Swan River (Western Australia)
This article is about the Swan River in Australia. For other meanings, see Swan River. |
The first detailed map of the Swan River, drawn by François-Antoine Boniface Heirisson in 1801 |
The
Swan River estuary flows through the city of
Perth, in the south west of
Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow.
It was named by the Dutch explorer,
Willem de Vlamingh in
1697, after the famous
black swans of the area. Vlamingh sailed with a small party up the river to around
Heirisson Island. A French expedition under
Nicholas Baudin also sailed up the river in
1801. For more history of the Swan River see the
Swan River Colony.
The Swan River drains the Avon and Swan Coastal catchments, which have a total area of about 121,000 km². The
Avon River contributes the majority of its freshwater flow. The climate of the catchment is Mediterranean, with mild wet winters, hot dry summers, and the associated highly seasonal rainfall and flow regime.
While the Swan River has not been dammed, two of its tributary rivers - the
Helena River and the
Canning River - have been dammed for collection of water supplies, at
Mundaring Weir and
Canning Dam.
The estuary is subject to a microtidal regime, with a maximum tidal amplitude of about one metre, although water levels are also subject to barometric pressure fluctuations.
The
Perth Water location on the river adjacent to the City of Perth is a popular place for viewing the annual
Australia Day fireworks, with over 400 000 people crowding the foreshore,
Kings Park and boats on the river.
The
Noongar believe that the
Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of a
Wagyl - a snakelike being from
Dreamtime that meandered over the land creating rivers, waterways and lakes, it is thought that the Waugal created the Swan River.
|
Matilda Bay on the Swan River, with Mount Eliza and the Perth skyline in the background |
Early in the settlement the Perth flats restricted the passage of all but flat bottom boats traveling between Perth and Guildford. It was decided that a canal be built to bypass these creating Burswood island. In 1831 it took seven men 107 days to do the work. Once completed, it measured about 280m in length by an average top width of nearly 9m which tapered to 4m at the bottom; the depth varied between nearly one metre and six metres. Further improvements were made in 1834.
Due to the sandy terrain that Perth sits upon the streets were sandy dusty bogs which caused Governor Stirling in 1837 to report to the Secretary of State for Colonies that:
"At the present time it can scarcely be said that any roads exist, although certain lines of communication have been improved by clearing them of timber and by bridging streams and by establishing ferries in the broader parts of the Swan River …"
Other parts of the river also required dredging all material was just dumped on the mud flats through which they were dredging filling in the mud flats. This action would have been a contributing factor to the damaged caused by the 1862 flood. It wasn't until the establishment of the Government rail between Fremantle and Guildford Via Perth that river was no longer the main transport route.
With building of the Fremantle harbour in the 1890's and the removal of the limestone reef blocking the mouth of the river. The dredging of the area to build the Harbour effectively changed the river dynamics from a winter flushing flow to a tidal flushing estuary. It was also at this time that the Helena River was dammed as part of
C. Y. O'Connor's ambitious and successful plan to provide water to the
Kalgoorlie Goldfields.
The river has been used for the disposal all kinds of waste. Even well into the 1970s various local councils had rubbish tips on the mud flats along the edge of the river. Heavy industry also contributed its share of waste into the river from wool scouring plants in Fremantle to fertilizer and foundries sited in the Bayswater - Bassendean area. Remedial sites works are still on going in these areas to remove the toxins left to leach into the river.
During the summer months there is problems with algal blooms killing fish in the river the cause is high nutrients running off from farming activities, as well as the use of fertilisers in the catchment areas. The occasional accidental spillage of sewage and chemicals also cause sections of the river to be close to all human access. The river has survived all this and is in remarkable condition.
Many Perth residents define themselves as living either
north of the river or
south of the river. As Perth has grown dramatically in recent years, and development has been mainly on a north/south corridor running parallel to the coast, this separation has grown with (highly dubious) claims that one never goes to the other side, or does not associate with others from the other side. These claims are generally made light-heartedly. Some businesses do trade with a 'north of the river' phone number, and a separate 'south of the river' number.
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Location of the Swan River, with tributaries in light blue |
Geographic features of the Swan River include:
|
Causeway Southern section including previous structure |
There are eighteen
road and
railway bridges crossing the Swan River. These are (from Fremantle, heading
upstream):#Fremantle Railway Bridge,
Fremantle (
Fremantle rail line)#Fremantle Traffic Bridge, Fremantle#Stirling Bridge (
Stirling Highway), Fremantle#
Narrows Bridge (
Kwinana Freeway/
Mitchell Freeway,
Mandurah rail line), Perth (2001) - northbound#Narrows Bridge (
Mandurah rail line), Perth (2006 - under construction)#Narrows Bridge (Kwinana Freeway/Mitchell Freeway), Perth (1959) - southbound#
The Causeway (north), Perth to
Heirisson Island#The Causeway (south), Heirisson Island to
South Perth#Goongoonup Bridge,
East Perth (
Armadale rail line)#Windan Bridge, East Perth (
Graham Farmer Freeway)#Garratt Road Bridge,
Maylands - northbound#Garratt Road Bridge, Maylands - southbound#Redcliffe Bridge (
Tonkin Highway),
Bayswater#Guildford Road Bridge,
Bassendean#Guildford Railway Bridge, Bassendean (
Midland rail line)#Barkers Bridge, West Swan Road,
Guildford#Whiteman Bridge,
Middle Swan#Upper Swan Bridge,
Upper SwanImage:Swan river.jpg|View from Kings Park over Perth WaterImage:perth_narrows.jpg|Narrows Bridge PerthImage:Narrows Bridge.jpg|Another view of the NarrowsImage:Causeway North.jpg|Northern section of the Causeway taken from Heirisson IslandImage:freotraffic.jpg|Fremantle Traffic Bridge StructureImage:Stirling Bridge Fremantle Sept 2005.jpg|Stirling Bridge FremantleImage:DarlingEscarpmentFromKingsPark 2005 SeanMcClean.jpg|Swan River showing Perth Water with the Narrows in the foreground, and Melville Water on the rightImage:ARG train Swan River Guildford.jpg|Bassendean Rail and Road Bridges from Guildford LandingImage:Melville water heathcote.jpg|Melville Water looking west from Heathcote PointImage:Waylen bay heathcote.jpg |Waylen Bay viewed from Heathcote Point
* Brearley, Anne,
Ernest Hodgkin's Swanland : estuaries and coastal lagoons of South-western Australia Crawley, W.A. : University of Western Australia Press for the Ernest Hodgkin Trust for Estuary Education and Research and National Trust of Australia (WA), 2005. ISBN 1920694382
*
Bridging to South Perth by Lloyd Margetts A copy of his speech given to the South Perth Historical Society.
