South Perth, Western Australia

South Perth is a residential suburb 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, which adjoins the southern shore of Perth Water on the Swan River. The suburb adjoins two major arterial roads—Canning Highway and the Kwinana Freeway—and is within the City of South Perth local government area.HistoryHistoryThe history of the area now known as South Perth before permanent European settlement was broadly similar to that in other parts of what became the Swan River Colony. The area was probably inhabited by peoples of the Noongar tribes, and they had little contact with other peoples. Early Dutch and French explorers reported their presence, but no recorded contact was made. No contact is known to have been made with travellers from any other country. The Dutch expedition commanded by Willem de Vlaming in 1697 was the first to discover the major river and note the presence of black swans on the river. They named it the Swan River.Early European settlementAfter the permanent settlement of the British and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, most development tended to take place north rather than south of the Swan River in the town of Perth and also in Fremantle, the port suburb. The area was already unofficially known as "South Perth" but was relatively untouched. By 1831, the land along the river frontage had been allocated amongst seven people, and the land was being partially used for agriculture and dairy farms. A mill was built in 1833 and a ferry across the Swan river via the Narrows was established.