The Perth region first entered European records on 10 January 1697 when Dutch Captain Willem de Vlamingh conducted the earliest documented exploration. Vlamingh and his crew explored the area on foot, venturing along what is now central Perth and traveling far up the Swan River in search of native inhabitants. Noting the abundance of black swans, they named the waterway Swarte Swaene-Revier. Despite this early exploration, subsequent European visitors from 1697 to 1829 generally deemed the area unsuitable for agriculture and permanent settlement.

The establishment of European presence in Western Australia began in earnest with the Swan River Colony in 1829, following prior settlements at King George’s Sound (Frederick Town, later Albany) in 1826. On 4 June 1829, British colonists, led by Captain James Stirling aboard the Parmelia, first set eyes on the mainland, impressed by its natural beauty. The town’s formal founding was commemorated on 12 August 1829 when Helen Dance, wife of the captain of the second ship Sulphur, felled a tree to mark the occasion.

The arrival and expansion of European settlers led to escalating tensions with the Noongar people, particularly the Whadjuk clan. Conflicting views on land use and ownership sparked violent confrontations, including the execution of Whadjuk elder Midgegooroo, the killing of his son Yagan in 1833, and the Pinjarra massacre in 1834. European agricultural development restricted the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the Noongar, forcing them to occupy designated areas such as Third Swamp, known as Boodjamooling, which later also became a campsite for travellers and miners during the 1890s gold rush.

Perth’s European exploration and the founding of the Swan River Colony remain a pivotal chapter in the city’s history, reflecting both the opportunities of settlement and the profound consequences for its Indigenous inhabitants.