INFLUENCE • WALKING TRAIL • TRAIL • WALKING • • ICONS VISITPERTHCITY.COM OF www.visitperthcity.com Boom or Bust Convicts & Colonials Parks & Gardens Public Art iCity Visitor Service Street Mall (near Forrest Place), Perth Murray City of Perth Council House, 27 St George Tce, Perth can be accessed Audio versions of these trails by going to The trail intersects with the city’s free CAT buses with the city’s free CAT intersects The trail servicing East Perth, Northbridge, West Perth, Perth and the foreshore. central Day) Christmas and Day ANZAC (except Good Friday, TRAILS: CITY WALKING OTHER This self-guided trail will take up to two will take This self-guided trail hours. You can join in or depart from the along the way. trail anywhere When John Septimus Roe, naval CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES officer, surveyor and explorer, first 2 CORNER BARRACK STREET & ST GEORGES TERRACE laid out the City of Perth in 1829, The Central Government Offices or Treasury Group is a he envisaged a powerful city at group of three buildings including the original General the centre of a strong economy. Post Office (1889), the Lands Department (1893) and the Titles Office (1897), which reflect the 19th century custom St Georges Terrace was the focus of keeping government departments centrally located. The of this design, a broad avenue Titles Office, designed by George Temple Poole, was built in 1897 and has been described as one of Australia’s finest running parallel to the shores of and most dramatic Free Classical buildings. The corner the majestic Swan River. Today, of Cathedral Avenue and St Georges Terrace marks Point Zero, the point from which all measurements of distance St Georges Terrace continues its from Perth are still taken. role as the city’s powerhouse. Walk east along St Georges Terrace and up the steps Follow this trail to discover the to St Georges Cathedral. history of the city through its 5 GOVERNMENT HOUSE 7 WELD CLUB iconic places of influence. As you ST GEORGES TERRACE 3 BARRACK STREET walk along, keep your eyes out for This magnificent building was completed in 1864 to the This building was completed in 1892 to house the Weld delight of the Swan River colonialists. The building replaced Club. Named after Governor Frederick Weld in 1871, the Club plaques placed in the pavement the previous Government House which was deemed offered a place for Perth’s powerful and influential men to that recognise the many people inadequate—Governor Stirling drafted official letters under gather in a social setting, play billiards and discuss current an umbrella to prevent being drenched by the leaky roof! affairs. Fifty foundation members, of whom two-thirds were who have influenced the growth of The current building is set in 3.2 hectares of beautiful Government employees, made up the original membership Perth and Western Australia. gardens, lawns and trees. The gardens of Government of the club, which still operates today. The Working Men’s House are open to the public most Tuesdays, Wednesdays Institute, for the less influential members of Perth society, and Thursdays between 12noon and 2pm. The Governor was located in a squalid area near the Perth Gaol. While at PERTH TOWN HALL hosts open days at Government House a few times a year. this site you may hear the sound of the Swan Bells rung in 1 CORNER HAY & BARRACK STREETS Telephone 08 9429 9199 for more information. the specially constructed bell tower by the river at Barrack Square. You can visit The Bell Tower any day of the week The Government House site has been in continuous and enjoy the bell ringing demonstrations (see weekly The Perth Town Hall was designed by Richard Roach Jewell occupation as the principal vice-regal residence in Western schedule posted at the Tower for more details). The Bell and James Manning. It took three years to build using Australia since the city was founded in 1829. The current Tower provides a great view of the city and the Swan River convict labour and had its formal opening on 1 June, 1870. building is a big improvement on the canvas tents occupied from its Level 6 Observation Deck. Jewell designed many other prominent Perth buildings by Governor Stirling and his family for the first four years including Wesley Church and parts of the Central Government ST GEORGE’S CATHEDRAL 3 38 ST GEORGES TERRACE of settlement, from 1829 until 1832. Walk west along The Esplanade and turn up the first Offices adjacent to the Town Hall. The Perth Town Hall was street on the right, Sherwood Court. designed in an aesthetically pleasing, almost whimsical Walk west along St Georges Terrace to the entrance You are welcome to wander inside the striking St George’s style as a showplace for the colony. The undercroft formed of Stirling Gardens at the corner of Barrack Street. Cathedral. Completed