‘Free’ walking tour of Perth

The first Monday in June in Western Australia is WA Day and to celebrate our special day we have a state holiday we call a long weekend (bank holiday or public holiday). This is to commemorate the foundation of the Swan River colony in Perth by European settlers in 1829. WA Day is a special day to recognize our Aboriginal history, the European settlers and our multicultural community, a day to include all people who have made Western Australia their home.

The focus of WA Day is to relax, take it easy, unwind and do something characteristically Western Australian. So as part of my pledge I wanted to take you on an easy free walking tour to visit some historic places of interest and explain a little of our history.

WA was first visited in 1600’s by Dutch explorers, who not convinced of the lands’ potential, continued on with their travels. In 1826 the first British settlement was established in WA and in 1827 Sir James Stirling recommended a permanent settlement be established in the Swan River area and in 1829 he returned with a Navy vessel, HMS Challenger and a merchant ship Barque Parmelia.

On 1st June 1829 he sighted Australia’s west coast. The area was known as the Swan River Colony until 1832 when it became known as Western Australia. Stirling, who was then the Administrator of Western Australia, decided in 1832 to hold an annual celebration to unite the masters and servants, then settlers in the colony and the Indigenous Australians. He chose June 1st and until 2011 this was known as Foundation Day. After bipartisan political support in WA Parliament in 2011, Foundation Day was formally renamed WA Day.

The WA Day holiday is the focal point for encouraging inclusion of all people, showcasing our spirit and achievements. It’s a day to pledge to relax, enjoy and celebrate WA. Western Australia covers a vast geographical area, comprising many different urban, rural and cultural communities offering a wide range of activities and events.

The capital Perth has a lot of character, a very manageable city, clean and stunning, with a mix of old and new. Conscious of retaining the historic heritage an interesting blend of architecturally designed buildings incorporate parts of the original façade in many character buildings. The new District Court Building is a perfect example of incorporating old and new. The original column façade of St George’s Hall was preserved and incorporated into the new development.

Take a stroll in Stirling Gardens, Perth’s oldest gardens established in 1845 and named after Sir James Stirling.  Stirling Gardens house Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the Ore Obelisk, Pen Nibs and Kangaroo sculptures and you can easily spend time here enjoying our beautiful Perth sunshine. Hidden in the gardens on the Barrack Street side you can find the Gumnut Babies based on the characters created by May Gibbs in 1930’s. The 3.5 metre tall pen nibs are a little further along and represent the writers who documented the history of Stirling Gardens, the first Botanic gardens in WA.

To the delight of locals and tourist alike, a mob of 5 bronze kangaroos grace the footpath along St George’s Terrace. One drinking and one with a Joey in her pouch, the others standing quietly in the busy city landscape. The Ore Obelisk, also known as the Harmony of Minerals was erected in 1972 to celebrate the 1 millionth citizen in WA and to recognize the harmony of mining and the environment, a symbol of a decade of mineral expansion between 1960 and 1970.  The Shish Kebab as it is referred to is a 13.7 metre oil drilling pipe thread with 16 layers of bauxite, chalcopyrite, copper, lithium, magnesite, nickel, silver, tin, iron ore and a diamond rock.

Another representation of the mining boom in WA is a statue of Sir Charles Court, a premier of WA 1974 to 1982 who was a strong advocate for the right of WA and made some controversial decisions. The statue was unveiled on what would have been his 100^th birthday in 2011.

Supreme Court Gardens houses the oldest public building in Perth, the Old Courthouse. In 1830 Governor Stirling appointed a number of Magistrates and Constables to assist in law enforcement. Built in 1836 it not only served as a Courthouse, but also a school, a church and a concert hall. The courthouse was constructed from local stone and timber sheoak shingles with the windows being white calico and venetian shutters instead of glass. In 1859 Government House was constructed by convicts, built with bonded brickwork, a two storey mansion set on 32,000 square metres of English Gardens. In 1861 the Supreme Court was established and towards the end of the century the Old Courthouse became too small to handle the growing number of cases so the new Supreme Court building was built and completed in 1903. The Supreme Court hears the most serious cases and hands down the harshest penalty. The first case heard was Robert Palin, an ex convict sentenced to death and the last person sentenced to be hung was Eric Edgar Cooke as recently as 1964. It took until 1984 for the death penalty to be abolished.

Across the road (Riverside Drive) from Supreme Court Gardens is the iconic Swan Bells, a set of 18 hanging bells hanging in an 82.5 metre copper and glass bell tower. This unique landmark houses the world’s largest musical instrument and one of the largest set of bells in the world. 12 of the bells are from St Martin’s church in Trafalgar square. The push by Sir Charles Court to build the Bell Tower in 2000 for the millennium received a lot of controversy. Despite being called a waste of money it was one of the only millennium projects to come in on time, on budget and still open.

Another relaxing place in the city is Forrest Place, named after Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of WA. This pedestrian square linking the underground train station and the CBD is closed to traffic and is a site for free public events. It also houses the heritage listed General Post Office. Completed in 1923 this imposing stoned façade building was at the time Perth’s largest building and most ornate structure in the city. Outside the GPO is the Water Labyrinth, as seen in the cover photo. It’s an interactive water sculpture using storm water that is a great place to relax with a coffee and watch children playing in the water.

If you want another location to relax by the water where children can play in a quieter city location head to Hyde Park just 2km north of the CBD, this 15 hectacre piece of land was gazetted as a public park in 1897. One of Perth’s longest running free community events, the Hyde Park fair is held here. It is a great place to sit and ponder by the two large lakes, there is plenty of shade from the Plane, Moreton Bay Fig, Port Jackson Fig and Jacaranda trees.

Perth is a picture postcard with best views from Kings Park or South Perth to relax and take in the sensational skyline and is absolutely spectacular at night as the glittering lights reflect on the river.

Western Australia is known for its natural beauty. The sunny beaches, national parks and unique formations are just a few things that set us apart from the rest of Australia. I am so fascinated and impressed with the constant changes in our beautiful city and I think any Sandgroper would concur; we are living in a beautiful city. We have a diverse community, a vibrant culture and an amazing natural environment and I am proud to be Western Australian. *A Sandgroper is the nickname for an inhabitant or native of WA.

I don’t think there is a better known landmark in Perth than the Crawley Edge Boatshed, built in the 1930’s and commonly referred to as the Blue Boat House, located on the Swan River at Crawley in Perth, Western Australia.

So did you take the pledge to relax? How did you spend your time this WA Day?

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