Local History

Our Traditional Custodians

The Wadjuk Noongar people are the Traditional Custodians of the City of Bayswater. 

The Wadjuk Noongar people have lived in the Bayswater area for thousands of years, the remains of a campsite have been found at nearby Upper Swan which is believed to be between 40,000 and 53,000 years old, making it one of the oldest lands on earth.

The Noongar people were nomadic hunter-gatherers, moving frequently as they followed the seasons and food sources, at the time of European settlement, it is believed the Noongar people spoke 13 dialects. The Swan River holds special significance to the Noongar people as they believe that a Wagyl - a snakelike being from the Dreamtime, meandered over the land creating the rivers. 

Noongar can also be spelt Nyungar, Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah and Yunga. The Noongar people occupied the entire South West region of Western Australia, from Geraldton to Esperance. Noongar country refers to 14 different groups that occupied seven territories: 

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Territory in Western AustraliaNoongar Group
Geraldton SandplainsAmangu and Yued
Swan Coastal PlainYued, Wadjuk, Binjareb and Wardandi
Avon Wheatbelt Balardong, Nyakinyaki, Wilman
Jarrah ForestWhadjuk, Binjareb, Balardong, Wilman, Kaneang
WarrenBibulmun, Mineng
MalleeWilman, Koreng and Wudjari
Esperance Plains Njunga

Local History

The first European exploration of the Swan River took place in 1697 by Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh. This was followed by the French during the next century and the English in 1827. The English, encouraged by James Stirling's report on the area's fertility, decided to establish the Swan River Colony. The land along the Swan River was divided into a number of narrow strips of land, which would later shape the pattern of suburban development.

Most of the land in Bayswater was either of very poor quality, waterlogged, or both. After a short period of occupation, land in the Bayswater area was abandoned as the English settlers moved on to more productive areas. In the meantime, the traditional Aboriginal hunting and gathering patterns began to deteriorate as the rule of the settlers became harsher and they were forced to turn to rations for food.

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