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Showing Tag: "history" (Show all posts)

The tram carriage sculpture in McCallum Park

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, July 15, 2013,
If you drive over the causeway from Vic Park into the Perth CBD you have probably noticed a tram sculpture in McCallum Park, just near the Swan River. I was curious about this and had a closer look recently.







It appears to have been built in a location that was part of Perth's original tram network. The placard on the work itself says it's part of the Tram Stop Trail Project along Albany Highway and was installed in 2001. I think that other intended stages of this project haven't materialized ...
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The red Dingo Flour sign and Alan Bond

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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Lake Jualbup, formerly Shenton Park Lake

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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Hyde Park Deli has changed little in forty years

Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, September 23, 2012,
As I've mentioned previously on this blog there are many locations around Perth that have been so completely transformed in recent years that they bear little or no resemblance to what I remember from my childhood. But there are a few places and buildings that have hardly changed at all.

One of these is the little deli situated on William St, just opposite Hyde Park.



I used to wait at the stop on the edge of the park for the school bus out to Kingsley Montessori every morning for years, after ...
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Memories of Neil Armstrong's visit to Perth

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, August 28, 2012,
Reading the West Australian yesterday I noticed a little item about Neil Armstrong's visit to Perth back in October 1969 as part of his world tour.

That certainly took me back. I came here as a bub in 1967. And I do recall this event very clearly.

Not sure if I went as part of a school group (I was at Kingsley Montessori at the time, in the kindergarten there), or with my family. I think it was probably the former.

I don't recall seeing Armstrong at all. But I do have a very strong recollection...
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Charming old shops in Hamilton Hill

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, June 12, 2012,
I do quite a bit of walking through the suburbs of Perth. There are very few streets that are the same as what I remember from when I was growing up. That's not to say that there are new buildings on every street -- although there are a hell of a lot of them. But even in long established suburbs, there always seems to be evidence of fairly recent refurbishment and extensions having been added, etc.

So I tend to have the sense that the "old Perth" has pretty much gone entirely. However, every n...
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Flag and Whistle next to gleaming new apartments

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
Still on the subject of Fremantle and how its obvious sense of history can jar with other aspects of the place: One very distinctive and highly visible old building is the Flag and Whistle Hotel in Beach Street.

This is very close to the railway line and quite near the station itself. You can see it clearly from the train as you travel in or out of Freo.

It's a beautifully ramshackle old pub. I'm not sure if it's currently being used as such. But it certainly was a few years ago because I went ...
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Fremantle Town Hall houses psychic fair

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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The Mosman Park Memorial Hall in Lochee St

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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The Lincoln Street Ventilation Stack in Highgate

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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The McNess Royal Arcade in Perth

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, August 22, 2011,
A few months ago I read an article in one of the Perth papers about the many heritage listed buildings in the CBD. The story included an interview with an expert in the field who talked about the "look up" factor in the city.

By that he meant that you probably won't be aware of the city's architectural legacy if you look straight ahead. All you'll see then is shopfronts that have been refurbished over and over again to keep them looking contemporary.

You have to consciously lift your gaze to ...
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Good books about and set in Perth and Fremantle
Perth
Line of Sight
When War Came to Fremantle
The Devil's Garden
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