Having travelled extensively throughout the world, residing in the Caribbean and the USA for several years, as well as four states in Australia, we finally settled in the beautiful city of Perth, in Western Australia.
Our home is located in the foothills, about 30 minutes drive south of Perth city. We wake up to sunshine, birds, and wonderful quiet (broken
occasionally by our little lions playful sounds).
Perth was founded in 1829, and is considered one of the most isolated cities in the world. That's probably what I love so much about Perth - apart from the sunshine every day, beautiful white sandy beaches, the cosmopolitan atmosphere, beautiful gardens - don't just read about it - come and see it for yourself! I can promise you that you won't be disappointed!
Arguably the largest state in the world, Western Australia covers one third of the Australian continent. It spans over 2.5 million square kilometres (1 million square miles) and is bordered largely by desert to the east, and bound by 12,500 kilometres (7,813 miles) of the world's most pristine coastline to the west. Perth, the capital city of the State, is home to 1.38 million people and enjoys more hours of sunshine than any other capital city in Australia.
The story of the naming of Perth begins with the instructions given to Captain Stirling, Lieutenant Governor designate of the proposed colony of Western Australia, regarding the foundation of the colony. Stirling received a letter from the Secretary for the Colonies, Sir George Murray, which read:
"Amongst your earliest duties will be that of determining the most convenient site for a Town to be erected as the future seat of Government. You will be called upon to weigh maturely the advantages which may arise from placing it on so secure a situation as may be afforded on various points of the Swan River, against those which may follow from establishing it on so fine a port for the reception of shipping as Cockburn Sound is represented to be...".
Stirling was therefore given the choice of establishing the chief town on Cockburn Sound, or "on various points on the Swan River". It has been established that Murray actually gave Stirling more explicit instructions, and advised him that failing the establishment of the town at Cockburn Sound, he was to fix the site for it at the confluence of the two rivers, the Swan and the Canning, or in other words, at Point Heathcote. Stirling had good reasons to disobey Murray, but briefly they were that it was that the Perth site was
"decidedly preferable in building materials, streams of water, and facility of communication".
Stirling did however gladly comply with Sir George Murray's command that the new town be called Perth. Murray's reasons for choosing the name, Perth, were purely sentimental and quite understandable, for he was both a Perthshire man and represented his birthplace in the House of Commons. The choice suited Stirling, himself a Scotsman, although it is recorded that at least one early settler, William Leake complained to the Home Office about the name. August 12, 1829, marked the day of the founding of the town, when Mrs Helen Dance cut down a tree. August 12 was also the King's (George 4th) birthday.
Kelmscott
was named after Kelmscott in Oxfordshire, England. An announcement was made in July 1830, that in honour of Archdeacon Scott, the town would be named after his birthplace. The Archdeacon, returning to England from New South Wales aboard the HMS "Success", was stranded at the new Swan River settlement when the ship struck a reef off Fremantle in November 1829. For two months he was the only ordained minister in the colony and, with the assistance of the settlers and the garrison, he built a temporary church at Perth where he held the colony's first Christmas service.
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