Swan River Colony renamed Western Australia
- When
- 1832
- Where
- Perth
- Episodes
- 1
In 1832, the Swan River Colony was officially renamed the Colony of Western Australia. This administrative change occurred on 6 February, coinciding with the belated receipt of Captain James Stirling's commission. The renaming reflected the colony's expanding territorial scope beyond the initial settlement site, establishing the name that persists as the state's designation today.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The Swan River Colony, established in 1829, was initially named after its founding settlement site. The name served as a pars pro toto for the broader territory. By 1832, the colony's population had grown to approximately 1,500 settlers. The official designation was changed to Western Australia to better reflect the extent of the British claim, which had been asserted in 1827.
Administrative Change. The renaming occurred on 6 February 1832. This date marks the formal adoption of the name Colony of Western Australia. The change was linked to the arrival of Captain James Stirling's commission, which had been delayed. Stirling, who explored the area in 1827, was the founding lieutenant-governor. The renaming solidified the administrative identity of the colony distinct from New South Wales.
People involved
- Captain James Stirling · Founding Lieutenant-Governor
Sources
- Swan River Colony Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-09
- Western Australia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-04
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.