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About Perth, Western Australia
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Western Australia was occupied solely by Aborigines who had lived peacefully and in harmony with the land for tens of thousands of years. Aborigines have a rich history and culture that is well worth exploring. Like so many indigenous cultures in the 18th and 19th centuries, things were about to change.
In March 1827, Captain James Stirling of the Royal Navy, arrived in the Swan River and discovered a land that possessed great natural attractions, in contrast to the previous Dutch and French navigators who described New Holland (a name given to Australia by the Dutch) as sterile, forbidding and inhospitable.
This landing and subsequent report by Stirling to His Majestys Government back in England led to the foundation of the Swan River Settlement in June 1829.
Using the Swan River for transport, three towns were formed. Perth in between Fremantle & Guildford. Fremantle 20km downstream on the coast served as the colony's functional Port and Guildford 20km upstream to the east was chosen to supply produce to the surrounding region because of the rich fertile soil found in the Swan Valley.
Exploration followed, driven by the need for fertile agricultural & pastoral land and the hope of finding a huge mainland water supply. It took until the turn of the century to explore most of Western Australia. Around 1890, gold was discovered in the Kimberley & Kalgoorlie. This led to a population explosion and established Perth as the colony's trade capital with Fremantle having to upgrade the harbour to cope with increased demand. Most of Fremantle's architecture can still be seen today lovingly restored.
With the advent of the Second World War, the 1940's initiated a huge demand for minerals and Western Australia had plenty. Asbestos, lead, iron ore, diamonds, nickel, minerals sands, oil & gas to name a few, with some of the biggest mining and exploration companies in the world having offices in Perth. Western Australia and Perth's economy still relies heavily upon the natural resources sector.
| Nambung National Park Nambung National Park, on the Swan Coastal Pain 245km north of Perth, contains one of Australia's most fascinating landscapes-the Pinnacle Desert. Out of the shifting yellow sands rise thousands of huge limestone pillars, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding low heathlands typical of this coast. The pinnacles often feature in tourist guides to the region, but they are only one part of the 17,491ha National Park. Beautiful beaches, coastal dune systems, trees and flowering plants typical of the northern coastal plain are all part of this Park. Summer days between December and March are usually hot and dry, with an afternoon sea breeze. During this time, the fire danger is often extreme. Wildlife rests during the heat of the day and only appear in the cooler hours of early morning and evening. Most of the annual 600mm of rain falls between May and September. From September onwards, the weather warms up, but the days are still mild and native wildflowers throughout the area start their spring bloom. This is the best time of the year to discover the pinnacles and explore the park. The Environment 3 old systems of sand dunes run parallel to the WA coast from Nambung to Busselton. These dunes, formed from wind-blown beach sand rich in lime, mark ancient shorelines on the Swan coastal plain. The dune systems become older and more gentle and undulating the furthur they are from the sea. The shape and character of the sands determine the plants that will grow on them. The Quindalup system of white, lime-rich sands is found immediately inland from the foredunes and is constantly being added to by sand from the foredunes and the beach. The vegetation here is strongly influenced by the shape of the dunes. Acacia thickets are common in the small valleys between the dunes and on the leeward slopes. Furthur inland, the older Spearwood dunes occur. These are yellow and brownish quartz sands and often overlie limestone. The pinnacles are the eroded remnants of what was once a thick bed of limestone beneath these sands. Tuart woodlands occur in the valleys, but it is the low exposed heaths of acacia and myrtles extending inland to the Pinnacles Desert which dominate the landscape. Scattered over these low heaths grow casuarinas and banksias. The brilliant orange-flowered Banksia prionotes is common. The silica-rich sands of the Bassendean system are found on the east of the Park where the vegetation is low, open bansia woodland. Most animals in the Park are nocturnal, but during the day you may see emus or western grey kangaroos. Reptiles of many sorts are common, particularly bobtail skinks and snakes. Over 90 species of birds common to the Swan Coastal Plain have been recorded in the Park. |
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| 1. Lime is leached from the sand by rain cements the lower levels of the dune into a soft limestone. | |
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| 2. Vegetation forms an acidic layer of soil and humus. A hard cap of calcrete develops above the softer limestone. | |
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| 3. Cracks in the calcrete are exploited by plant roots. The softer limestone continues to dissolve. Quartz sand fills the channels that form. | |
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| 4. Vegetation dies, and winds blow the sand covering the eroded limestone. The pinnacles appear. |
Adapted from handout on Nambung National Park from Department of Conservation and Land Development