Capital of Western Australia
Perhaps none of the other Australian capitals has changed so much in recent decades as Perth, capital of Western Australia. With a population of 1.5 million, it is now the fourth largest city in Australia, coming after Brisbane and just ahead of Adelaide. Bounded on the west by the Indian Ocean and on the east by
the foothills of the Darling Range, the Perth conurbation, with an area at present of over 5400 sq.km, is steadily expanding farther north and south. Its unique situation on the water is no doubt one reason why outdoor activities play such an important part in the city's way of life and why one in four households has either a sailing boat or a motorboat.
History
On May 2nd 1829 Captain Charles Fremantle hoisted the Union Jack at the mouth of the Swan River and took possession of the western part of 'New Holland' in the name of the British Crown, with the object of anticipating any attempt by the French to settle in the area. The governor of the new colony, James Stirling, landed a few weeks later with the first free settlers. 20km inland they founded a settlement, which was named Perth in honor of the British colonial secretary George Murray, a native of the Scottish town of Perth. The first settlers were faced with considerable problems. The land was much less fertile than had been thought and labor was short. The position improved in 1850, when the first transports of convicts from Britain arrived, and between then and 1868 there were almost 10,000 of these compulsory immigrants, who made a major contribution to the survival of the colony on the Swan River.
With the discovery and extraction of huge deposits of minerals (iron ore, bauxite, nickel, diamonds, natural gas) in remote and inhospitable areas Perth became in the 1960s the headquarters of the mining companies.
Heavy industry is concentrated round Kwinana, on the coast 32km south of Perth (deep-water harbor on Cockburn Sound, oil refinery, aluminum and nickel production).
Perth now reflects the country's prosperity, with gleaming façades, new hotels and business centers and a wide range of entertainment and recreation facilities. Both the municipal authorities and private interests are concerned in attracting to the city international events, sporting tournaments and conferences.
Fremantle Doctor
The heat of summer is mitigated by the Fremantle doctor, a wind which blows in from the sea regularly every afternoon. With the constant movement of air, fog and smog are unknown in Perth.
Transport
Perth has excellent communications by air, rail, road and water and is easily reached from any part of Australia.
Perth's international airport lies 20km northeast of the city; the domestic terminal (flights within the state and interstate flights) is on the west side of the large site, only about 10km from the city.
The Indian Pacific service to Sydney (three times a week) and the Trans Australian to Adelaide (twice a week) depart from the Railway Terminal in East Perth (1.5km from the city center). The popular tourist train to Kalgoorlie, the Prospector, and the Westrail overland buses also start from there.
The Esplanade Bus Station is the terminus for all the suburban lines and the tourist train to Bunbury, the Australind.
Transperth, the city transport authority, provides the local transport system with its railroads, buses and ferries. The two most important terminals are the City Railway Station together with the nearby City Bus Station, and the ferry wharf on Barrack Street.
Within the Free Transit Zone in the city center travel on public transport is free, which has considerably reduced the use of private cars in the inner city. There are three bus routes in the Central Area Transit System, which makes it easier for tourists in particular to find their way around. The Blue CAT buses follow a north-south shuttle route from the Barrack Street ferry terminal to Northbridge, while the Red CAT buses are on an east-west axis from Outram Street to Horatio Street near the WACA cricket ground in East Perth. Detailed information (incl. timetables) can be obtained from Transperth offices (e.g. City Arcade in Hay Street Mall and Central Bus Station). Most sightseeing and excursion buses also start from the Central Bus Station.
Transperth ferries sail from Barrack Street jetty to South Perth and the zoo, Rottnest Island and Fremantle.
Sport
Among the city's principal sports venues are the Ascot and Belmont racecourses on the south bank of the Swan River, to the east of the city center, the WACA cricket ground near the Causeway and Queens Park and the Australian Football Oval in the Subiaco district. There are golf courses in many parts of the city. The Western Australian Tennis Open is staged annually in Kings Park. The race for the Perth Cup is run on Ascot racecourse on New Year's Day. There are numerous sailing clubs in inlets on the Swan River and the coast of the Indian Ocean.
Entertainments
Perth offers a wide choice of theaters, concert halls and other places of entertainment, in particular the Perth Concert Hall at the east end of St George's Terrace (1900 seats), His Majesty's Theatre at the corner of King and Hay Streets with its late 19th C splendor and the Playhouse Theatre at the corner of Hay and Pier Streets. The center of the city's night life is the Northbridge district, in which - in addition to the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the State Library - there are many restaurants, night spots and discos.
Accommodation
In spite of its isolation from the rest of Australia Perth, thanks to its economic boom, has numerous luxury hotels: indeed it claims to have more top-class hotels than Sydney. In the city center the leading establishments are the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton, both in Adelaide Terrace; and the Burs wood Resort Hotel. Among the more reasonably priced hotels in the city center is Miss Maud Swedish, which has the advantage of a central situation (and a generous buffet breakfast).
Information
The best listings of events, entertainments and restaurants are in the Entertainment pages of the Western Australian, the Perth newspaper with the largest circulation. Also useful is the free brochure This Week in Perth and Fremantle. For information of all kinds there is the Perth tourist bureau.
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