East Perth, Western Australia

Land use

Primarily an industrial area in the early twentieth century, it was the location of the East Perth Gas Works, East Perth Power Station (which was decommissioned and the building is being renovated for other purposes), the East Perth railway yard, and engine sheds.

From the early 1980s, virtually all of the residential real estate on the western side of Lord Street became home to commercial enterprises; the buildings remain, either single or duplex dwellings previously inhabited mostly by migrant families.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 10,596 people in East Perth. 30.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were England 6.7%, China 4.0%, India 3.7%, Malaysia 3.4% and South Korea 2.9%. 47.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 6.6%, Korean 2.7%, Cantonese 2.6%, Portuguese 2.0% and Spanish 1.9%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 33.3% and Catholic 18.4%.

Transport

The former East Perth railway yard and engine sheds were removed in the 1960s and have been redeveloped into the Railway headquarters - consolidating a very scattered system of offices and sections for the railways.

East Perth serves as the main hub for country and interstate rail services and Road Coach services. Departing from the station are services such as the Prospector, AvonLink, tourist trains, and the Indian Pacific.

The original East Perth railway station is now called Claisebrook, and while it has the same number of platforms that it did in the 1960s, the original buildings have given way to modern shelters. It is also the location of the Goongoongup Bridge on the railway to Bunbury for the South Western Railway.

There are several bus routes in and around East Perth. Cat bus provided travel to around the City.

Bridges

The Causeway is a road linking East Perth to Victoria Park on the other side of the Swan River. Under construction is the Boorloo Bridge as well, which is expected to open in December 2024.

Matagarup Bridge is a footbridge connecting East Perth to Perth Stadium and Burswood.

Redevelopment Authority

The East Perth Redevelopment Authority (EPRA) was established in 1991 to manage the redevelopment and urbanisation of the suburb. In 2012 EPRA merged with other redevelopment authorities to become the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA). In 2019, the MRA became part of DevelopmentWA. Many parts of East Perth that have been fully developed have been "normalised"—meaning returned to the City of Perth for administration.

Sports

Main sporting attractions include the WACA Ground and Gloucester Park trotting ground.

There are also public recreation facilities for AFL and Cricket at Moort-ak Waadiny / Wellington Square.

Education

Educational facilities include Trinity College, a day school for boys, years 4–12. East Perth Primary School is planned to open in 2029.

Cemetery

Main article: East Perth Cemeteries

East Perth is the location of Perth's significant early colonial era cemetery, which contains graves of many early colonial families. Its condition is marginal due to the loss of many headstones and lack of adequate record of graves, only 800 of the estimated 10,000 grave sites have been identified.

General references

• Bodycoat, Ronald. (1993) East Perth heritage study : prepared for the East Perth Development Authority East Perth, W.A. The Authority. 2 volumes (Volume 1 only held in Battye Library).

References

References

1. McQuade, Sarah. (2011). "Shaping Perth's Suburban Landscapes: Post-1970s Suburban Planning and Development". Studies in Western Australian History.
2. (November 2006). "Australian New Urbanism – A Guide to Projects (Second Edition)".
3. {{Census 2016 AUS
4. "Causeway Pedestrian and Cyclist Bridges".
5. (1 March 2023). "Joint media statement - Construction starts on new gateway to city".
6. "About".
7. "Australian Web Archive}}{{cbignore".
8. [https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Barnett/2011/12/New-redevelopment-authority-to-transform-Perth.aspx New redevelopment authority to transform Perth] {{Webarchive. link. (17 October 2021 Minister for Health, Culture & the Arts 29 December 2011)
9. (July 2025). "Who is DevelopmentWA".
10. [https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/education/government-announces-new-primary-school-to-open-in-east-perth-in-2029-c-15689341 Government announces new primary school to open in East Perth] ''[[PerthNow]]'' 13 June 2024
11. "East Perth Cemeteries". National Trust of Australia (WA).
12. "Place No: 02164 Name: East Perth Cemeteries". Heritage Council of Western Australia.