The story behind the name.

Have you ever wondered, why ‘The Timothée Resort’?

When choosing a name we wanted to tie in with existing stories that already surrounded us.

The resort is located on the historic Vasse River and was in fact originally called ‘On The Vasse Motel Resort’. After digging deeper into the name of the river, we discovered the fascinating story of its origin.

Sculpture of Thomas Timothée Vasse by Russell Sheridan. Located at the entrance to Vasse in Western Australia.

The river was named after the French seaman, Timothee Thomas Vasse, who disappeared in the area in June 1801, during explorer Nicolas Baudin’s expedition.

During an attempt to rescue stranded scientists from the shores off Busselton in 1801, the crew encountered rough seas and Timothee Vasse presumably drowned. It is one of the least known and most enduring maritime mysteries in Western Australia.

The Timothée Resort backing on to the historic Vasse River.

This is where everything gets a little more interesting…

There are many different rumours of what actually happened to Vasse, each a little more bizarre than the last. Some rumours even made their way to the European newspapers.

It was presumed that Thomas Timothée Vasse drowned during a rescue in rough surf, as he had been drinking and lost grip on the lifeline and sunk in the surf. This was the last the crew saw of him.

However in one tale, it was reported that he in fact didn’t drown and was actually cared for by the local Wadandi people. He was said to be constantly checking the horizon pining for his ship to return. The story then goes that years later he walked hundreds of kilometres of coast and was eventually picked up by an American whaler, handed to the British and subsequently imprisoned in England.

There were other versions that stated he stayed with locals and fathered children with a Wadandi woman and then made his way back to France.

Choosing the name The Timothee Resort is our sailor’s salute to exploration and travel.

Sculpture of Thomas Timothée Vasse, a French seaman lost at sea in 1801. Image: State Library WA.