in 1888, this was where many of a covered marketplace that operated for a few years before Perth’s prominent people worshipped on Sundays. Next KARRAKATTA CLUB it became too costly. The space was later used to house 8 to the Cathedral is Burt Memorial Hall, a gift from the SHERWOOD COURT the city’s firefighting equipment, including a 12-man fire family in 1917 in memory of two sons of Septimus Burt carriage. Aside from these practical uses, charity events, who were killed in World War 1. The Burt family played an This 1937 Art Deco building is the current home of Australia’s balls, and civic ceremonies were held in the Perth Town Hall. important role in Perth’s history—the first Chief Justice oldest women’s club. The wives of Perth’s influential men The man who became known as ‘Father of the Kimberley’, was Sir Archibald Burt and, a hundred years later, so founded the Karrakatta Club in 1894, with the intention of Alexander Forrest, was sworn in as Mayor of Perth at the was his descendent, Sir Francis Burt (see stop 6). Tours allowing members to prepare papers and share information Town Hall in 1892 and held office for six years (1892-95 and of St George’s Cathedral and Burt Memorial Hall can be on matters of social and political importance. It clearly 1897-1900). Forrest had extensive business interests in gold arranged by contacting the Director, Cathedral Education succeeded, because in 1921 one of the founding members of mines, newspapers, timber, retail, butchering and cattle — Centre on 08 9325 5766. this club became Australia’s first female Parliamentarian. you will find out more about this fascinating pioneer later Edith Dircksey Cowan was an extremely active member of on in the trail. The Perth Town Hall upper and lower foyers Walk down the steps back to St Georges Terrace. Perth society. An orphan by the time she married at 18 in are open for public viewing Monday to Saturday, 10am to 1879, Edith was an active member of 50 community groups 4pm, except when closed for private hire. There are often and organisations, served as a Justice of the Peace and was public exhibitions on the ground floor, and there is a small THE DEANERY elected to the Western Australian Parliament at the age of permanent exhibition of City memorabilia in the upper foyer. 4 CORNER ST GEORGES TERRACE & PIER STREET 60. She was the second woman in the British Empire to be One of the more unusual uses of the Perth Town Hall was This romantic style gothic house was built in 1859 by ticket- elected as a Member of Parliament. A vocal campaigner as a camel stable! Explorer Ernest Giles used the undercroft of-leave men for the cathedral’s first Dean and was home for the rights of women and children with an underlying as a resting place for his camels on his epic journey from to the Anglican Deans of Perth until 1953. The Deanery was philosophy of community service, Edith Cowan donated her South Australia in 1875, creating much excitement among funded by Western Australia’s first Bishop, Bishop Hale, STIRLING GARDENS & OLD COURT parliamentary salary to charity. The clock tower located at Perth’s residents. who also built the Cloisters (stop 15) and an impressive 6 the entrance to Kings Park was built in her memory in 1934, Make your way towards the corner of Barrack house for himself (stop 12). Before the Deanery was built, HOUSE LAW MUSEUM two years after her death. A university was also named CORNER BARRACK STREET & after this influential campaigner. Street and St Georges Terrace. The Central public stocks and a whipping post were located here to ST GEORGES TERRACE Government Offices are on St Georges Terrace discourage the people from crime. Following this, it was the Walk up to St Georges Terrace and turn left. Continue across from Stirling Gardens. site for Perth’s first gaol, which was replaced by the gaol As you enter Stirling Gardens, you are met by the statue west along the terrace past William Street. that now forms part of the Western Australian Museum. of Alexander Forrest. This statue was sculpted by a young Midgegooroo, the leader of his tribe and the father of Italian sculptor, Pietro Porcelli, to commemorate Forrest’s famous Nyoongah warrior Yagan, was executed by firing life. Stirling Gardens was first used by colonial botanist NEWSPAPER HOUSE squad on this site in 1833. The initial friendliness and James Drummond as an acclimatisation garden in the 1830s, 9 125 ST GEORGES TERRACE cooperation between the natives of the Swan River region when plants including fruit trees were grown. The reserve The West Australian newspaper can trace its origins back and the white settlers deteriorated as both groups began to then opened as a botanical garden in 1845, and was used to 1833, when the first edition of its predecessor, The Perth feel their way of life was threatened by the other.