Cruising Down The Swan River

If you’re looking for an easy way to sightsee in and around Perth, you probably won’t find an easier — or more relaxing - way to do it than to take a cruise down the Swan River, Perth's beautiful and serene waterway.

Fortunately for visitors, when it comes to choosing a cruise in Perth, you're spoilt for choice - there are dozens of cruise operators running services for everything from wining and dining to gambling to whale-watching. Most cruises will push off from the Barrack Street Jetty in downtown Perth, though you could also board some cruises at the Fremantle ferry terminals. You can choose to go for a spin around the city centre; take a jaunt down past Millionaires' Row; or go for a longer sail down to Fremantle. For a grand cruise down the Swan though, there's no better place to start than at the beginning.

Upstream of Perth

The Swan River technically begins in the foothills of the Darling Range, some 20 km upstream of Perth. Not every cruise operator will take you upriver this far, as most concentrate on downstream passages; there are however plenty of cruises which will take you as far upstream as the upper Swan Valley, home of some of Western Australia’s best vineyards, often with side trios to the Margaret River region, also famous for its wines. Practically all the cruise companies offer a jaunt to the upstream regions for some wining, dining and gambling (quite a few boats have onboard casinos) and of course, it’s a lovely way to get to know the wines of the region.

Once you make it past the culinary delights of the upper river, it’s a short 12 km cruise downstream to Perth, or barely 45 mins sailing time. As you near the outskirts of the city you may or may not notice the charming colonial houses of Guildford, Perth’s oldest inland suburb; but you’ll most definitely notice the more modern suburbs of the city lining the river banks before you hit the city centre.

Cruising Around Perth City Centre

For the truly lazy, it's possible

to do a decent sweep of Perth's city centre just by standing on the deck of a cruise ship, as the Swan River wraps snugly around Perth's city centre on the east and south, making it remarkably easy to see the heart of the city in its entirety from a watery vantage point (as well as giving corner office executives in the towers a marvelous view).

The river separates the downtown area from the greener southern suburbs and for workers commuting into the city centre every day, their daily journey might consist of a rather scenic ferry trip back and forth across the River - much better than the usual traffic jams! Perth is usually rated among the most beautiful cities in the world, not least by the locals themselves. Not every visitor will appreciate modern glass-and-steel towers looming over the dark waters of the River, but for those who do, the city skyline as seen from a boat on the river makes a very pretty picture indeed, particularly at night when the city lights are reflected off the waters.

Like many Australian cities, Perth's downtown area is compact and easy to explore, so if you feel like walking, all you need to do is get off the boat at the downtown Barrack Street Jetty and, well, walk around. It's only 5 minute's walk to St George's Terrace, but if walking seems too much, there's also an excellent public transportation system. You could pop by the Perth Mint and watch money literally being made; stop by Kings Park for some restful picnicking, or a bit further afield, visit the Cohunu Koala Park, where you can get a land-based panoramic view of the city, as well as getting close to the adorable koalas and kangaroos.

Natural Attractions on the Swan River

Once you've explored downtown Perth to your satisfaction and boarded a cruise ship again, you might try doing a little nature-spotting. Swan River, you’ll be utterly surprised to hear, was named because of the many black swans which the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh saw upon the waters when he first passed this way in 1696. Their numbers then must have been pretty impressive to be so memorable; today, the black swans are still a fairly common sight, especially in the parks on the river banks and in the nearby Monger and Bibra lakes; not only are the birds plentiful, they’re also fat to boot, as people all too often feed them. Incidentally, the black swan is also a symbol for Perth; there’s even one on the state flag.

The river’s namesakes aren’t the only wildlife you’re likely to see; Swan River is teaming with maritime life. Unlike many major rivers, the Swan was never dredged or enlarged for tankers to pass through, so the average depth is only about 4 metres and there’s relatively little heavy boat traffic — for which reason, you’re quite likely to spot dolphins, jellyfish, schools of fish and other such unusual sights. The rich marine life also explains the fishermen you’re likely to spy sheltering under a shady spot on the banks, waiting sleepily for a bite. All this, and you’re still within the limits of Perth city itself!
 

All The Way To Fremantle

Further downstream, you’ll pass by the Narrows Bridge, so named because the bridge spans the narrowest part of the River (you saw that coming, didn’t you). The bridge connects the city centre to the suburbs. Once past the bridge, you’ll have a hard time missing the extravagant mansions and cozy 40 foot yachts parked carelessly in the various marinas — which you could consider a clue to why this particular stretch of the River is known as ‘Millionaire’s Row’. There was a time in the 1980’s when Perth was considered the city where everyone could be a millionaire, and though the dizzying enthusiasm of that decade has largely fizzled out, the homes of those who made it (at least for a little while) are still standing, and are quite popular with the tourists.

Some way past the big houses and across the river, there are the magnificent limestone outcrops of Blackwall Reach, a very special place for the Aborigines and daredevils, who jump the 10 metre drop-off of the cliff summit into the water below. This is also one of the few stretches where the river sinks to a depth of 20 metres and spread out into a wide expanse, making it a popular spot for fishing and high-speed boating.

Finally, towards the river’s end, you’ll putt-putt into the ferry terminal at Fremantle.

At this point, you can make the journey back to Perth on another cruise ship, or if you've had enough of water for a while, drive back; or you can spend a little time in ‘Fre-O’ itself, as it's known to the locals. Fremantle is Perth’s port city, where all the tankers and ships that can’t make it up the river dock, and popular spot for weekend getaways by stressed out executives from the big city. Fremantle is popular for its chic bars, airy pubs and the beaches and islands of the coast, in particular Rottnest Island, some 11 miles off the shore.

In addition to the cruise down the Swan itself, many cruise lines also offer day trips to destination spots a little further off from the river, so that guests can enjoy things like canoeing on the Avon River, historic tours in York or Fremantle, or bushwalks in the many parks and forest reserves. You can just pick and choose from a wide variety of offerings, or even find tour operators who can custom organize a package to suit you. However you choose to go about it though, it's fairly safe to say that a cruise down the Swan River is one of those 'unmissable' things to do while you're in Perth!

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First published 18 January 2006. This article is free for personal and commercial reproduction, with the following terms and conditions.