Perth landmarks explained

Perth might not boast landmarks quite as iconic as the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Queen Victoria Building. Still, there are a handful of buildings, artworks, and installations dotted around the city and metro area that are instantly recognisable and have become icons to West Aussies.

They range in prominence and appeal from an Instagram-famous blue boatshed to a popular local workout spot. So, just how did landmarks like a boathouse and Jacob’s Ladder rise to such recognition here in WA?

There’s history worth knowing behind all of Perth’s most notable sights, and these ten are just the start.

King Neptune statue, 10 Enterprise Avenue, Two Rocks

The mighty King Neptune is, quite possibly, Perth’s most unique landmark. The much-loved, trident-holding stone sculpture sits atop a hill overlooking Two Rocks and has remained there since its installation in the early 1980s.

It was once an attraction at Atlantis Marine Park—a bold build by entrepreneur Alan Bond, who had grand plans of turning Two Rocks into a major resort area for the city. The park was successful for a few years before experiencing a decline in visitation, ultimately leading to its closure in 1990. Despite the park’s decommissioning, the demolition of King Neptune never went ahead.

Unfortunately, the statue regularly attracted vandals, but in 2015, the current landowner, Adrian Fini, invested in a proper cleanup of the landmark, which is now fiercely protected by locals. So much so, there has been considerable opposition to commercial development on the site and talks of installing a tourist walking trail to highlight it further.

In 2023, the statue was even added to the State Register of Heritage Places, solidifying its status as a site of cultural significance.

Containbow, 1 Canning Highway, Fremantle

You can’t miss Marcus Canning’s Containbow as you make your way down Canning Highway en route to Fremantle. The rainbow colours of the recycled shipping containers are visible from quite a distance, the entire arched installation measuring 9 metres high and 19 metres long.

Commissioned by the City of Fremantle, the artwork is a fitting welcome to the port city, paying homage to both the shipping industry that sustains it and the vibrant creative community that inhabits it. But there’s even further meaning hidden in the chosen shape, colours, and materials used, all of them symbolising hope, inclusivity, and sustainability.

To see the piece up close, park at Tuckfield Oval parkland or at the car park off Beach Street and walk the short distance over.

Dingo Flour Mill, 111 Stirling Highway, North Fremantle

You’ve likely seen the blocky red logo emblazoned on t-shirts and tote bags, but what is it that made the Dingo Flour Mill such an iconic Western Australian emblem?

The 4.5-storey-tall logo towers over Stirling Highway in North Fremantle, painted on the side of a flour mill that was heritage-listed in 2008. Rumour has it that a young Alan Bond was the man behind the iconic artwork, but it was actually an artist named Les Nash, who was paid a full £40 for his time and effort.

It’s been there since 1940, except for a brief period during World War II when it was painted over for safety’s sake. Unintentionally, the mill and its giant red dingo became a bit of a landmark for anyone arriving in Fremantle by road or sea, both pre-war and in more modern times.

Although the logo and brand name are iconic in Perth, the flour mill that currently operates out of the heritage-listed building—Allied Pinnacle—has no connection to them other than occupying the space.

Barracks Arch, Elder & Malcolm streets, Perth

Sadly, a lone brickwork arch in the heart of the Perth CBD is all that remains of a historic former military barracks.

It was built in 1863 to house the British guards accompanying convicts on their journeys to WA, and at one stage, it was the largest building in all of the state. After the convict-transporting era, and before being demolished, the grand Tudor-Gothic building was repurposed as offices for the public works department. Unfortunately, it was demolished in the mid-60s to allow for an ‘uninterrupted view’ up to Parliament House and to accommodate the Mitchell Freeway build, despite results from all public polls at the time showing strong disapproval towards the decision.

The compromise between developers and the public is what’s left today: Perth’s very own Arc de Triomphe.

Jacob’s Ladder, 1 Cliff Street, West Perth

Not only is Jacob’s Ladder one of Perth’s best free workouts, it’s a place of strong social significance. In 2008, it earned a spot on the state’s heritage list for its ‘importance in demonstrating the evolution of Perth’.

The staircase has connected the bottom of Mt Eliza to Kings Park since 1909, but back then, it was built of jarrah and known as Cliff’s Staircase. Over the years, the elements damaged the staircase numerous times, resulting in multiple repairs. Eventually, after a fire irreparably damaged the timber in 1970, the structure was replaced with the concrete version we know today.

