I
Ephemeral river, southwestern Western Australia.
It flows 224 mi (360 km) west to the Indian Ocean. Called the Avon in its upper course, it is known as the Swan only along its lower 60-mi course. Perth lies near its mouth. The river is dry during much of the summer and autumn. In 1829, western Australia's first free settlement was made on its banks.
II
River, eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba, Canada.
The river flows northeast for about 110 mi (175 km) to empty into Swan Lake, which covers 118 sq mi (306 sq km). The town of Swan River (pop., 2001: 4,032) is located on the river. In the early 1800s there was intense fur-trading rivalry in the area between the Hudson's Bay Co. and the North West Co.