Aboriginal people believe that the Waugyl, a rainbow serpent from the dreaming, created the wetlands and the waterways which form a major part of the Swan Coastal Plain. A recognised dreaming track or “cultural complex” includes Herdsman Lake, Lake Gwelup, Lake Karrinyup, Lake Carine and all the swamps, creeks and wetlands in between.
Carine, named after two swamps in the area, was largely undeveloped until the 1960s, but is now considered the heart of suburbia, with a large proportion of double-storied houses to take advantage of ocean views.
Originally forming part of the Hamersley Estate, which also included the suburbs now known as North Beach, Waterman and Hamersley, Carine is named after two swamps in the area.
The Carine swamps were recorded by R. Quinn in an 1865 survey of Big Carine Swamp and Small Carine Swamp. The Hamersley family, who arrived from Europe to settle in the Swan River Colony in 1837, owned the Hamersley Estate, however the majority of land at Carine remained largely undeveloped until the 1960s with only a few market gardens established in the low-lying portions around the wetlands.