The Spectacles, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The Spectacles is a mixed use suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of 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....

, 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...

, located in the Town of Kwinana

The Spectacles is also a wetlands area within the suburb of 'The Spectacles' and is considered to be the most valuable asset of Kwinana's natural environment, covering 3.7 square kilometres. It is named 'The Spectacles' because it comprises two lakes connected by a drain, giving it the appearance of a pair of spectacles.

One third of The Spectacles is owned by Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...

 and was originally intended for residue disposal. As The Spectacles was not suitable for this purpose and the conservation value of the wetlands was recognised, Alcoa funded extensive rehabilitation and provided parking, picnic areas, walk trails, cycle paths, a board walk and bird hides to enable viewing of a number of species of native birds, including the Rufous Night Heron.

The Spectacles actually contains two major wetlands, including the southernmost wetlands within Beeliar Regional Park
Beeliar Wetlands (Western Australia)
The Beeliar Wetlands are made up of two chains of lakes and wetlands that run parallel to the west coast of Western Australia. They are situated on the coastal plan between the Darling Escarpment and the Indian Ocean...

 and is surrounded by banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...

woodland. Today $250,000 has been spent on many different walk trails, signage and boardwalks in this area.
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