Point Walter, Western Australia

Point Walter is a point in the Swan River, Western Australia, notable for its large sandbar which extends into the river. It is located on the southern shore and forms the western end of Melville Water. Point Walter is located in the suburb of Bicton, approximately 12 kilometres south of the Perth Central Business District and 7 kilometres north-east of Fremantle, and is on the opposite side of the river to the suburbs of Mosman Park, Peppermint Grove, and Dalkeith.

Point Walter is a site of Aboriginal Australian heritage, both for its place in the Dreamtime and for the local Whadjuk people's historical activities at the site. Named in 1827 by Sir James Stirling, it was popular among the public for its use in a variety of recreational activities practised at the point, as well as its facilities such as tea rooms, a bathing house and a tavern. The point suffered a drop in patronage in a series of events from the late 19th century to World War II, where, in a state of disrepair, it was rehabilitated and an army camp was built on the premise, which later was transformed into a migrant settlement camp which closed in 1972. Since then the facilities have been used for multiple activities.

Since 1912 it has been run by the Melville City Council and today is contained in the Point Walter Reserve. The reserve and the sandbar serve as an important site for flora and fauna, particularly bird-life. It is popularly used for a variety of recreational activities, and currently hosts the annual Point Walter concert.

Pre-settlement, the Point Walter area was inhabited by Indigenous Australians, specifically the Beeliar people, who were part of the Whadjuk Noongars. They knew Point Walter as Dyoondalup, meaning in the Noongar language "Place of Long Flowing White Hair" or "Place of white sand". It was a place traditionally for women and children, but when the clan wanted to move to another part of the river, the men would swim across the river to the sandbank, where they would meet the women. The sandbar was a key tool in getting from the Point Walter side of the river to the Mosman Park side, which was also a place traditionally for women. In Mosman Park, there was a rock which, when touched, was believed to make a woman pregnant within a few weeks. To cross from one side to the other, Aboriginals would chop down a tree and place their children on the log, which they floated across the river, swimming alongside it.

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