Welcome to Western Australia and Perth, one of the world's most
vital and exciting cities. When you get to Perth, take the time to explore and experience the many attractions
and features that Perth has to offer. The picture above is Perth at Dawn.
PERTH PAST AND PRESENT
Perhaps none of the other Australian capitals has changed so much in recent decades as Perth, capital of Western Australia.
With a population of 1.4 million, it is now the third largest city in Australia, coming after Brisbane and just ahead of Adelaide.
Bounded on the west by the Indian Ocean and on the east by the foothills of the Darling Range, the Perth concurbation,
with an area at present of over 5400sq.km/2085sq.miles, is steadily expanding farther north and south.
Its unique situation on the water is no doubt one reason why outdoor activities play such an important part in the city's way of life
and why one in four households has either a sailing boat or a motorboat.
On May 2nd 1829 Captain Charles Fremantle hoisted the Union Jack at the mouth of the Swan River and took possession of the
western part of "New Holland" in the name of the British Crown, with the object of anticipating any attempt by the french to settle in the area.
The governor of the new colony, James Stirling, landed a few weeks later with the first free settlers. 20km/12 1/2 miles inland they founded a
settlement, which was named Perth in honour of the British colonial secretary George Murray, a native of the Scottish town of Perth.
The first settlers were faced with considerable problems. The land was much less fertile than had been thought and labour was short.
The position improved in 1850, when the first transports of convicts from Britain arrived, and between then and 1868 there were almost 10,000
of these compulsory immigrants, who made a major contribution to the survival of the colony on the Swan River.
With the discovery and extraction of huge deposits of minerals (iron ore, bauxite, nickel, diamonds, natural gas) in remote and inhospitable areas
Perth became in the 1960s the headquarters of the mining companies. Heavy industry is concentrated round the Kwinana , on the coast 32km/20 miles
south of perth (deep-water harbour on Cockburn sound, oil refinery, aluminium and nickel production).
Perth now reflects the country's prosperity, with gleaming facades, new hotels and business centres and a wide range of entertainment and recreation facilities.
Both the municipal authorities and private interests are concerned in attracting to the city international events, sporting tournaments and conferences.
The heat of summer is mitigated by the "Fremantle Doctor", a wind which blows in from the sea regularly every afternoon. With the constant movement of air,
fog and smog are unknown in Perth.
