Koombana Bay

Koombana Bay is a sheltered sandy bay and beach in Bunbury, Western Australia, about 175 km south of Perth. Located on the city's eastern foreshore adjacent to the central business district, it is known for its calm, protected waters, family-friendly beach, and frequent sightings of bottlenose dolphins. The bay hosts the Dolphin Discovery Centre, foreshore parklands, and is a central recreational hub for swimming, kayaking and waterfront walks.

Visitors can expect a calm, sheltered bay with a sandy beach and shallow waters protected from ocean swell. The foreshore features landscaped parklands, paved walking and cycling paths, a large adventure playground, barbecue and picnic areas, and the Dolphin Discovery Centre with its interpretive displays. The setting overlooks Bunbury Port and the bay, with opportunities for swimming, paddling, dolphin watching from shore or boat, and relaxed waterfront strolls.

Koombana Bay has long been the natural harbour for Bunbury, developed as a port from the 19th century for timber and later general cargo. The bay is named after the SS Koombana, a vessel lost off the Western Australian coast in 1912. The foreshore has been progressively redeveloped as a recreational precinct, with the Dolphin Discovery Centre established to research and interpret the bay's resident dolphin population.

The Bunbury area is part of the traditional lands of the Wardandi people of the Noongar nation, for whom coastal bays and waterways hold cultural importance. Today Koombana Bay is a central community recreation area and a focus for marine education and dolphin conservation through the Dolphin Discovery Centre.