The black swan has always been the iconic guardian of our rivers.

The Swan River was named by Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh in 1697, after the famous black swans of the area. When the Swan River Colony was established, the black swan was adopted as the traditional emblem. They appeared on Government papers, bank notes, postage stamps and other publications such as the Swan River Guardian - the colony’s first newspaper. 

The black swan was used on the original State Crest, prior to the granting of the Warrant for the State Coat of Arms and was proclaimed as the bird emblem of Western Australia on 25 July 1973.

Aboriginal legend tells of black swans transforming into Bibbulmun tribesmen.