1920-60s City Beach foreshore

History City Beach foreshore

In 1917, the Perth City Council purchased the Lime Kilns Estate of 1,290 acres for £18,000 from prominent settler Joseph Perry. The estate was situated between Endowment Lands and the city and comprised 1,290 acres linking the city with Ocean Beach, as it was called. The City Council proposed to develop a beach-side town near Ocean Beach and in 1928 work began and the beach was named City Beach.

Access to the coast from 1918 to 1951 was by plank road from Wembley, it was known colloquially as ‘The Switchback’.

In early 1925 West Australia’s third Surf Life Saving Club was formed at City Beach with club rooms consisting of little more than a shack in the dunes.

The foreshore road (from Floreat to City Beach) and the City Beach Tea Rooms (located on the southern corner of foreshore road) were built c1930. The Tea Rooms were re-constructed in 1948.

The Council built a new City of Perth SLSC building and a rock groyne at south City Beach in 1935.

In 1953 Ray Geary (age 16) from Wembley started the City Beach Board Club with Graham Killen, Johnny Budge, Brian Cole and some other keen surfing mates. Ray and the boys were former members of the City Beach Surf Lifesaving Club but became disgruntled with SLSC’s structured regime. The owner of City Beach Tea Rooms gave the Club approval to dig out sand below the Tea Rooms and make an enclosure for Club meetings and surfboard storage. The club folded in 1957 when Club members started chasing waves down south and up north.

The Floreat groyne was built in 1958/59 to provide protection for swimmers at City Beach as well as resolve some of the issues of erosion which had been experienced at City Beach.

In 1962 the second tier of City Beach board riders morphed into the City Beach Surf Riders Club. The new Club co-founded by sixteen-year-old Floreat students Peter ‘Doc’ Docherty & Viv Kitson is still active and has become WA’s oldest Board Club.

During 1970/1971 the City of Perth undertook major works at City Beach including removing the foreshore road (which was prone to beach erosion), demolishing the Tea Rooms, building new City of Perth SLSC club rooms (for 1971 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships), beach kiosks and change rooms. Extensive beach car parking was also undertaken during this period.

In 2016 City of Perth SLSC club rooms were replaced as part of a major program of works at City Beach which included the new club rooms, three restaurants, amphitheatre, beachside promenade, shaded spaces for families and public art installations.