Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, August 13, 2014,
I just read a report about how the markets in Subiaco are slated for destruction and will be replaced by huge new
shopping outlets. My first thought: That's not surprising! They've been lying fallow for ages ...
But I then realized that this update referred to plans for the extant Station Street Markets, and not the old Pavillion Markets down the road (pictured below).
Just goes to show how quickly things continue to change in this area.
I used to live nearby in a unit on Subiaco Rd, close to...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, July 14, 2013,
I was in Como a couple of weeks ago on a cold, clear day and took some shots of the
Cygnet Cinema. Not unlike the Luna Cinema
in Oxford St Leederville it's a charming art deco building beloved by local film buffs.
I have only seen a few movies there but have mostly strong recollections of them because of the venue's distinctiveness. I saw
Annie Hall there when I was in my teens and I remember going there with my dad and sister when I was much younger than that, probably only about eight or nin...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, December 20, 2012,
As it was being built, the Perth Arena copped a lot of flack, even being derided as
Perth's ugliest building. But now that it's finished I think a lot of people will be reassessing their opinion of it.
Sure, it's not to everyone's taste. But it's certainly a visually distinctive structure that leaves a mark on you.
The thing I find most striking about it is the deep blue colouring of the entrance and wall above it. It's an amazingly powerful hue created by the artist
Yves Klein.
I suspect its...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, December 7, 2012,
Another location where you can see
a pronounced recent transformation in Perth is in Bayview Terrace, Claremont. Right on the corner, across from the train station is the Claremont Hotel. It's not exactly dilapidated, but it's certainly showing its age. This impression is exaggerated by the fact that there's a massive shopping complex right next to it called Claremont Quarter.
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, December 7, 2012,
If you're anywhere near the intersection of Canning and Stirling Highways you can see an isolated and stately old building surrounded by vegetation called the Royal George Hotel. In its style and appearance it's quite similar to the
Brass Monkey Hotel in Northbridge.
It hasn't been used as a hotel for a long time, however. It's most recent function was as an arts and community centre, although I'm not sure if it's still being utilized as such. I think it might currently be empty and unused. It...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, December 5, 2012,
Pretty much everyone who lives in Perth has either seen, or at least knows about, the big Dingo Flour sign on the side of an old mill on Stirling Highway, North Fremantle. They are also certain to have heard that it was supposed to have been painted
by Alan Bond when he was a lowly signwriter in his youth.
That particular story has been around for as long as I can remember. I recall it being cited on a few occasions when going past it as a child and even as a teenager. I always thought that it...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, December 5, 2012,
Numerous big luxury apartment blocks have been built in Perth over the last several years. Perhaps the most impressive and well located of these are the Equus Apartments at 580 Hay St.
The main entrance is right opposite the Perth Town Hall. I recall that exact location very well, because it was where Cinema City used to be. That was built in the late seventies as I recall and there was a lot of excitement about it at the time. I saw dozens of movies there over the years. (I think the last one...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, December 4, 2012,
There are numerous locations in Perth where you can see a strong contrast between the old and the new. The corner of Rokeby Road and Hay St in Subiaco is one of these.
There are two lovely old buildings at that intersection, the Subiaco Hotel and the Regal Theatre. The former was built around 1904, in the
Art Nouveau style. The latter is an Art Deco building constructed in the mid to late 1930s. Just opposite both of them is the garish home of radio station Nova 93.7. Not sure when that was bu...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, October 24, 2012,
A few weeks ago I was wandering down towards the Swan River in Mosman Park when I came across a sculpture of a dragonfly. It was quite a striking creation in a picturesque setting.
From the plaque at its base I learned that it was comparatively new. Created by
Ben Juniper, it was erected there in 2011.
But it seems that there's has been some controversy about it -- at least soon after
it was placed there.
Some residents complained that Dragonfly, with an installed height of 5.7m and a wingspan... Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, October 23, 2012,
When I was living Sydney, I was struck by the sheer number of charming old pubs and hotels, many of them quite small and lovingly maintained. If you wandered through inner city suburbs like Paddington and Newtown you'd be sure to stumble upon several of them. This is hardly surprising, of course. The city is older and bigger than Perth.
That said, there are some great local establishments that rival those in Sydney. There are just far fewer of them, and they tend to be bigger, as a rule. One ...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, October 8, 2012,
There are several pleasant little lakes in the Perth suburbs. One of these is Lake Jualbup in Shenton Park.
I have fond memories of it from my childhood. Friends of the family lived just nearby, in Onslow Road. And we would wander down there sometimes. It doesn't seem to have changed much since then.
Its future does seem in doubt, however, due to hugely varying
water levels. There is a local campaign to ensure that it is permanently
full of water.
I do recall seeing tortoises there. And they ar...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, June 16, 2012,
Thirty years ago I was studying at the University of WA. Aside from the tavern on the campus grounds, one very popular pub was Steve's Nedlands Park Hotel, down near the water at the end of Broadway.
