Perth City and the Swan River, Western Australia (PD9)

Perth City and the Swan River, Western Australia from Kings Park

People say Perth is dull – but I say it’s vibrant and wild! The Fourth largest city in Australia with a population of 2.02million, Perth has something for everyone whether it is sailing on the sparkling Swan River, surfing at Trigg Beach, wine tasting in the Swan Valley, or living it up in the city at night, Perth is my home town and where I grew up. In fact, my late mother actually grew up in Kings Park as she was the daughter of John Watson, the Superintendent of Kings Park for 25 years, and Ivey Watson who rang the park during the war and who the children’s playground is named after. I’m pretty proud of this small legacy – and thankful I inherited my mother’s and her parent’s love of flora, fauna and nature in general.

Indigenous Australians have inhabited the Perth area for at least 38,000 years, as evidenced by archaeological remains at Upper Swan. The Noongar people occupied the southwest corner of Western Australia and lived as hunter-gatherers. The wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain were particularly important to them, both spiritually (featuring in local mythology) and as a source of food.

The Noongar people know the area where Perth now stands as Boorloo.

Perth was founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River ColonyThe city is named after Perth, Scotland, due to the influence of Sir George Murray, then Member of Parliament for Perthshire and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The city’s population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century. During Australia’s involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre, and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay.[9] An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, led to rapid population growth. This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for several large mining operations located around the state.

Source: Wikipedia