Claise Brook facts for kids
Claise Brook is a small stream in Perth, Western Australia. It flows into Claisebrook Cove and then into the larger Swan River. This area is just outside Perth's main city centre, in a suburb called East Perth.
Long ago, Claise Brook was a very important waterway. Many fresh water lakes north of Perth would drain into it during the rainy season. This water then flowed into the Swan River.
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A Look Back: History of Claise Brook
Over time, many of the lakes that fed Claise Brook were filled in. Also, a big building project in East Perth in the late 1980s changed things. Now, most of Claise Brook flows underground. It works more like a drainage system than a natural stream.
Early Names and Explorers
The stream and cove were first known as Mandalup by the local Aboriginal people. This name meant "place of the small marsupial," which is a type of animal like a kangaroo or possum.
Later, European settlers called it Clause's Brook and Clause's Lagoon. These names were given after Frederick Clause. He was a naval surgeon, like a doctor on a ship. Frederick Clause explored the Swan River in March 1827 with Captain James Stirling.
A botanist named Charles Fraser was also on that trip. He wrote about the lagoon in his journal. He described it as having "a small creek of fresh water" and "extensive lagoon." He also noted beautiful plants and giant trees.
From Industry to Cleanup
From the late 1800s until the mid-1980s, the area around Claise Brook was mostly used for factories and other industrial work. Because of this, the water and the land around it became very dirty. People even started calling it Claisebrook Drain.
In the early 1900s, it became a place where dirty water from homes and factories flowed into the river. A sewerage treatment plant was built nearby in 1906 to help clean this water.
Large buildings like the East Perth Gasometer and the East Perth Power Station were also in this area for many years. They were located on the northern side of where the brook met the river.
Before the area was redeveloped in the 1980s, a huge cleanup project took place. This project removed polluted soil from an old gas works that operated there. The gas works used coal to make gas, which left harmful chemicals in the ground. The cleanup involved digging up and treating a lot of soil and riverbed.
Claisebrook Village: A New Beginning
Today, the area around the cove is known as Claisebrook Village. It is now mostly a place where people live. The cove itself has been beautifully designed with lots of plants and landscaping. It is an artificial inlet of the Swan River.
You can see many homes, bars, cafes, and restaurants around the cove. There are also places for boats to dock and jetties for people to walk on. The Trafalgar Bridge is a special footbridge that crosses the cove, connecting different parts of the village.
Nearby, several other bridges cross the Swan River. These include the Matagarup Bridge, the Goongoongup Railway Bridge for trains, and the Windan Bridge for cars.
