Perth

Perth

Perth is the capital and largest city of the state of Western Australia. The city lies on the traditional land of the Whadjuk Noongar people, where Aboriginal Australians have lived for at least 45 000 years. Perth lies on the banks of the Swan River, named after the indigenous black swans by Willem de Vlamingh, the captain of a Dutch expedition who discovered the birds in 1697. A good part of Perth is built on the Perth Wetlands, a series of freshwater wetlands stretching from Herdsman Lake in the west to Claisebrook Cove in the east. On the northern outskirts of the city is Whiteman Park, a 4,000-hectare area of bushland with bushwalking trails, bike paths, sports facilities, playgrounds and Caversham Wildlife Park. In the south of the city is Perth Zoo, where you can see many exotic animals from Australia and around the world. The zoo is involved in the captive breeding and reintroduction of a number of Western Australian species, including the Numbat, the Dibbler, the Chuditch and the Western Swamp Tortoise. Other wildlife can be seen at the Aquarium of Western Australia in Hillarys, Australia's largest aquarium specializing in marine animals along Australia's 12 000 km long west coastline. The northern section of the coastline is known as the Sunset Coast. It includes several beaches and the Marmion Marine Park, a protected area inhabited by tropical fish, Australian Sea Lions and Bottlenose Dolphins, and frequented by Humpback Whales.