|
Historically Perth Water helped determine
the final location to build the city.
To sail into Perth Water you must enter a
narrow passage, known as "The Narrows".
With Mt Eliza conveniently
overlooking this bottleneck, it would be
hard to sneak in with a fleet of
battleships. Once in Perth Water,
there was no other way out, as
Heirisson Island, blocked the eastern
escape. |
 |
|
| |
Perth Water
mirrors the Central Business District. |
|
 |
Luckily, nobody ever actually invaded Perth.
We were simply too far away to make the
effort worthwhile. In fact the whole
invasion thing would have become stuck in
the mud. Perth Water is surprisingly
shallow, and without modern dredging (1897),
it would have been possible to wade across
in a good pair of boots. The shallow
water means the river is more suited for
recreational boating. |
|
|
Take a seat
and
reflect on the Swan River. |
|
|
On the lookout
for invading naval forces entering Perth Water.
View from Mt Eliza across the Narrows into South Perth. |
|
The original
banks were lined with thick reeds, forcing
the settlers to build long jetties out into
the river. The swampy shoreline was
progressively filled in with sand, to
enhance access to the river. The
original city shoreline is 300 metres back
from the one we see today. It is hard
to imagine it was just in front the
skyscrapers that line St Georges Terrace. |
 |
|
| |
The South
Perth Foreshore. |
|
PERTH IN
REVERSE:
Perth is built on an area of reclaimed wetlands. Most
have now been drained.
Lake Monger, located 5km from Perth, has been retained
for ecological, and recreational purposes. It is
possible to take a photograph of Perth looking across
Lake Monger, which
looks strikingly like the classic view from over Perth
Water. The office buildings look a little reversed,
but your friends will be forever guessing where you took the
photo. |
| |
 |
|
 |
|
| |
View of the city across Perth Water. |
|
View of the city across Lake Monger. |
|
|
PHOTO HINT:
To achieve a fake
Perth Water image from
Lake Monger,
use the zoom function on your camera. It helps bring
the buildings closer, as they are a good 5km away.
There is of course, no substitute for the real thing. |
|
|
Perth Water
and the Narrows Bridge from Kings Park. |
|
 |
Pictured left, is the
Swan Bell Tower
and Barrack Street Jetty, as viewed from the South Perth foreshore.
It is from here that you can catch the Transperth Ferry across Perth
Water. Once in South Perth, you can soak up the view, and start
snapping great shots of the city for your holiday album. While on
the foreshore, take a short walk to the
Old
Mill, and
Narrows Bridge.
|
Every Australia Day
(January 26th), the
people of Perth gather
around the shores of
Perth Water, and watch a
colourful display of
fireworks. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Red Bull Air
Race:
Perth Water is also a host to the world famous Red Bull Air
Race. It is an exciting event where the pilots must
execute tight turns, through a slalom course of pylons known
as "Air Gates". Reaching speeds of up to 400 kph, the
pilots manoeuvre above the expanse of Perth Water.
They fly very low to the water's surface, and experience
forces of up to 10G. |
| |
 |
|
 |
|
| |
Drawing a circle above Perth Water. |
|
Two pilots in tight formation. |
|
|
The Air Gates
on the surface of Perth Water. |
|
Or
Forever Hold Your Peace:
Many residents of Perth choose to get married in
Kings Park overlooking Perth Water. Just don't choose a
day during the Red Bull Air Race. The couple in this
pavilion had their wedding vows, replaced with
deafening growls. |
 |
|
|
|
