Мыс Уолтер: История и природа на реке Суон

Point into Swan River, Western Australia

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 is located in the suburb of Bicton, approximately south of the Perth central business district, and north east of Fremantle, and is on the opposite side of the river to the suburbs of Mosman Park, Peppermint Grove, and Dalkeith. Point Walter is a site of Aboriginal Australian heritage, both for its place in the Dreamtime and because of the local Whadjuk people's historical activities at the site. Named in 1827 by James Stirling, it was popular among the public for its variety of recreational activities and its facilities, such as tea rooms, a bathing house and a tavern. Through a series of events, the point suffered a drop in patronage from the late 19th century to World War II. At that time, it was rehabilitated from a state of disrepair, and an army camp was built on the premises, which was later transformed into a migrant settlement camp. Since the migrant camp's closure in 1972, the facilities have been used for multiple activities. Since 1912 Point Walter has been run by Melville City Council, and today is contained in the Point Walter Reserve. The reserve and the sandbar serve as important sites for flora and fauna, particularly bird life. It is popularly used for a variety of recreational activities, and currently hosts the annual Point Walter concert.

Before European settlement, the Point Walter area was inhabited by Indigenous Australians of the Beeliar people, who were part of the Whadjuk Noongars. They knew the area as Dyoondalup, meaning in the Noongar language "place of long flowing white hair" or "place of white sand". It was traditionally an area for women and children, with others claiming he was his brother. In 1830, the land was acquired by settlers Lionel Lukin and Alfred Waylen. and one of Waylen's labourers was speared to death after another labourer killed an Aboriginal for stealing potatoes. This, coupled with infertile soils, saw these early settlers departing; Waylen left for a land grant on Preston River, before returning two years later to establish a more successful property. During his time at Point Walter, Waylen constructed an inn known as The Halfway House due to its location between Perth and Fremantle. In 1837 he cut a canal through the sandbar, reducing the distance of a boat trip between Perth and Fremantle by about 2 mile (3 km), and charged a toll for its use. The Caporns moved away from Point Walter in the mid 1850s, because the canal was silted up. In 1968, the Shire of Melville became the City of Melville.)

The canal at Point Walter continuously silted up, and the difficulty of upkeep led to the Caporns departing the site. After the Caporns had left the area, the local authorities did not engage in upkeep, and the canal fell into further disrepair. Steamers on the Swan River stopped using the sandbar's narrow and shallow canal, instead travelling the full distance around it. By the 1860s the canal was unused. attempted to reopen the canal, but due to the cost of £2,000 it was not completed. The lack of steamer traffic caused a drop in popularity for the tea rooms, and with the drop in patronage from the introduction of the Fremantle Perth railway on 1 March 1881, Point Walter became a "quiet backwater". By this time, the Melville Roads Board was receiving £100 a year for grounds maintenance, which was proving inadequate to keep the grounds in order. A further decline in use was due to the increased use of ocean beaches by the public; as a result, control of the site was passed to the Parks and Gardens Board in 1929. Further troubles came from the Depression of the 1930s, during which another drop in recreational use was experienced. World War II further decreased patronage, and Point Walter fell into a state of disrepair. In 1947, the camp was converted to a migrant reception centre, which was operated until 1969 by the State Government and from 1969 until closure in mid 1971 by Commonwealth Hostels. During the time the migrant reception centre was open, public opinion was that the majority of the migrants were communists, a situation that culminated in a 1950 piece in The West Australian addressing the issue and refuting the perception. The state of disrepair continued until November 1952 when the reserve was again put in the hands of the Melville Roads Board, which made several alterations to the site, including the removal of all old buildings, and the addition of new changing rooms, toilet facilities and a kiosk. Today, all that remains of the army camp is a watch house from 1941.

In February 2012 the environmental consulting company Natural Area Management was contracted by the City of Melville to reverse the erosion that had occurred over the previous ten years due to the loss of beaches and grassed areas, factors aided by the undercutting of tree roots. Work began in March 2012, initial works were finished in 2013, and the project was completed in early 2014.

Point Walter is notable for the sandbar or spit that extends over into the river; sections of the sandbar are often submerged at high water. The sandbar was formed through the collection of sediment along the aeolianite band that traverses the estuary. Due to this, Blackwall Reach is known to the Aboriginals as Jenalup, a word meaning "the place where feet make a track". Previously this event was called "YAC it up" because it was organised by Melville's Youth Advisory Council and featured acts such as Birds of Tokyo and Bob Evans. Point Walter is used by the general public for a variety of activities, including kitesurfing, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, fishing, swimming, diving courses, prawning and picnicking.