City Beach and Floreat Beach Precinct

Child Places

• 26251 South City Beach Kiosk
• 26251 South City Beach Kiosk

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Child Places

• 26251 South City Beach Kiosk
• 26251 South City Beach Kiosk

Statement of Significance

City Beach has aesthetic value as a large stretch of beach and foreshore that is well maintained and in good condition. The place has historic value for its association with the establishment and development of the suburb of City Beach from a holiday destination in the 1920s to being part of the wider Perth metropolitan area. The place has historic value for its demonstration of the evolution in the development of public facilities with the remaining kiosk the earliest structures on the site through to contemporary structures completed in 2016. The place has historic value for its association with prominent architects in Western Australia during the 1960s and 1970s; Paul Ritter and Tony Brand; The groyne has potential research value as they demonstrate methods of construction in the mid 20th century which may prove instructive to future projects; The place has social value for many members of the community from the Town of Cambridge and the wider Perth metropolitan area who have visited the beach for formal and informal recreation.

Physical Description

Extensive area of beach with dunes, native vegetation and landscaping. Boardwalks and coastal paths are located in the sand dunes connecting City Beach with the beaches to the north and south. The two groynes roughly define the boundaries of City Beach. The dunes and natural vegetation aesthetic is interspersed with formal landscaping of lawned areas and plantings softening the hard landscaping of the carparks. Facilities include the Restaurants, Kiosk, City Beach Surf Lifesaving Club and volley ball courts, picnic and BBQ areas and children’s play areas. Located on the City Beach Groyne, the Look Out Tower is a simple form comprising a slender steel column with ladder leading to an octagonal lookout shelter that provides 360° visual access.

History

The popularity of different beaches in the Perth metropolitan area was dependent on transport in the first decades of the 20th century. Those beaches close to the train line were most well patronised until the Inter War years when road access was improved. In February 1918, a timber plank road was completed in built between the city and the beach along the alignment of the present day Oceanic Drive. The beach where the road terminated became known as 'City Beach' and was formally designated as that in c1925. Life Saving Clubs had been established at Cottesloe and North Cottesloe, and in December 1924 members of the City of Perth Amateur Swimming Club formed Western Australia’s third Surf Life Saving Club at City Beach. The City of Perth undertook an extensive programme of research into the establishment of appropriate facilities for a Lifesaving Clubroom at City Beach. The Lord Mayor of Perth opened the timber clubrooms in February 1926 and the beach was officially opened by the Governor Sir William Campion in December of that year. In addition to the clubrooms basic timber facilities were provided by the City of Beach for the numbers of visitors on weekends and holiday periods. In 1927, a new road to the beach was cleared along the route of what is now, The Boulevard. This road provided access to the northern parts of City Beach, now Floreat Beach. In 1935, the southern groyne was built at City Beach to control sand drift and help to 'square' the surf line to the beach. The construction was overseen by the City Engineer with a budget of £3000 and was initially approximately 60m long. The huge diorite boulders, weighing up to 8 tons, were brought from the Municipal Quarry in the Darling Ranges. A shark lookout tower with an alarm was positioned on the end of the groyne. In 1938, more substantial accommodation for the City Beach Life Saving Club were built and these and basic public facilities were available at the beach until the 1960s when the region underwent significant development following the 1962 Empire Games in Perth which saw adjacent landholdings being released for residential subdivision. The 1960s also saw the popularity and growth of surfing and the associated ‘surf culture’. Although not new to Western Australia, surfing and beach going became more popular and were closely associated with younger generations. In 1963, City Beach Surf Riders, WA's oldest surf-board riding club was established. The northern groyne at City Beach was built sometime between 1958/59 and provided protection for swimmers at City Beach as well as resolved some of the issues of erosion which had been experienced at City Beach. Maintenance and management of the beaches and groynes have been an ongoing task for the Town of Cambridge and prior to 1994, the City of Perth. The late 1960s can also be seen as a period of experimentation and rejection of past practices and attitudes. It was in the context of a newly established suburb providing for a young population keen to embrace new styles and technologies that the City of Perth provided new facilities at City Beach. During the 1960s, an influential figure in the offices of the City of Perth was architect and planner Paul Ritter. Ritter was a controversial and colourful figure in Western Australia in this period. He was trained in England and was brought to the City of Perth to advance local knowledge and philosophies of planning and design. Appointed as the City of Perth's first City Planner in 1965 he was dismissed in 1967 but engendered significant public support which led to his election as a City of Perth councillor from 1968 to 1986. Following his dismissal, Ritter established his own practice and was well known for exploring new techniques and philosophies, particularly in relation to art and design in the public realm. In 1969, his design of a wavy retaining wall in local Toodyay stone was built at City Beach. The design was influenced by the adjacent waves and sand dunes and was part of a larger Master Plan for City Beach prepared during his tenure at the City of Perth. In 1971, City Beach was the host of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships which saw the City of Perth undertake major works at the beach. In 1970, architects Forbes and Fitzhardinge were engaged to design three kiosks on the beach. Architect Tony Brand oversaw the design and he prepared an organic design in concrete which responded to the wavy wall designed by Paul Ritter and the seaside setting. Only two of these kiosks remain insitu at Floreat Beach and South City Beach. New Clubrooms were also built for the City Beach Life Saving Club for the championships. The provision of extensive car parking at City Beach was also undertaken during this period. During 1970/1971 the City of Perth spent $375,829 on works at City Beach including the new kiosks and change rooms, and the City of Perth Surf Club House. The decision to hold the Australian National Surf Life Saving Competitions at City Beach in 1971 would have been a significant impetus to complete the works. In the City of Perth Annual Report for that year it was noted that; 'During the year the facilities and conditions at City Beach were highly praised by both competitors and spectators at the Australian National Surf Championships More than 1,400 lifesavers from all Australian States and a team from South Africa competed during the April Carnival. Blending man-made features and amenities into the natural beach scene will continue to enhance City Beach's wide popularity.' The clubrooms were replaced in 2016 as part of a major program of works which included the new clubrooms, three restaurants, amphitheatre, beachside promenade, shaded spaces for families and public art installations. Architects Christou Design Group prepared the designs for the new works and the project was successful in receiving a public architecture award in 2016.

