T by Lac{Ueline Pontro
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,,n<. {orProwns' shallows Pontro t bYlac{ueline Australia now theyhadwere tents, andthey lived under atilda Bay, named after the University of Western peopleused the primitiveconditions, drawingwaterfu om wife ofSir JohnSePtimus Roe, stands and Aboriginal a well theydug. the first Surveyor-Generalof Western areaas a battle ground. The traditional In 1837ownershiP Passed to Henry Australia,is a thin stripof landbetween Aboriginalcustodians were the Ballaruk, Sutherland,originally a surveyorand HackettDrive and the SwanRiver's low who inhabitedthe areaaroundthe Swan inlhis later ColonialTreasurer, who built the water mark on the Crawleyforeshore' Rirer (seeHunters and Gatherers two-storeydwelling which still stands' Managedby the Departmentof lssue). a In 1875,the Crawley Estate passed to Sir Conservationand Land Management In 1829 Matilda BaYwas Part of GeorgeShenton, a Memberof the (CALM),the reserve'sprimary purpose block of 32 acrestaken up by Captain first LegislativeCouncil and Mayor of Perth, is for recreation,and it extendsfrom Mark Currie, Fremantle's wholived on theestate until hisdeath in MountsBay Road just north of Cygnet harbourmaster, CaptainCurrie was one ship 1909. Hall to just south of the windsurfing ofthe official party from the sailing tn ln 1910,the State Government ramppast Pelican Point, covering 20 6 Parmelia which arrived off Fremantle resumedthe ProPertYfor Public hectares. 1829. CaptainCurrie remainedon the his recreation,turning the foreshoreinto a Matilda BaY lies adjacentto the Crawleyproperty for a fewyears with children campingliround. Thiswas served by a Universityof Western Australia, the Swan wife, dudng which time two tramlinefrom the citywhich hugged the River,Pelican Point Reserve,part of the were born. The onlYaccommodation river'sedgeall theway toNedlands Baths' Swan EstuarYMarine Park, J'H' The Universityof WesternAustralia AbrahamsReserve and the Nedlands acquiredthe bulk ofthe land in 1914and ForeshoreReserve. It wasan important Shenton'sformer home becamethe riverineand estuarine area for Aboriginal quartersofthe Engineering school' The peoplefor thousandsof years,and was building,the oldeston the University known as Godroo,GurndandaluP or page: a Preuious campus,currently houses the University GoodamiooruP.It was favouredbY I A moodyPerth framedbY the Chaplaincy. AboriginalpeoPle because of its I branchesof a tree in the Yeserve. Photo- AllanPadgett The river landscaPechanged abundanceof fish, and water holes dramaticallybetween the i920s and situatedin the PelicanPoint area, skylineand afteYnoonsailing I Perth's 1940sbecause of publicworks programs' includingthecurrentreserve.Hotwater I are part of the view from MatildaBay' - Extensivedredging of the shallows springs were locatedwhere the I Photo RobertGarvey l r, adjacent to Pelican Point's north side lAboueleft: resultedin considerablelandfill on the Boatcrub at Point's south side, and increaseq lff;illl*^," Photo- AllanPadgett the land areaby four or five times. The largerpart pelican of thecurrent land of aAboDeright: Point was originallylagoon or river I The Universityof Western shallows. I Australialies adjacent to MatildaBay and students During World War II, rne frequentthe reserveand its Commonwealth Government shoresduring the week. requisitionedthe foreshorerescrve Photo- RobertCarv€y for defencepurposes. Numerous existingfeatures, such as the ablution lRisht: Statelytrees planted earlier blocks, owe I their location to the I thiscentury create a tranquil military pipelines,s€werage and power river setting. systems. Photo- Davidcough Two basesfor Catalina flying boats were establishedin the Crawleyarea afterJapan enter€d the war in December 1941.(lndeed,theworld'slongestrescue TheCatalina route covered more than mountingan unsuccessfulCup defence missionwas mountedwith aircraft from 3 500 milesof the lndian Oceanto Sri in 1987. Matilda Bay.) An Australian base,now Lankaand Pakistan.The planescarried MountsBay Sailing Club was founded known as the Ramp, Qantas was mainly documents,mail, servicechiefs in 1897and built its first clubhousern establishedwest of Pelican Point. The and civilianVIPs. 