Sussex Land District is a land district (cadastral division) of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, located within the South-West Land Division on the state's west coast. It covers the south-western corner of the state and includes the townsites of Busselton

Busselton, Western Australia

-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...

, Margaret River

Margaret River, Western Australia

Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....

 and Augusta

Augusta, Western Australia

Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...

 as well as Cape Naturaliste

Cape Naturaliste

Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was named after the cape...

 and Cape Leeuwin

Cape Leeuwin

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...

.

History

The system of land districts came together in an ad-hoc fashion, and the Sussex district started to be subdivided in 1840 well before any thought was given to formally defining its boundaries. The definition later used by the Lands and Surveys department came from an 1862 gazettal which read as follows:

Towns

The Sussex district contains the following current or former townsites:

Townsite	Coordinates	Gazetted	Notes
Augusta Augusta, Western Australia Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...	34.312°N 115.159°W	1830
Broadwater	33.662°N 115.276°W	1897
Busselton Busselton, Western Australia -Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...	33.648°N 115.346°W	1835
Carbunup River Carbunup River, Western Australia Carbunup River is a small town in the South West region of Western Australia. It is situated between Dunsboroughand Margaret River on the banks of the Carbunup River....	33.699°N 115.189°W	1926
Cowaramup Cowaramup, Western Australia Cowaramup is a town in the South West of Western Australia, 12 kilometres north of Margaret River in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.-Name:...	33.852°N 115.095°W	1925
Dunsborough Dunsborough, Western Australia Dunsborough is a coastal town in the South West of Western Australia, south of Perth on the shores of Geographe Bay.Dunsborough is a popular tourist destination for Western Australians; in 1999 it was voted the state's best tourist destination. During the last decade the town has grown quickly and...	33.614°N 115.105°W	1879
Forest Grove	34.072°N 115.098°W	1925	Cancelled in 1970
Gracetown Gracetown, Western Australia Gracetown is a small town in Western Australia. It is located 283 km south of the Perth CBD, in the Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council area on the coast at Cowaramup Bay....	33.868°N 114.987°W	1963
Jarrahwood Jarrahwood, Western Australia Jarrahwood is a small town located in the South West region of Western Australia, along the Vasse Highway between the towns of Busselton and Nannup....	33.797°N 115.666°W	1932
Margaret River Margaret River, Western Australia Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....	33.955°N 115.075°W	1913
Mowen	33.938°N 115.196°W	1925
Prevelly Prevelly, Western Australia Prevelly is a townsite in the South West region of Western Australia. It is located on the coast at the mouth of Margaret River at the northern end of Calgardup Bay...	33.981°N 114.992°W	1978
Quigup	33.958°N 115.702°W	1911
Quindalup Quindalup, Western Australia Quindalup is a small town in the South West region of Western Australia. It is situated along Caves Road between Busseltonand Dunsborough on Geographe Bay. At the 2006 census, Quindalup had a population of 1,015....	33.629°N 115.129°W	1899
Ruabon	33.654°N 115.491°W	1925	"Abba River" until 1928
Vasse Vasse, Western Australia Vasse is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, west of the town of Busselton and southwest of Perth. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Busselton...	33.684°N 115.264°W	1907
Witchcliffe Witchcliffe, Western Australia Witchcliffe is a small town in the South West region of Western Australia, located a few kilometres south of Margaret River on the Bussell Highway.The name originates from a cave in the area, Witchcliffe cave, that was recorded by a surveyor in 1900...	34.024°N 115.099°W	1926
Wonnerup Wonnerup, Western Australia The townsite of Wonnerup is located south of Perth and east of Busselton. It was gazetted a townsite in 1856, deriving its name from the nearby Wonnerup Inlet.The name is Aboriginal, having been shown on maps of the region since 1839...	33.624°N 115.416°W	1856
Yallingup Yallingup, Western Australia Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.-History and industry:...	33.640°N 115.029°W	1911*	Not formally gazetted

Agricultural areas

Under the Land Act 1898, the Agricultural Lands Purchase Act 1896, and preceding regulations, it was open to the Governor to declare agricultural areas on crown land or repurchased estates on private land, to which special provisions applied for both alienation

Alienation (property law)

Alienation, in property law, is the capacity for a piece of property or a property right to be sold or otherwise transferred from one party to another. Although property is generally deemed to be alienable, it may be subject to restraints on alienation....

 and improvement

Land improvement

Land improvement or land amelioration refers to investments making land more usable by humans. In terms of accounting, land improvements refer to any variety of projects that increase the value of the property...

. Many of these estates came into being shortly after World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 for the purposes of soldier resettlement

Soldier settlement (Australia)

Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes administered by the State Governments after World Wars I and II.- World War I :...

.

Name	Coordinates	Gazetted	Notes
Anniebrook Estate	33.654°N 115.177°W	1930	West of Busselton
Locke's Estate	33.664°N 115.236°W	1921	West of Busselton
Marybrook Estate	33.659°N 115.201°W	1907	West of Busselton
Stirling Estate	33.564°N 115.482°W	1904	Near Ruabon