Melville Water is a significant section of the
Swan River in
Perth
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 ...
, Western Australia. It is located west and downstream of
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, ...
, from which it is separated by the
Narrows Bridge.
Name
Melville Water was named in 1827 by Captain
James Stirling, after
2nd Viscount Melville. The land south of Melville Water was named
Melville Water Park Estate (in the area that is now
Applecross
Applecross ( gd, A' Chomraich) is a peninsula north-west of Kyle of Lochalsh in the council area of Highland, Scotland. The name Applecross is at least 1,300 years old and is ''not'' used locally to refer to the 19th century village (which is ...
) and was subdivided for development in 1896.
Extent
Melville Water lies between Point Resolution and
Point Walter
Point Walter (Noongar: ''Dyoondalup'') is a point on the Swan River, Western Australia, notable for its large sandbar that extends into the river. It is located on the southern shore of Melville Water, and forms its western end. Point Walter ...
to the west,
Point Heathcote
Point Heathcote (Goolugatup in Noongar) is a geographic feature located on the south east part of Melville Water on Swan River. It is located in Applecross, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
History
The area was named after George Gage Hea ...
at the mouth of the
Canning River
The Canning River (Djarlgarra in Nyungar) is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia. It is home to much wildlife including dolphins, pelicans, swans and many other bird species.
Source and ...
to the south-east, and the
Narrows Bridge where it meets
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, ...
to the north-east. In that space it has marine parks (Swan Estuary marine park in Lucky Bay and Alfred Cove), water ski areas (Waylen Bay, and Point Walter) as well as the Narrows Personal Water Craft Freestyle Area. The main ferry and
tour boat
A tour boat is a boat used, and frequently purpose-built or adapted, for boat tours, a type of tourism frequently offered in much visited towns and cities of historic interest, that have canals or a river running through it, or that lie on a co ...
route passes through the centre of the open water in the centre of the river.
Swan Estuary Marine Park
![Swan Estuary Marine Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Swan_Estuary_Marine_Park.jpg)
The component marine parks occur in three locations
[ ] within the bounds of Melville Water:
* Pelican Point Marine Park, south of
Pelican Point, Crawley
* Milyu Marine Park, around Pelican Rocks,
South Perth
* Alfred Cove Marine Park,
Alfred Cove, Lucky Bay,
Attadale
See also
*
Islands of Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia hosts a variety of unique and biologically diverse habitats found nowhere else on Earth. Many of these habitats include islands. Islands provide habitat and safe refuge for endangered native fauna as they are free of in ...
References
Swan River (Western Australia)
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