The Serpentine River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in the

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

region of

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 ...

. It is known as Waangaamaap Bilya to the Indigenous

Bindjareb The Bindjareb, Binjareb, Pindjarup or Pinjareb are an Indigenous Noongar people that occupy part of the South West of Western Australia. Name It is not clear if ''Pindjarup'' is the historically correct ethnonym for the tribe. After their di ...

people, who met, lived and fished there before British settlement. The river rises in the

Darling Scarp The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

below Bowerling Hill and flows westward crossing

Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route ...

north of North Bannister. The river continues north west through the Youarling State Forest then the

Serpentine National Park The Serpentine National Park is a national park located on the Darling Scarp, approximately southeast of Perth in Western Australia. The depth of the falls has been undetermined, and is shrouded with conspiracy and enigmatism. Features and lo ...

. The river flows through Serpentine Dam then flows over

Serpentine Falls Serpentine may refer to: Shapes * Serpentine shape, a shape resembling a serpent * Serpentine curve, a mathematical curve * Serpentine, a type of riding figure Science and nature * Serpentine subgroup, a group of minerals * Serpentinite, a ...

just south of Jarrahdale as it comes off the Scarp and onto the

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

. The river continues west and crosses the

South Western Highway South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about long. Route description Perth to Bunbury ...

then flows past the town of Serpentine. The river then veers south and continues until it discharges into the

Peel Inlet The Peel-Harvey Estuarine System ( nys, Djilba) is a natural estuarine system that lies roughly parallel to the coast of Western Australia and south of the town of Mandurah. The strip of land between the Indian Ocean and the estuarine system ca ...

near

Mandurah Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...

. The upper reaches of the river flow into Serpentine Dam, which provides drinking water to the Perth metropolitan area. The only tributary to Serpentine River is Big Brook. Additionally, the Peel Main Drain discharges into the Serpentine River at Karnup. The river also flows through Kerulup Pool, Lake Amarillo and Goegrup Lake. The river is known to have toxic

algal bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompas ...

s with the last occurring in 2007. Algal blooms usually occur after hot weather and in the upper reaches of the river. File:Serpentine dam wa gnangarra.jpg, Serpentine Dam File:Serpentine falls gnangarra.jpg, Serpentine Falls

References

{{Authority control Rivers of the South West region Swan Coastal Plain