Bremer Bay is a delightful, isolated town under the ‘chin’ of WA, fronting the wild Southern Ocean about 180km north-east of Albany.
The sheltered bay is a favoured haunt of recreational boaties and sailors, while its white-sand beach and crystal-clear waters attract a constant flow of an anglers, divers and snorkellers.
There are few better places than Point Anne to view the majestic southern right whales which use the local bays to calve, generally from around July to November.
The nearby Fitzgerald River National Park is a haven for four-wheel drive enthusiasts, many of whom roam the thousands of wild hectares in the hope of seeing several rare varieties of flora and fauna.
The town is situated at the mouth of the Bremer River right next to Wellstead Estuary, named after the first settler, John Wellstead.
The history of the Wellstead homestead, called Peppermint Grove and open for inspection, began with this first settler, who arrived in WA with the 51st Regiment British Army in 1840. After his discharge, he operated buggy runs, supervised building construction and undertook many other enterprises before he finally built and settled adjacent to what is now known as Bremer Bay in 1850.
His family joined him on completion of the homestead, in 1857. John, his wife Ann (nee Crawford) and 12 children grew vegetables and fruit, grazed sheep and cattle, and established a dairy herd, milking up to 70 cows a day by hand.
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