It seemed to me quite a grand and distinctive building that dominated the surrounding area, with a completely clear view to the Swan River.
Obviously a lot happens in several decades. But when I went there about 18 months ago I was still stunned to see how much that whole area had changed. The hote...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, June 16, 2012,
Even though it's become a good deal more crowded than it used to be, Fremantle is still a very laid back place. And one of its most well known destinations is South Terrace. Along this short stretch of road there are many charming cafes, restaurants and pubs, as well as the iconic Fremantle Markets.
It's really buzzing on Friday and Saturday nights. But it can get pretty rowdy, with lots of young people hitting the bars, and often overdoing it.
The best time to go is during the day on a weeken...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, June 12, 2012,
The big local construction project that has been getting the most publicity (and causing the most controversy!) recently is the
Perth Arena. Perhaps second on the list would be the tower above Brookfield Place (originally called City Square).
This impressive structure is located on St Georges Terrace and looms over the Esplanade Busport.
The cranes in the above shot are gone now, and the building has been pretty much completed. The offices are gradually being filled by the major tenant
BHP Bill... Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
As anyone who's ever been to Fremantle knows very well, it's a charming old place. You can really feel
the history there. The atmosphere is strongest in the town centre, where there are many old buildings that have been well preserved.
The other characteristic of Freo is that it's a haven of tolerance, and there are lots of greenies, hippies and New Agers living there. I find this quite incongruous because the age and history of the place evoke a strong, staid and Christian tradition.
Not so lo...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, June 4, 2012,
Having recently moved to Mosman Park from Yokine, I've been having the occasional stroll through the streets to get a feel for the suburb. It's a unique place and a bit of a mishmash demographically.
It's just on the eastern side of the busy Stirling Highway, which runs right alongside the railway line. On the other side of that is the very upmarket Cottesloe. But right near the train station there's a basin containing a whole plethora of apartment blocks, a couple of which are very tall inde...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, December 20, 2011,
About ten years ago I lived in a unit in Subiaco Road. That block, one of many, is in a great position -- just a couple of minutes' walk to the West Leederville train station, and only bit further to City West Station. It's also very close to the cafe strips of both Subiaco and Leederville.
Subiaco Oval is also just nearby. Whenever there was a game being played there the trains would be chockas with families, all proudly wearing their team colours. On those days and nights you could clearly h...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, December 17, 2011,
One common feature of cities all over the world is the water tower. These large, sometimes weird looking structures are usually built on high ground so that gravity alone can propel the water down into the pipes in the event of
a water shortage. Because of this they are often prominent landmarks themselves and usually visible from a long way off.
Perth has a few of these. One that almost everyone in the city will recognize is the Joondanna water tower on Roberts St. These shots were taken fro...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, October 18, 2011,
Because of the large increase in Perth's population, the atmosphere of the city has changed a lot from what it was like a decade or more back. And all the construction has given it a very different look as well. However there are some landmarks that have remained pretty much the same for ages. One of these is the
WACA Ground.
While I'm sure it's undergone quite a few changes inside over the years, it still looks much as it always did from afar. The main features of this structure are the five ...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, September 25, 2011,
Lake Gwelup is in Perth's north. It's technically not really a lake; more of a swamp. But it is quite a pretty location. It's a nice place to go for a walk or a jog. There's even a regular "fun run" held
there.
On the northern side, just near Karrinyup Road, is a pretty boardwalk that juts out into the water and gives you a very nice view.
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
At about the same rate that the Perth Entertainment Centre is being
demolished the nearby
Perth Arena is being
constructed. It's much bigger than the "Ent Cent" and I suspect will be a lot harder to tear down when it too finally passes its "use by" date several decades from now. As you can see from this shot (which, like all the others in this post, was taken in early August) it's amazing how much steel is in there!
Although it is a very big structure, you really can't get a sense of its size...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
Perth is obviously undergoing great change at the moment. That's exciting. But it's also nice to see certain buildings, structures and landmarks that have been in much the same condition for as long as you can remember. One of these is the Lincoln Street Ventilation Stack in
Highgate.
From time to time back in the seventies and eighties I would go near it and it always caught my eye. I never knew what its function was, however. I was a bit curious, but never enough to actually do some research...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
I took these photos of the demolition of the Perth Entertainment Centre a few weeks ago now, at the time I took the one on the site's
main page.
The whole process is happening surprisingly slowly. There's quite a difference now to what is shown below. It is a lot more hollowed out and skeletal, but the basic structure is still mostly intact.
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, August 29, 2011,
I'd say a high percentage of Perth locals will have seen the Entertainment Centre lately, and know that it's disappearing bit by bit. The demolition of this famous local landmark has been going on for several weeks now, perhaps even a couple of months, yet it's not quite half done. It does seem a bit odd that it would take so long. (Although I suppose its bottom heavy design meant that it could not be destroyed in one mighty blast, like so many big structures are these days.)
In any case it do...
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