Swan Valley, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
between Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
and Bells Rapids, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is bordered to the east by the Darling Scarp
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...
. Both Ellen Brook and Jane Brook lie within the region and discharge into the Swan River. There are 14 suburbs within the region including Herne Hill, Baskerville, Henley Brook, Caversham, Upper Swan, Brigadoon and Whiteman; It occurs in the City of Swan local government area.
The area was explored in 1827 by Captain James Stirling
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...
later to become governor of the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
. Stirling was so impressed with the area the he wrote in his diary (spelling errors are as written in his diary):.
When Stirling returned to establish the colony in 1829 he created three settlements: Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
as the port; Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
as the major commercial and political centre; and Guildford on the southern end of the Swan Valley region. Descendants of many of the early families still reside within the shire. Within the first ten years, two of Perth's oldest churches had been built there: the first was St. Mary's Church in Middle Swan, followed by All Saints Church, Henley Brook
All Saints Church, Henley Brook
The All Saints Church in Henley Brook is the oldest church in Western Australia. It was built by Richard Edwards between 1838 and 1840 with the first service taking place on 10 January 1841. The site is on a small hill overlooking the Swan River and near the conjunction of the Swan and Ellen Brook...
built at the site of Stirling's 1827 camp. St. Mary's was rebuilt in 1869 but All Saints still retains its original structure and is thus Perth's oldest standing church.
The Swan Valley is noted for its fertile soil, uncommon in the Perth region, and the recent expansion of tourism-based destinations. These include numerous wineries such as the huge complex at Houghtons
Houghton Winery
Houghton Winery is one of the earliest established vineyards and wineries in Western Australia. It is situated on Great Northern Highway in the Swan Valley near Upper Swan....
, the state's biggest producer, and Sandalfords and also many small though excellent family-owned concerns. There are also several microbreweries and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
distilleries. The Swan Valley is served by roadside local-produce stalls which sell seasonal produce throughout the year. Grapes, melons, asparagus, stone fruits, citrus and strawberries are grown and sold in the Swan Valley.
In recent years the Swan Valley has attracted a strong food element in the form of a chocolate factory, coffee roasters, several beekeepers, a lavender farm, olive groves, a goat farm, cheese farms, dried-fruit producers and many restaurants and cafes.
During October the annual 'Spring in the Valley' weekend takes place; it is one of Australia's largest wine and food festivals.