On 2 May 1829, Admiral Charles Howe Fremantle RN landed at the mouth of the Swan River, hoisted the Union Jack and took formal possession of the western coast of New Holland in the name of King George IV.

On 1 June, the new colony’s first settlers completed their long sea voyage to the Swan River Colony aboard the Parmelia. Although stormy weather prevented the colonists from actually setting foot on the mainland until much later, 1 June has since been celebrated as Western Australia’s Foundation Day.

Perth was founded and named on the King’s birthday, 12 August.

In 1832 the Swan River Colony was renamed Western Australia and its borders were extended to include the entire western third of Australia.

Image: Fremantle with Rottnest Island in the Distance, W.S. Hatton (1859), National Library of Australia