore the area was Thomas Turner (an Augusta settler), who traced the Blackwood River upstream to its junction with the Arthur River in 1834. However, it wasn’t until 1845 that a party led by Augustus Gregory officially scouted the region and returned to carry out a survey in 1852.
The area was first settled in 1857 when Edward Godfrey Hester and John Blechynden bought land. In 1868, the government obtained a portion of Blechynden’s land, on which the town now lies.
On June 4, 1868 the town was officially named Bridgetown after the barque (ship) “Bridgetown” which carried the first exports of the region back to the United Kingdom.
The surrounding land was developed into farms and orchards, but the town was hit by problems from the 1960s to the 80s. This included the codling moth, which forced orchardists to uproot all their apples and pears.
This made the town rethink and turned it into today’s tourist destination, with many annual events.
Bridgetown was granted Historic Town Status and listed by the National Trust in 2000, marking it as only the eighth town in Western Australia to receive such recognition. Both Greenbushes and Bridgetown have made significant efforts to preserve the integrity of their architectural heritage, earning recognition at both the state and national level.