1939.During World War II the building American Navy established a baseat wasused by the UnitedStates NaW. Two Matilda Bay wh€re Mounts Bay A BAYOF SAILS Sailing rowing clubs are also situatedon the Club and Royal Perth Yacht CIub now Leaseslocated on MatildaBayReserve reserve.Cygnet Hall was built in 1956by stand. today includeyacht and rowing clubs,a the GovernorsofHale Schoolas the base TheRoyal Perth YachtClub launching restaurantandkiosk. CALM also has two for the school'srowing club, and today ramp wasbuilt to launchthe Catalirras, officeson the reserve,one on AustraliaII CALM'sCorporale Relations Division is with hangarson the boat servicingarea. Drive and the other in CygnetHall near situatedin officespace above the rowers. Otherforeshore buildings, including the Mounts Bay Road. TheUniversity Boat Club was opened on University boatshed,were also used by Perth Dinghy Sailing Club, the reservein 1929and todayprovides a the NaW during the war. Some of tne establishedin 1903,was originalty range of water activities for university University'snearby buildings were located near the Barrack Street Jetty students. occupiedby servicemen. before moving to Matilda Bay in 1960. The 1st PelicanPoint Sea Scouts, Accordingto aspectator,'the Cataltna RoyalPerth Yacht CIub, established in originally known as the 1st WA Sea take offs were a dramatic affair, with 1865, was also originally locatednear Scouts,was established in Albanyin 1913 patrol boatsracing aheadof jetty, the aircraft the Barrack Street but moved to and movedto Perthin the 1920sto be to remove floating debris. Then the MatildaBay in 1953. In 1979the cluo located briefly in lrwin Street, before heavily laden planes,often four tonrres organised the Parmelia race frorn moving to floating headquarters,the overweightwith extra fuel, roared into Plymouthto Fremantletocommemorate Dolphin, a wooden coastal steamer the \Ajind,leaving a fan-shapedwake the 15|)th anniversaryof British moorednear the locationof the present behindthem as they graduallygained settlementon the SwanRiver, and rn UniversityBoat Club. In 1926the group heightlike overweightpelicans.' 1983the club won the America'sCup, movedto its presentarea locatedat the t,tittrtcnrt:25 I Left: I Water,sun, sailsand cappuccinoare I part of the reserve'sappeal. Photo- AllanPadgett I Below left: I An aerialview of the RoyalPerth I YachtClub. Photo- RobertGawey along the central foreshore and a remarkablegroup of trees opposite ShentonHouse. In this groupis a native speciesftom the State'stropical north- west, Albizia procera, and pegunny (Lgsiphgllum hookeri), an Australian treefrom the arid partsofthe north-east coast of Queenslandand the Northern Territory. Thewood ofthis tree is usedto make xylophones. Also in this group is a magnificent 'Pride of Bolivia' (Tipuana tipu), which producesunusual ashlike fruit with a long projectilewing and nut-like seed;a mature specimenof the South African Iulip fiee (Spathodia campanulatal; a malure Agofus robusta (one of Queensland'sunique gymnosperms), and another Queensland tree, the bunya bunya pine (Araucaria biduillii). In endofa narrowspit of landknown then events,such as marathons, occasionally Aboriginal culture each bunya bunya asPoint Currie. New headquarters were usethe reserveas a stoppingpoint. pinehad a custodianwhowasresponsible built in 1957on landfilled in from pre- for its fertility. This custodialownership war dredgingof MatildaBay. TREESFOR ALL REASONS is known to be handed down from The restaurant and kiosk are Earlyphotographs and paintings of generationto generationby Aboriginal favouritevenues for both localsand Matilda Bay show there was a people. tourists. Morethan 40 per centof the predominanceof saltwaterpaperbark According to Professor George restaurant'spatronage is from interstate (Melaleucacuticuloris) and freshwater Seddonfrom the Universityof Western andoverseas. The reserve attracts about paperbark(M. fhaphiophqlla)along the Australia, Matilda Bay Reserveis the 400000 visitors each year. Thisfigure riverfront backedby floodedgum westernmostoccurrence of the alluvial includespeople who visit the restaurant (Eucalgptusnrdl3). While naturally soilsofthe Swansystemand this explains (about 50 000 a year) and the yacht occurringplants are still foundon the why it is capableofsupporting treesthat clubs(about 250 000 a year),as well as adjacentPelican Point NatureReserve do not thrive in the coastalsuburbs of visitorsusing the reservefor passiveor south of AustraliaII Drive, including Perth. activerecreation (about 100 000 ayear). grey stinkwood (Jacksoniafurcellatal, Verylittle is knownaboutthe history Publicholidays are the busiest.Matilda coojong@cacia saligna), floodedgum of the tree plantings on Matilda Bay. Bay also becomesa focusfor special and saltwaterpaperbark, very few of Some peoplebelieve the existing trees eventssuch as the 96fm skyshow,an theseare now found north ofAustralia II were planted in colonial times when annualfirework display,and regattas, Drive. settlerswantedtorecreate the landscapes andin summerthe reserveis alsoused Instead,the reserveis now largely of England, but historic photographs by corporateorganisations for partiesof plantedwith exotictrees. These include refute this theory. Another hypothesis upto 300people. Organisers ofsport,ng a drift of Leptospermumlaeaigatum put forward by ProfessorSeddon is that 26 ,uro"*r" most of