Did you know

Facts about the Swan and Canning rivers:

• In the dreamtime – long ago – Nyoongar people believe the Waugul or Rainbow Serpent formed the river bed of the Swan River when it slid through the sand with its huge body.

• The Nyoongar name for the Swan River is Derbal Yaragan or Turtle Estuary. Point Walter is known as Djun’dal-up, meaning place of the long white hair.

• In 2004, the Swan River was declared Western Australia’s first official heritage icon, as part of the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Swan River Colony.

• Algal blooms are naturally occurring. Excessive nutrients from fertilisers used on lawns and gardens are a cause of algal blooms and fish kills.

• The Swan Canning Catchment – land draining into the Swan and Canning rivers – is an area of 2126 square kilometres.

• The Barrack Street Jetty was the first jetty operating in Perth in the 1800s.

• The Swan River was named by the Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh in 1697, after the famous black swans of the area.

• In 1801 the famous French explorer Nicholas Baudin sailed up the Swan River.

• From 1827 to 1832 WA was known as the Swan River Settlement.

• In 1829 ferry services began on the Swan River between Fremantle and Guildford.

• In 1832 river transport was restricted to all but flat bottom boats 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.

• In 1897 a channel was dredged between Barrack Street Jetty and Mends Street and by 1898 there was a regular ferry service between these two points.

• The Swan River stretches 72 kilometres from Fremantle to Walyunga National Park where it meets the Avon River. The Canning River is 110 kilometres long extending from Applecross through Armadale toward Wandering. There are about 55 gigalitres of water in these rivers seasonally.

• The Canning River was named by Captain James Stirling in March 1827 after George Canning (1770-1827), an eminent British statesman who was Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time.

• There are more than 120 species of fish recorded in the Swan Canning river system. The black bream is one of the most popular fish with recreational anglers.

• In the mid 1890s the mouth of the Swan River was deepened and a limestone bar was removed to allow large ships to enter the river.

• The deepest point of the Swan River is about 20 metres at Mosman Bay.