Wharf Street Basin

The park is located at 109 Wharf Street, Cannington. It is off Albany Highway and within walking distance to Cannington​ Leisureplex and Westfield Carousel.

The Canning River Regional Park is also nearby, approximately 500m to the south, at the end of Wharf Street.

Accessibility

The park is universally accessible and has pathways surrounding it.

Bike racks are available on site for you to lock up your bike while visiting the park.

There's seating to stop, rest and enjoy the views across the water. There's also a boardwalk and a bridge to easily connect to Leila Street and Cecil Avenue.

Lighting allows for safe evening use of the park.

Wi-Fi

Access our free public WiFi within the park. You can also download the Smart Canning app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to use in the park.

Charging Bench

The park has a number of smart charging benches to plug in your USB cable and charge your device.

Water Station

​Drinking fountains and a water bottle refill station are located within the park.

Playground

A small nature play area is located near the mural (southern end of the park). It has a water play feature, log steppers, a balance beam, log stilts and is suitable for young children.

Pavilion

The large, open air pavilion has bench seating and is a great spot for shade during the day. In the evening, the pavilion is lit.​

This space also has a microscope station to analyse water samples and be booked by school groups. School groups can book the pavilion and microscope station by contacting our bookings team – 1300 422 664.​

Solar panels on the pavilions's roof provide renewable energy to help power the park and offset its energy usage.

Bridge

Use the bridge to get to the Canning City Centre. It runs from the Wharf Street side of the park to Leila Street and is lit at night. The colour​ of the lighting automatically changes in response to the dissolved oxygen (DO) level in the water.

Boardwalk

A boardwalk surrounds the water and has benches to sit down and view plants and wildlife in the park.

Viewing Platform

A viewing platform is part of the pavilion area on the Wharf Street side of the park. It is a great spot to sit and relax, observe the plants and wildlife, use the free WiFi and charge your device at a charging station.

Nature Trail

Take a walk around the park and admire the different plants and wildlife that grow and live here. You can see the nutrient stripping wetland, spot where water comes into the basin and check out the pump that sends water downstream into further treatment wetlands before it enters the Canning River. You can also see how the different types of plants and structures provide homes for wildlife. What animals can you spot?

AR Experience

Smart Canning is an augmented reality (AR) app that lets you be a scientist, play games and learn about water in the park. You can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to use it in the park.

A large mural has been painted on a 40m wall on the Wharf Street side of the park. Designed and painted by two Perth artists, Brenton See and Jade Dolman, the mural is a celebration of water, the site’s plants and wildlife and the Whadjuk​ Noongar people's connection to water and the landscape.

The Whadjuk Noongar people have always used the knowledge of the environment, water and living things to tell them when the seasons change, when to hunt, fish and gather berries and roots. Over thousands of years, they have used sustainable practices to manage natural resources. The mural captures the story of moving across the land in response to the changing seasons and water movements.

Mural colour and symbol meanings

• White – place of water (gnargagin)
• Blue – sky (worl)
• Green – country (boodja)
• Orange – pathways (bidi)
• Circles – meeting place

Plants

• Acorn Banksia (Banksia prionotes)\
• Milkmaids (Burchardia umbellata)
• Stout Paperbark (Melaleuca preissiana)
• Prickly Conostylis (Conostylis aculeata)
• Mangles Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesi)
• Candlestick Banksia (Banksia attenuata)

Wildlife

• Motorbike Frog (Litoria moorei)
• South-western Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina colliei)
• Carnaby's Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris)
• Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus)

Rainwater runoff picks up nutrients from dog poop, fertilisers, grass clippings, detergents and oils from driveways and roads. These contaminants then end up in this basin and can cause algae, which makes the water unhealthy for fish and other organisms to live in. To help clean the stormwater, and ultimately, the water that flows into the Canning River, many local native wetland species such as swamp oak (Casuarina obesa), giant rush (Juncus pallidus), gotu kola  (Centella asiatica) and bare twig sedge (Baumea juncea) have been planted in the park.

Using water sensors, we're collecting data on the basin's water quality and quantity. This helps us manage water quality and prevent the basin from turning green and smelly. View the data we're collecting. The features incorporated into this park follow the principles of a Water Sensitive or Waterwise City. For more information visit the Waterwise Perth Action Plan website.

Water travelling through the basin will eventually end up in the Canning River. To help improve water quality before it ends up in the River, a nutrient stripping wetland has been installed in the basin. The wetland uses vegetation to remove excess nutrients and prevents sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus entering the River. A water circulation system which includes a rill also helps with the flow of water. This area is also habitat for waterbirds, turtles and frogs.

Some native flooded gum trees (Eucalytpus rudis) were retained as part of the park works and approximately 50 new native species have been introduced into the area to create a biodiverse parkland.

More than 30 fauna species have been identified on the site prior to its development. These include Motorbike Frogs (Kooya), South-western Snake-necked Turtles (Booyi) and many water bird species. The establishment of new vegetation within the park is expected to increase these numbers greatly. The boardwalk and seating in the park make great areas for birdwatching.

Our Open Data portal is a place where the City of Canning shares information it gathers on a day to day basis. It's data any one can access, share and use.

Visit the Open Data portal to find about the smart park's water quality and microclimate.