East Street Jetty (Swan River)

East Street Jetty — marked as the East Street Ferry Jetty on some maps — is the main public jetty on the lower Swan, standing at the foot of East Street between Stirling Bridge and the Fremantle Traffic Bridge site. The harbour mouth is only a couple of kilometres downstream, so serious tidal water moves past the pylons every six hours, and that current is the whole appeal: it carries bait along the jetty and brings mulloway prowling through after dark. Charter boats work from the same deck, The Kiosk café sits at its base, and the Riverside Road stretch either side is a known pocket for yellowfin whiting, flathead and cobbler. It's the rare Perth fishing platform where the coffee is closer than the bait shop.

Fish the tide, not the clock — the current seams around the pylons switch on when the water moves, and the stretch is noted for fishing well over the lower half of the tide. Daytime is light-gear territory: a paternoster or running rig worked along the pylons and the sand either side for whiting, flathead and cobbler, and small baits around the structure for bream and tarwhine. After dark the jetty turns into a mulloway platform — fresh squid or a live bait set in the current, then patience. Squid come through on the same night tides over the nearby weed and sand. Drop-netting for blue swimmers runs from the deck through the open months.

The standard lower-Swan mix, concentrated by depth and current: mulloway year-round with winter nights the classic shot, black bream and tarwhine around the pylons, yellowfin whiting and flathead over the sand through the warm months, and cobbler after dark. Southern calamari show from late winter through summer, tailor push through in autumn, and herring pad out any session. Blue swimmer crabs come up in the drop nets from December to August — the Swan-Canning season is closed September through November.

This is a working jetty — charter boats berth here, so keep lines clear of the landing face and wind in when a vessel comes alongside. The night run-out is the mulloway window; locals fish it quietly and go home when the tide dies. Handle cobbler with a rag and respect — the spines are venomous and the sting ruins more than the evening. If the deck is busy, the Riverside Road bank either side fishes the same water for whiting and flathead.

Turn off Canning Highway onto East Street just before Stirling Bridge, then left onto Beach Street — the jetty is on the right about 50m along, with paid parking (around $2–$2.50 an hour) beside it. The walk from car to deck is flat and short, which makes it one of the easier deep-water platforms in Perth for kids or anyone avoiding a rock scramble. The Kiosk café at the base covers food and coffee during opening hours; there are no toilets on the jetty itself. The jetty is a public facility in the Swan Canning Riverpark, managed by the Department of Transport.

Tidal flow is the defining feature — with the ocean so close, the current runs hard through the middle of the tide and the fishing follows it. The river here is sheltered from most sea breeze that shuts down the ocean rock walls, so it stays fishable on windy afternoons. Winter rain colours the water and slows the squid, but that's exactly when the mulloway sessions come into their own. Neap tides soften the current and suit the light-gear species; springs move the most bait past the pylons.

Give way to berthing charter boats — the landing face is in regular use and a taut line across it wins no arguments. The current runs hard mid-tide and the water off the deck is deep; keep an eye on kids near the edge and don't wade the adjacent bank on a big run-out. Cobbler carry venomous spines that deserve a careful unhook. The deck is unfenced timber and night sessions need a head torch — the jetty lighting doesn't reach the water.

Yes. East Street Jetty is a public jetty in the Swan Canning Riverpark, managed by the Department of Transport, and line fishing from it is a long-standing use. It's also a working charter-boat landing, so keep lines clear of the berthing face and wind in when a vessel comes alongside.

The standard lower-Swan mix — mulloway at night, black bream and tarwhine around the pylons, yellowfin whiting, flathead and cobbler over the sand, squid on the night tides from late winter to summer, and tailor in autumn. Blue swimmer crabs come up in drop nets from December to August.

On the tide. The current from the nearby harbour mouth drives the bite, and the stretch fishes well over the lower half of the tide for whiting, flathead and cobbler. For mulloway, fish the run-out after dark — winter nights are the classic window on this part of the Swan.

Yes, drop nets work off the deck from December to August. The Swan-Canning blue swimmer crab season is closed from 1 September to 30 November each year, the minimum size is 127mm across the carapace, and the daily bag is 5 per fisher — check DPIRD's current crabbing guide before you set nets.

Paid parking sits right beside the jetty off Beach Street, East Fremantle — around $2–$2.50 an hour. From Canning Highway, turn onto East Street just before Stirling Bridge, then left onto Beach Street; the walk from the car park to the deck is flat and less than a minute.