Built in 1939, the City Beach rock groyne is a stone barrier designed to trap sand, limit beach erosion, and shield swimmers from waves. A SLSC tower was added onto the end of the groyne in the 1940s.
In the 1950s surfboard riders surfed both sides of the groyne depending on wind, wave direction and sand banks.
1939 City Beach groyne built 1935 to control sand drift. Photo courtesy Cambridge Library – Local Studies.
1950s City Beach surfer Dave Williams with his 14-16ft Toothpick board. City Beach groyne & tower in the background. Photo John Budge.
1954 Surfer/printer Ray Geary with his ‘Jasper’ design Toothpick surfboard at City Beach. The rock groyne is in the background. Photo Ray Geary
1956 Ray Geary’s homemade 24ft four-man surf ski at City Beach. Rock groyne & SLSC tower in the background. L-R Ray Geary, Colin Taylor, Neil Chapple & Alma Greenwood. Photo Ray Geary.
Circa 1957 Ross Utting (age 6) of Floreat surfing on rubber surf mat at City Beach. City Beach groyne & tower in the background. Photo Utting family.
1958 Peter Docherty (age 13) with his homemade 12ft plywood surfboard at City Beach. City Beach groyne & tower in the background. Peter Docherty pic.
During the 1950s, City Beach surfers Ray Geary, John Budge and Brian Cole used Brownie Box cameras to photograph surfing & surrounds from the SLSC tower and City Beach groyne.
Views from SLSC tower on groyne
1940 City Beach foreshore & groyne view from SLSC tower. Image courtesy Town of Cambridge Library – Local Studies.
1956 City Beach surfers Ray Geary, Neil Chapple, Keith Kino, Tony Harbison & Mark Whittome. Photo taken prior to construction of Floreat Groyne. Photo Ray Geary.
Note. The Floreat Groyne was constructed in the summer of 1957 and completed between 1958 and 1959.
1956 City Beach north side Ray Geary’s 4 man ski. Photo Ray Geary
1958 Col Taylor and Dave Williams surfing on the south side of City Beach groyne. Photo Brian Cole.
1958 City of Perth SLSC Club (SLSC Club built 1935). Beach kiosks & playground visible in the foreground. Photo Brian Cole.
Views from the groyne
1953 Barry ‘Stretch’ Gallon surfing Toothpick surfboard north side of City Beach groyne. Photo Ray Geary.
1953 Ray Geary surfing toothpick board at City Beach. Photo Brian Cole.
1955 John ‘Budgie’ Budge surfing Toothpick surfboard at City Beach. Photo Ray Geary.
1955 Ray Geary head stand on Toothpick board at City Beach. Photo Ray Geary,
1956 Dave Williams on Toothpick wave sharing with Jim Keenan & Cocko Killen on double ski. Photo Ray Geary
1956 Ray Geary surfing his Toothpick board on north side of City Beach groyne. Photo Ray Geary.
Surfboards Prohibited
In the early 1960s, as surfboard riding gained popularity on metro beaches, conflicts began to emerge between surfers and swimmers. Local authorities deemed loose surfboards dangerous to swimmers and consequently imposed bans on surfboard riding on well-frequented metro beaches. Due to council restrictions, City Beach surfboard riders were prohibited from surfing within a few hundred meters of the waves off the main groyne.
1965 Aerial photo of City Beach groyne showing former Coast Road with SLSC Club & kiosk on the right. Photographer unknown.
Thank you to the photographers for sharing these vintage images.
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