Blackwall Reach (''Jenalup'' in
Noongar) is a
section of the
Swan River in
Western Australia.
Blackwall Reach was named after an area of the
River Thames near
Greenwich UK in 1896 by Commander L. S. Dawson RN, Admiralty Surveyor. The name originally referred to that part of the river, rather than either side, but this changed in the twentieth century when the riverside land on the eastern bank just south of
Point Walter was specifically called Blackwall Reach. It contains limestone cliffs, and remnant vegetation adjacent to the river's edge.
The location is a popular spot for
cliff jumping and for
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
. However, since the creation and management of the clifftop reserve, signage advises against jumping. Non-adherence to this signage has resulted in fatalities.
Due to its location close to the ocean, unusual fish catches have sometimes occurred.
Prior to European settlement, the area was known to the
Noongar indigenous people as ''Jenalup'', a sacred place linked to the
Dreaming stories.
Notes
Further reading
* ''Landscaping project for the reserve'' – 'About Melville', Mar 1993, p. 2.
* Dickson, Rod (1994) ''Ships registered in Western Australia from 1856'', Vol. 4, p. 32 concerning ''Molly – history of the barge'' a 66-ton barge that collided under tow with barge "Emerald" adjacent to Blackwall Reach on 16 April 1928.
External links
Blackwall Reach''Climbing Association of Western Australia''
''Perth's Best Kept Secrets.''''3rd Degree'',
Edith Cowan University Journal.
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Swan River (Western Australia)
Places of Noongar significance
Bicton, Western Australia