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 ...
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 sep ...
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 t ...
. It is known as Waangaamaap Bilya to the Indigenous
Bindjareb 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 ...
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 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, ...
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 geo ...
. 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 c ...
near
Mandurah.
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
The Peel Main Drain is a drainage canal in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Construction of the canal commenced in 1920 to drain the wetlands in the area as part of the post-World War I Group Settlement Scheme at the Peel Esta ...
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'' encompass ...
s with the last occurring in 2007. Algal blooms usually occur after hot weather and in the upper reaches of the river.
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of the South West region
Swan Coastal Plain