Perth waterfront development proposals
planned river shore development of Swan River north shore next to Perth Water, Perth, Western Australia
The north shore of Perth Water on the Swan River frontage to the city of Perth in Western Australia has been frequently changed since the arrival of Europeans in 1829. Various forms and structures have appeared and been removed over the last 190 years. Jetties, ports and various forms of reclamation have moved the shore considerably into Perth Water.
The main eras of reclamation were in the 1870s, 1900s, 1920s-1937, 1955–1959, and 1967.
Since the 1980s various proposals have been mooted by government and others to redevelop the foreshore area. These proposals are sometimes referred to as the Perth waterfront developments and have generally focused on areas around Barrack Square and the Esplanade Reserve.
The proposals are often characterised by opposition arguing that structures and facilities in the developments would create increased separation of the central business district from the river, further reducing access to the amenity. Conversely, others argue that the city/river vista to motorists along Riverside Drive would be spoiled. Some proposals have included traffic tunnels or land bridges to enable the city to "re-attach" to the river.
Riverside Drive history
The laying of Riverside Drive as a subsistence project in 1937 provided an opportunity for the City of Perth to negotiate for control of the entire foreshore, which had previously been managed by the State Gardens Board.
The public source identifies “Perth waterfront development proposals” as planned river shore development of Swan River north shore next to Perth Water, Perth, Western Australia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Perth, waterfront and development.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Perth waterfront development proposals”, the useful work is to connect “planned river shore development of Swan River north shore next to Perth Water, Perth, Western Australia” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7170921. Authority coordinates are -31.959, 115.858. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1829, 1937, 1955 and 1959.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Perth waterfront development proposals” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.