Before the founding of the Swan River Colony, the indigenous Noongar people were well established in the southwest corner of Western … See more

Over five weeks after Charles Fremantle arrived aboard HMS Challenger, the first fleet of settlers arrived in June 1829, disembarking with their possessions onto Garden Island. No … See more

In 1849, after a decade and half of meagre growth, Perth became a penal colony and in the next 16 years received an influx of nearly 10,000 convicts; by the time transportation ceased in 1868, convicts outnumbered free settlers 9,700 to 7,300. This significantly … See more

Within two years of federation the gold boom had peaked and prospectors were either leaving the state or moving into Perth or the other … See more

Early European exploration of the area commenced in 1697 with the discovery of the Swan River by Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh. A sloop was dragged over the limestone bar and sandy shoals that blocked the river mouth, and an expedition made up the river. … See more

As much of the remaining land turned out to be quite sandy and unsuitable for agriculture, the first reports of the colony were not as glowing as Stirling had been led to expect. These reports, along with the difficulty of clearing land to grow crops, was a factor in the … See more

The latter half of the nineteenth century, and in particular the last two decades, saw Perth begin to grow for the first time in a significant way. In … See more