Perth Water is a section of the
Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of
Perth, Western Australia. It is between
the Causeway to the east, and
Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, and the northern edge of the suburb
South Perth.[1][2] It is considered a landmark of the
City of Perth.
History
Historically it was much larger in size. The shorelines have been regularly changed.[3][4]
Considerable reclamation has taken place on both sides of the river. For example, in 1879, landfill of Perth Water was used to create
The Esplanade.[5]
Narrows bridge reclamation
For the construction of the Narrows Bridge and its approaches, considerable amounts of the north west section of Perth Water were reclaimed.[6][7]
In the early days of the settlement of Perth the north west section between
Mount Eliza and the city had been named Mounts Bay, and the road along the shore became known as Mounts Bay Road. The subsequent reclamation effectively removed what has been known as Mounts Bay.
In 2006, the last race in the
Red Bull Air Race World Series was the first held in Australia, and was held in Perth, with the competition being centred over Perth Water.[8]
It has been the annual site of
Australia Dayfireworks, with crowds lining the lawns and open space along the foreshores.[9] A good view for these activities has been from
Kings Park due to its elevation and position looking across the Perth Water area. Post-cards, calendar images, posters and photographs from most decades of the twentieth century exist, that show the view from the Park looking across Perth Water to the city.
Uses
Since the establishment of Perth, there have been either jetties or landing and mooring facilities at the location of
Barrack Square at the
jetty. The long running
Transperth ferry service travels between Perth and the
Mends Street Jetty in
South Perth. Commercial companies also use the jetties for trips to
Rottnest via
Fremantle, and Swan River wine and leisure cruises.
Ferry companies at the terminal have improved re-fuelling techniques to reduce the amount of oil pollution in Perth Water.[2]
Riverside Drive (then shallow waters east of Government House) – Gabbee darbul
Point Belches (south east side of Narrows Bridge area) – Gareenup
This body of water is also known as Derbarl Yerrigan, a name which has since been adopted for the whole of the Swan River. In the Noongar language, Derbarl refers to the estuary water and Yerrigan is "rising up".[13]
Mounts Bay Road – Esplanade river edge
The earlier shore line of Perth Water can be identified by the line made by Mounts Bay Road, and its extension to The Esplanade.
From some earlier photographs and images made from Kings Park it is possible to ascertain the earlier river-edges, or banks, from tree lines. The photo here is of the part of the river that was filled in to accommodate the
Narrows Bridge works.
Navigable channel
The main route for deep draught boats to navigate Perth Water is from the Narrows Bridge to
Barrack Street Jetty, then following a channel close to the north shore parallel to Riverside Drive.
The channel was
dredged from as early as 1908 to keep the South Perth to Perth ferry channel clear;[14] such maintenance is an ongoing issue.[15]
^Edmonds, Jack (editor) (1979) Swan River colony : life in Western Australia since the early colonial settlement, illustrated by pictures from an exhibition mounted by West Australian Newspapers Ltd. as a contribution to celebrations for the state's 150th year Perth: West Australian Newspapers.
ISBN0909699208 – front cover, pages 2–3, 6,7, 36,37,54,68,70,84,88 all have views of Perth Water.
^Perth (W.A. : Municipality). Council (1800),
The Lord Mayor's report, The Council, retrieved 4 June 2012
^Vinnicombe, Patricia; Western Australian Museum (1989), Goonininup : a site complex on the southern side of Mount Eliza : an historical perspective of land use and associations in the old Swan Brewery area, Western Australian Museum,
ISBN978-0-7309-3662-6 – page 37 – Public Plan of Perth (Cancelled 1909) ID/40, see also Appendix I Named places in Kings Park and vicinity from Bloor, Liz; Western Australia. Dept. of Aboriginal Sites (1987),
Aboriginal usage of Kings Park, West Perth, W.A., 1987, retrieved 24 February 2015 pages 17 and 18
^Collard, Len; Winfield, Carol. Boodjargabbeelup:Point Fraser Cultural interpretation Nyungar. City of Perth.