Just as the construction materials of the staircase have changed since it was first built, so too has its purpose. Nowadays, it’s less of a necessary pathway to Kings Park—the connectivity by road is much more convenient now—and more of a hotspot for Perth’s health and fitness-focused to get their heart rate up.

Blue boathouse, 1 Kings Park Avenue, Crawley

It’s among the most photographed landmarks in all of Perth—more photographed than the bell tower and Elizabeth Quay—yet the story behind Crawley’s blue boathouse is rather unremarkable.

The Instagram-famous overwater cabin, built in the 1930s, was purchased by the Nattrass family in the 1940s for a neat £5. For the past 95 years, it has largely remained in their hands, with a few nominal ownership changes before returning to them in 2001.

hat same year, it was brought back from disrepair and painted its iconic shade of blue. Only once since then has it ever changed hue. In 2019, the timber structure was wrapped entirely in red to celebrate the arrival of Manchester United in WA, before swiftly returning to its regular, very popular shade.

Now, the blue boathouse is synonymous with Perth. Tourists can’t get enough of it, often waiting in long queues for their chance at getting the perfect shot.

Lincoln Street ventilation stack, 57A Lincoln Street, Perth

It’s curious that something as revolting as a sewer ventilation cover can become an iconic landmark, but somehow this Art Deco structure has managed to do just that.

The unmissable, 38-metre-tall Lincoln Street ventilation stack towers over a suburban block behind HBF Park, surrounded by leafy trees and beautiful heritage homes.

It was constructed in 1935 as an experimental way to siphon acidic sewerage fumes upwards, preventing corrosion of the concrete pipes in the sewer. But, it was swiftly sealed over in 1941—and the building of a similar second tower in Subiaco was cancelled—when it was found that it dispersed the gases on the surrounding buildings more effectively than it siphoned them away.

At the same time, the local police station covertly took over the structure, giving it a new lease on life as a wartime police radio antenna. It wasn’t made public knowledge that it was actually an integral part of police intel until 1956, and to this day, you can still see communication antennas sitting atop the tower.

Cottesloe Beach concrete pylon

Protective shark nets at Cottesloe Beach aren’t a new concept. Despite the latest one being installed in 2019, there has long been a desire (and need) to protect swimmers from any potential harm out there in the great big blue.

Back in 1936, construction of a shark-proof enclosure began, spurred on by a tragic fatal shark attack almost ten years prior. Although the right intention was there, the enclosure never came to fruition. Just three anchoring pylons were completed before a storm came through and damaged two of them, leading to an abandoned build and one rather iconic Perth landmark.

To this day, that singular pylon remains, now heritage-listed and sitting some 80m from shore. It’s as much a part of the Cottesloe skyline as the Indianna Tea House, used by the local surf club as a marker for swimming and paddling on club days, and frolicking kids as a launch pad for epic bombies.

The Old Mill, Melville Place, South Perth

So few perfectly preserved examples of architecture from the first decade of British settlement remain standing in Perth. The Old Mill in South Perth is one of them.

Built in 1835, the quaint, cone-shaped windmill has stood the test of time, but not without some hiccups along the way. After flour milling ceased at the property in 1859, it was reimagined as various businesses, including a hotel and saloon, as well as a poultry farm. Ultimately, nothing thrived there, and the building fell into disrepair.

By 1957, Perth’s rapid expansion meant the now dilapidated building was under pressure from more modern developments, but it was spared demolition when the proposed Narrows Bridge was rerouted around it. Instead, it was given a new lease on life thanks to extensive repair works.

Now, the property has been classified by the peak heritage conservation body in Australia, the National Trust, for its architectural and aesthetic appeal, as well as its historic value as evidence of milling in Western Australia.

Maylands Brickworks, Swan Bank Road, Maylands

Maylands Brickworks, located on the Maylands peninsula, is duly recognised on the State Register of Heritage Places and on the National Trust database. The industrial structure from the late 1920s holds substantial cultural and historical significance, not least because it's one of just five Hoffman brickmaking kilns still standing in Australia.

It’s also a prime example of industrial development in Perth, with the brickworks contributing significantly to the city's construction industry up until 1983. Using clay from the natural claypans on the peninsula, bricks were shaped, dried, and fired on-site. However, the economic downturn reduced demand for building materials, forcing the company to close.

In the years since its closure, it faced the threat of demolition, but the local community lobbied hard to save it. The structure remains in situ, and the claypits are now picturesque neighbourhood lakes around which family homes are situated.