Is S Ued by Govr. Tourist- Bureau Perrh Wesrern Ausrralia
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3r Is s ued by Govr. Tourist- Bureau Perrh ' Wesrern Ausrralia. .Govt. Prin ~ BERKELOUW BOOKDEALERS Issued by the Government Tourist Bureau, 62 BARRACK STREET (NEXT TowN HALL), PERTH. Telephone No. A4376. Cable and Telegraphic Address; "Tourist," Perth. ~rn1frn3~~"'T' JT. lllJ£1f'&'Yl £mm>~ ITllllll'<e~\l:@ll'. PANORAMA OF' PERTH .. .. .- INDEX. Pages Administrative Offices 32- 33 Banks (Savings) 33 Baths ... 51 Beaches 51 Buildings (Public) 35- 38 Climate 13 Clubs- Residential 43 Non-Residential 44 Sporting 48- 51 Churches 39- 41 Ferries (Short Trips) 48 Hospitals and Institutions 42- 43 Motors- Taxis 47 Charabancs 47 Tours 52- 54 Parks and Gardens 22- 30 Perth Introduction 5- 12 Business Centre 15- 18 Racecourses 52 Railways-Short Trips 54- 56 Shipping Companies 44- 47 Theatres 51 T heatres, Picture 51 - 52 Tramways- Routes, Distances, Fares 19- 21 Short Trips 48 3 . _j 4 ~~~~T:;:::::1ERTH , the capital city of Western A ustralia, is picturesquely situated on the Swan River, twelve miles from the river mouth at Fremantle. Its history officiall y dates from August 12, 1829, when the ceremony of proclaiming Perth a town was performed by cutting down a tree. On June I, 1829, Captain Stirli ng, and the small band of settlers who were to fo und the first settlement in the colony, a rrived off Fremantle from E ngla nd, but, owing to rough weat her, they landed on Garden Island and did not cross to the mainland until the 18th of that month, One of t he first duties of the Perth from the I. ir. 5 leaders was the selection of suitable sites for the port and capital city. Nature had provided a site for· the port at the mouth of the Swan River, and this was selected without hesitation. N3.ture had alsJ fashioned an ideal location for the city about twelve miles frJm the river mouth- a site which is to-day the pride of every Western Australian and the admiration of every visitor. Here the new Perth, fronting the blue expanse of Perth water, was established, and is now a city comparable in beauty with the most beautiful cities of the world. At the end of the first year of settlement the population of Perth totalled 850. Initial progress was, naturally, slow. In 1833, however. the affairs of the colony began to assume Parliament House, Perth. more ordered form. A Legislative Council was appointed, a Civil Court was established, the first newspaper was published, an d an agricultural society was formed. In 1841 the original Causeway Bridge over the river was completed and in the followi ng year the first T own Trust was elected. In 1856 Perth was constituted a city. In 1867 the found ation stone of t he present Town Hall was laid, the hall being opened on june I, 1870, just 41 years after the landing 6 of the first settlers at Fremantle. The population of the city had t hen increased to 5,224. Progress continued to be slow, however, and the present-day citizen finds it difficult to believe that the first section of the Eastern Railway, from Fremantle to Guildford, was opened for traffic as late as March I, 188 1 ; that it is only forty years since the fi rst telephone was installed ; and that it was not until 1889 that t he Perth Water Works were commenced. In 1890 the State entered upon a new and remarkable era of progress and development. In that year the colony was granted responsible government. Two years later the sensational discovery of go ld at Co olgardie, followed by the discovery at Kalgoorlie, changed the whole outlook. A great tide of humanity flowed into the State, and the population of the city grew apace. In 1897 the city territory which had, in 1864, been divided into three wards, was further divided into a total of five wards. T wo years later the first tram ran in Hay Street, and in the co urse of a decade the whole aspect of the business centre was changed. T he original area of the city was 3,575 acres, but this area has grown until the Greater Perth of to-day comprises 14,343 acres, having embraced what were originally the municipalities of North Perth, Leederville, and Victoria Park. Mistakes we re made in the early planning of the city; nevertheless t he original lines did not lack symmetry. Successive Councils, adoptin g town planning ideals, have effected many improvements during recent years, and a· number of the wo rst features have, in