Perth the Capitol of Western Australia. A population of 1,477,800 (June 2005) makes Perth the largest city in Western Australia and home to three-quarters of the state's residents. The city is also the fourth most populous urban area in Australia.
History
Founded in 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the free settler Swan River Colony, Perth has continued to serve as the seat of Government for Western Australia to the present day.
Pre-European era
Prior to European settlement the area had been inhabited by the Whadjuk Noongar people for 40,000 years, as evidenced by archaeological findings on the Upper Swan River. These Aboriginals occupied the southwest corner of Western Australia, living as hunter-gatherers. The lakes on the coastal plain were particularly important to them, providing both spiritual and physical sustenance.
The area where Perth now stands was called Boorloo by the Aboriginals living there at the time of their first contact with Europeans in 1827. Boorloo formed part of Mooro, the tribal lands of the Yellagonga, one of several groups based around the Swan River and known collectively as the Whadjuk. The Whadjuk were part of a larger group of thirteen or more tribes which formed the south west socio-linguistic block known as the Noongar (The People), also sometimes called the Bibbulmun.
Early sightings
The first documented European sighting of the region was made by the Flemish Captain Willem de Vlamingh and his crew on January 10, 1697. Subsequent sightings between this date and 1829 were made by other Europeans, but as in the case of the sighting and observations made by Vlamingh, the area was considered to be inhospitable and unsuitable for the agriculture which would be needed to sustain a settlement.