Murray River (Western Australia) - History - Thomas Peel

Thomas Peel

Thomas Peel had left Britain with a promise that if he arrived at Fremantle by the beginning of November 1829 with 400 settlers, he would be allocated a grant of 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) comprising much of the land on the south bank of the Swan River to Cockburn Sound. As he arrived six weeks late and with only 169 settlers, the offer was withdrawn by Governor Stirling as the land had been granted to established settlers. Peel was offered an alternative grant from Woodman Point to the north bank of the Murray River and from the ocean to the Darling Scarp.

Peel's remaining settlers arrived shortly after and settled initially at Clarence before moving to the site of present day Mandurah which he named Peeltown.

Despite many problems faced by the settlers, the area was gradually expanded and a settlement at Pinjarra had been established by late 1830. Pinjarra was approximately the upper limit of navigable water along the Murray River. It also had a natural ford for travellers at nearby Oakley Brook.

More land allocations along the southern bank of the river were made however settlement seemed to be limited to no further south that the Murray River grants, partly because of continuing and increasing conflicts with local aborigines. These conflicts culminated in the infamous Battle of Pinjarra in October 1834 where up to 40 Noongar people of the local Pindjarup tribal group were killed by white settlers. The battle had followed a raid in Perth by members of the Murray River tribe. The following year a formal truce was made between the Murray River and the Swan River Noongars and the white settlers.

Relative peace was established and expansion around the towns of Pinjarra increased. The opening of the Perth to Bunbury railway in 1893 further expanded the area. Almost immediately after farming commenced, settlers realised that the soils surrounding the lower reaches of the river suffered badly from annual flooding caused by a very low fall between the base of the scarp and the estuary, a distance of about 40 km. The problem was exacerbated by extensive clearing of trees in the foothills which would have otherwise helped in removing the excess water. Settlers described a giant wetland with travel impossible for several months each year.

From 1900 to about the end of the Second World War, a concerted effort at draining the flood prone areas was made and today, about one-third of all land with the Peel-Harvey catchment is within 100 m of a constructed drain, stream or river.