Matilda Bay facts for kids
Matilda Bay, also known as Crawley Bay, is a beautiful natural bay. It is part of the Swan River in Western Australia. You can find it right next to the Perth suburb of Crawley. The bay stretches from Pelican Point to Mounts Bay Road. It sits just below the famous Kings Park.
The University of Western Australia is located directly across from the bay. Other well-known places around Matilda Bay include the Matilda Bay Restaurant, Pelican Point Sea Scouts, the Royal Perth Yacht Club, UWA Rowing Club, and Mounts Bay Sailing Club.
You can also see a famous bronze sculpture called Eliza just offshore from Mounts Bay Road. This artwork shows a woman getting ready to dive into the water. It is located where the old Crawley Baths used to be.
Matilda Bay Reserve is a fun parkland area. It is located between Hackett Drive and the river. This reserve includes Pelican Point, which is a very important safe place for many migratory birds to breed.
People believe Matilda Bay was named after Matilda Roe. She was the wife of John Septimus Roe, an important early settler.
A Look Back at Matilda Bay's History
Matilda Bay has a long and interesting history. When European settlers first arrived, the area around the bay was owned by Captain Currie. He owned about 32 acres (130,000 m²) of land. At that time, the bay was known as Currie's Bay. Pelican Point was also called Point Currie.
In 1832, Captain Currie sold his land for £100. The new owner was Henry Charles Sutherland. He was an Assistant Surveyor and Colonial Treasurer. Sutherland named the property Crawley Park, after his mother's maiden name. Because of this, the bay then became known as Sutherland's Bay.
Later, in 1876, Crawley Park was sold again. This time, Sir George Shenton bought it. After this, the bay was generally called Crawley Bay. Sir George Shenton passed away in 1909. In 1910, the government bought the estate. Then, in 1912, it was given to the University of Western Australia.
During World War II, the US Navy used Matilda Bay. They had many Catalina flying boats based there. These were special planes that could land on water.
In 1943, an airline called Qantas also used the bay. They operated five Catalina flying boats. These planes flew between Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka) and Matilda Bay. This very long flight was known as the Double Sunrise service. It was called that because passengers would see two sunrises during their journey!
Image gallery
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Ducks fly over the water at Matilda Bay during sunset
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Sunset at Matilda Bay
