Mends Street Jetty is located in
South Perth in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. The jetty is on the southern shore of the
Swan River in the section known as
Perth Water
Perth Water is a section of the Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is between the Causeway to the east, and Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, ...
. The ferry service is primarily used for accessing the
Perth Zoo
Perth Zoo is a zoological park in South Perth, Western Australia. The zoo first opened in 1898 and by 2011 housed 1258 animals of 164 species and an extensive botanical collection.
It is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Ass ...
from the
Perth central business district
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is p ...
.
History
It is not known when the first jetty at Mends Street was built, however, with the opening of the
Perth Zoo
Perth Zoo is a zoological park in South Perth, Western Australia. The zoo first opened in 1898 and by 2011 housed 1258 animals of 164 species and an extensive botanical collection.
It is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Ass ...
in October 1898 it was recognised that a regular cross-river ferry service was needed. Therefore, at about that time, the existing jetty was widened to and an existing service that ran between
William Street and Queen Street Jetty was extended to Mends Street.
The service was run by Joseph Charles, who operated the ''Queen'' (later ''Empress'') and the ''Princess''. A few months later, Charles and his partner
Copley started operating the
PS ''Duchess'', a locally constructed vessel. ''Duchess'' made its inaugural run to Mends Street Jetty on 11 December 1898, and plied the route for the following 29 years.
Later services included a business operated by Jack Olsen and Claes Sutton, who ran a fleet including the ''Valfreda'', ''Valkyrie I'' and ''II'', ''Valhalla'' and the ''Valdhana'' between jetties at
Point Belches
Point Belches is a small point on the south side of Swan River, Western Australia, about east of The Narrows within the area known as Perth Water. The land is part of the South Perth Esplanade, and the water off the point is used as a commerci ...
near
The Narrows
__NOTOC__
The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay and forms the principal channel by which the Hudson Riv ...
, Mends Street and
Coode Street.
Services
Mends Street Jetty is served by
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
ferry services to
Elizabeth Quay
Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth#cbd, Perth central business district. Focusing on an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct being developed by the project was nam ...
operated by
Captain Cook Cruises.
The jetty is also used for charter ferry services.
References
{{TransperthFerries, state=collapsed
Jetties in Perth, Western Australia
South Perth, Western Australia