consequence, dis appeared. This work of remedying defects is being carried out on a larger scale to-day, an d with greater co-ordination, than ever before. The main streets run in the direction of north and south and east and west, the Swan River forming the southern boundary, and the trunk railway dividing the main business centre from the northern residential suburbs. In the area bounded by the river and the railway, and extending east and west of the Town Hall , a re many fine public 7 River Glimpses 8 buildi ngs and commercial houses, whilst im mediately north of the ra il way are t he Museum, Art Gallery, and P ubli c Library. T he Post OfficeF in orrest Place, a broad, t hough short, t horoughfare opposi te t he entrance to the Central Railway Station, and co nnecting Murray and Wellington streets, is one of t he fi nest buildings in Australi a, dominat ing t he city-'s archi tecture. The A. M.P. Building, at t he co rner of St. George's Terrace and Willi am St reet, is t he outstand in g commercial structure, alt hough there are others of almos t eq ual di mension and s triking architectural design. T he journey to the city from Fremantle can be ma de by rai l, river, or road. The rail way t raverses t he prin cipal suburbs west of t he city. T he road first leads t hrough Fremantle, thence across t he ri ver t raffi c bridge at North Fremantle, t raversing t hat suburb with its many industri al enterpri ses (includi ng t he State Implement Works over lookin g Rocky Bay), beyond whi ch glorio us vistas of ocean are obtained, wit h Rottnest Island and Garden Island in the dim di stance. T he nce t he run is via Cottesloe Beach and Cottesloe, Swan bourne, Cl aremont, and Nedl a nds to Crawley, from whence t he road foll ows the ri ver front round t he foot of Mt. Eliza into t he city. From Crawley, how ever, a diversion can be made, and t he fin al stages of the trip made through King's Park, at the summit of Mt. El iza, from whence a magnificent panorama of cit y, river, and distant hills is revealed in one s udden burst of spl endour. Another route can be taken from Cl aremont, t ravelling via Karrakatta, West Subiaco, Subiaco, and West Pert h, fin ishing via Ki ng's Park Road or along Hay St reet from Subiaco. The t ri p by ri ver provides many pleasing pros pects. After t he eastern a nd northern suburbs of Fremantle have been left behind the fairway li es between prettily fretted limestone cliffs, wit h many fin e homes perched hi gh above t he ri ver on vantage points co mmanding magnificent views of ocean, ri ver, a nd surrounding country. Off Cl aremont a glori ous ex panse of water, embracing Mos man's Bay and Fres hwater Bay, is entered, with the suburbs ·of Cottesloe, 9 10 Swanbourne, and Claremont ranged round the wide sweep of the northern and western shores. Proceeding up stream Point Walter, a favourite riverside resort, is passed on the right, and Point Resolution on the left, with the Old Men's Home occupying a very fine position high above the stream a li ttle further along. South Perth f rom K ing's Park. The river here begins to broaden into Melville Water, a magnificent sheet which stretches right away to the entrance to The Narrows at the foot of Mt. Eliza. The Wireless Station stands out boldly on the right behind Applecross. Further along to the right the stream bends away to its junction with t he Canning River, where it is bridged to give access between port and city to people living on the so uthern side of the' stream. Right ahead the riverside suburbs of Como and South Perth. come into view. 11 On the left side, opposite Applecross, Nedlands is situated, the red-tiled roofs of many modern homes peeping picturesquely through the trees. Be yond Nedlands, in the sweep towards the Park, is Crawley Beach, with Crawley Baths at the foot of the Park's hi gh lands. From that point one heads straight for The Na rrows, through which the spires and lofty piles of the city's buildings are glimpsed. Once through The Narrows the stream again broadens into Perth Water, on the northern shore of which stands the city, with South Perth on the southern shore. River from King's Park. Immediately at t he foot of the Park, and within a few feet of the water's edge from Crawley to the Narrows, is a well-constructed, bitumen-s urfaced roa d, which also carries an electric tramway track. Once passed The Narrows the value of river front reclamation work is emphasised.