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South City Beach and Floreat Beach Kiosks & Toodyay Stone Sea Wall

Child Places

• 26231 Floreat Kiosk
• 26231 Floreat Kiosk

Values

• The place has been a significant recreation venue for West Australians since the 1920s, and is characteristic of the development of the state’s ‘beach culture’
• The place is a designed landscape under continuous change that contains a mixture of natural, built and engineered elements, and includes remnants from multiple phases of development
• The place includes a Kiosk that is a rare example of a commercial structure showing elements of Late Twentieth Century Brutalist and Late Twentieth Century architectural styles
• The hard and soft landscaping at the place is a demonstration of the ‘Garden City’ planning concepts as applied to a recreational setting
• The place is associated with Perth City Planner Paul Ritter and Western Australian architect Tony Brand

Physical Description

City Beach is a shoreline landscape along Challenger Parade that has been a popular swimming beach and recreational reserve since the 1920s. The original existing features of this place are the sea and sand; however the place has been heavily modified over almost a century and retains several features from earlier stages of development.

History

In 1925 City Beach, also known as ‘Nameless Beach,’ or as ‘Wembley Beach’ was accessed via a ‘switchback’ plank track laid through the bush from the City of Perth. At this time, the beach was a popular summer recreation spot, and was littered with temporary shelters – including bush timber shelter sheds, canvas tents and corrugated iron structures. A cleared area had been laid with wood block paving as a car park, and sand dunes had already been cut for ease of access, with grass planted to try and stabilise dune movement. A number of more permanent informal structures had already been built at the site, including dressing rooms, a windmill tank for water, and a tea room which also rented out canvas tents to fit on the bush timber frames set up along the beach.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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