The Wetlands Heritage Trail is rich in natural and social history and as can be seen from the map below, Smith’s Lake and Hyde Park are simply remnants of a chain of lakes and swamps which existed in the area to the north of Perth.

The Wetlands was an important food source for the Aborigines as well as a place for gatherings and trade. European settlers initially saw the lakes as providing protection for Perth in case of attack from the north, however it was also an area useful for market gardening and dairying. Increased demand for food and the threat of flooding saw the lakes progressively drained from the 1830s onwards.

The draining of the lakes also had the desired effect of reducing the barrier to the northward expansion of Perth.

In 1966 it was estimated that 75 per cent (200,000 hectares) of the wetlands of the coastal plain had been lost. In the City of Vincent that figure is probably closer to 99 per cent.

For a more detailed history of the wetlands click here.