Lieutenant Peter Belches (1796–1890) was an early explorer in Western Australia. Born in Scotland in 1796, Belches joined the Royal Navy. He was a midshipman on HMS Volage in December 1826, when it was anchored in Sydney Harbour along with HMS Warspite under Sir James Brisbane and HMS Success under Sir James Stirling. When Brisbane died on 19 December, Stirling made a number of promotions and re-appointments to cover for his loss. In the process, Belches was promoted to Third Lieutenant on the Success.