The unveiling of a sign featuring Aboriginal artwork has marked the completion of Boorloo / Perth's Swan-Canning Estuary Reef Restoration Project.

Binjarrup Noongar woman Lily Wilson's art The Wargul and the Swan River, features on the newly installed permanent sign at the Point Walter foreshore, alongside information about the project and the vital role of shellfish reefs in improving estuary health.

At the heart of the piece is the Wargul — the rainbow serpent and protector of the river — surrounded by brightly coloured aquatic life.

Ms Wilson said the piece celebrates the return of shellfish reefs to the Swan-Canning Estuary and with them, cleaner water and new habitat for many species.

"Even though the river can be murky now, I wanted to show how it can be healthy again. It felt really important to tell that story visually," she said.

Traditional Owners attended at the unveiling of Ms Wilson's artwork as well as Principal Scientist and Program Leader for Rivers and Estuaries Science at DBCA, Dr Kerry Trayler, The Nature Conservancy Australia's Director of Oceans, Dr Michaela Dommisse, The Nature Conservancy Australia (TNC) Marine Restoration Manager, Brett Dal Pozzo, and Member for Bicton, Lisa O'Malley.

Supported TNC, the Swan Canning Reef Restoration Project area spans six hectares and includes 24 purpose-built reef units, hosting 160 tonnes of seeded mussel stock.

Mr Dal Pozzo said the project demonstrates how nature-based solutions can help bring back the estuary's ecological function, despite decades of damage from dredging and pollution due to industrialisation.

"Rebuilding these important ecosystems restores their many benefits - improved water clarity and quality, and vital habitat for the hundreds of marine species found in the estuary," he said.

The reefs were built by TNC in partnership with the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).

TNC has also undertaken monitoring of the restored reefs, tracking shellfish growth, water quality and marine biodiversity to inform outcomes to date. Their latest reef survey in 2025 showed significant natural shellfish recruitment, TNC said, with fish abundance and overall species diversity on the restored reefs exceeded that of nearby barren seabeds.

"This cutting-edge project took an ambitious approach to using shellfish reefs on an unprecedented scale to tackle water quality and biodiversity issues for the Swan Canning," DBCA Principal Scientist and Program Leader for Rivers and Estuaries Science, Dr Kerry Trayler, said.

"It kept science at its core in planning, implementation, and review stages, to ensure that we could learn from the approach and potential for application elsewhere.

"The benefits are already being felt, not just for the waterway, but the application of learnings to other habitat enhancement projects."

Dr Trayler said DBCA will continue to monitor the reefs to learn how they develop in a changing waterway.

"We will be undertaking monitoring in June to ascertain current shellfish densities and provide a baseline for future tracking of outcomes of this adaptive management project," Dr Trayler said.

The Swan Canning reef was restored as part of TNC's Reef Builder program, and was also supported by contributions from Lotterywest, the Minderoo Foundation and several notable Western Australian philanthropists.

Ms Wilson's artwork, The Wargul and the Swan River is available to view near the Point Walter Dog Beach.