Perth Street Photography - Photos From The Mean Streets

Perth Street Photography - Photos From The Mean Streets ...of Perth

This is a departure from the standard post. Not that there has ever been any kind of "standard" post on 6000TIMES. Street photography is one of my hobbies. In between eating chicken rice, checking out graffiti, exploring abandoned buildings, or drooling over mid-century architecture, you could find me out on the streets of Northbridge, capturing the people that make up this city. It makes for some interesting interactions.

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Perth CBD Waterfront Redevelopment - 10 Reasons I Don't Give a Shit, and Nor Should You

The Perth CBD Waterfront Development. Hate it or hate it, it's coming. Maybe. Chalk-lines are on the ground. AM radio talk-back switchboards are running hot. It's time you, as a proud citizen of Perth, took a personal stand to not give a shit. Presenting : Perth Waterfront - 10 Reasons I Don't Give a Shit, and Nor Should You.

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Perth : Graffiti, Modernist Architecture, Abandoned Buildings

Graffiti, Modernist Architecture, Abandoned Building. Brisbane Street, Perth. This is the first photo in an untitled series of photos taken around the scenic Northbridge area of Perth, Western Australia. Volume one, of at least a guaranteed two parts. Then, well, lets just take it one step at a time. Cola, I thank you on behalf of the city of Perth. Enjoy.

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Perth : Small Bars Approved in 2011 = GTFO

"There hasn't been a single small bar license approved for the Perth CBD or Northbridge area in 2011."

When the Western Australian liquor laws were modified in 2007, to enable budding entrepreneurs an easier path to opening a "small bar", I didn't expect the reality of the 2011 outcome. What was promised was the potential for a landscape of smaller premises, with lower capacities, sharing the growing number of patrons that were beginning to choke the often problematic large capacity beer-barns that Perth has known for decades. There was even an advertising campaign. I'm pretty sure it mentioned Melbourne. The gist was that lane-ways would be "activated", and a number of "funky" small bars would be allowed to open, finally giving Perth residents a genuine choice of where to meet for a "sophisticated" experience with quality wines, spirits, beers, and food options. Did you fall for it? Call me an optimist, a glass half full kind of guy, but I fell for the promises hook, line, and sinker.

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Perth : Perth Entertainment Centre - Abandoned Stadium

I don't know how he did it. I'm telling you, that was the best rice I have ever eaten. There's a whole other side to the dish, sure. Fuck that was some tasty rice. Semi-transparent, glistening, aldente, and with chicken as well, I put it up there as probably the best meal I have ever eaten. Three bucks. Airfare to Singapore is under four hundred, if you plan ahead. Four hundred and three dollars, for the best meal of my life? I'd pay that tomorrow. But, this is more a Bangkok story. Singapore, has it's charms. Like a nerd cousin. I don't mind nerds. Some nerds. A few nerds. Anyway, that's Singapore. Bang-kok. Bangkok is like the cousin you wanted to visit when you were a kid. The one that lived near a space invader cocktail machine, at the squash courts down the road. There was going to be a point here, something about abandoned stadiums. Perth Entertainment Centre? Abandoned? Three hours in the P-E-C, and memories come flooding back. Gigs, movies, ALVA skate team, b-ball, circus, beer. I'm still giddy. This adventure, well it felt like a swan song. The photo's, a last waltz. Perth's greatest ever abandoned building, is moments from it's final lament. For just a few hours, the amazing Perth Entertainment Centre gave me one last magnificent performance. Truly, a Perth icon that will never be forgotten.

Bonus number of photos this time, let the memories roll. 36 shots, old school.

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Perth : So You Want to Open a Bar? LOL!

"Yes, people might get drunk. That's what people do at bars."

With Perth's population growing at approximately 100 people EVERY DAY, you would think it would be in the public interest to open a few more bars here and there. In Perth, the reality is, your chances of opening a new small bar or tavern are very, very slim. Sit down, pour a drink, settle in. Have you checked the rather sobering liquor licensing decisions made over the last few months? Here's a summary: DENIED. Essentially, every liquor license application hinges on this:  "if the application is granted, harm or ill-health might be caused to people or any group of people due to the use of liquor". Yes, people might get drunk. That's what people do at bars. I swear I'm living in Bizarro World. Anyway, on top of that, if your application is denied (it will be), you probably won't be able to re-apply for three years. Meaning, you only  have one shot at getting it right. Between September 2008 and November 2010, the applications for twenty-two new small bars were denied. However, in December, 2010, things took a very drastic turn for the worse. Read on, to see how some of Perth's most respected restauranteurs, hoteliers, and entrepreneurs have been denied their one shot.

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Perth : McShit

"The population density for JUST the CBD/central city area of Perth... is lower than that of the entire metropolitan suburban area of Los Angeles, California."

What follows is an "only in Perth" story of ineptitude and face-palmery. First, the background story. On the corner of Beaufort Street and Parry Street's in Perth City, lies a vacant block. It's been vacant for many years. Without doubt, it is one of the prime CBD fringe blocks. Walking distance to pretty much every amenity, it would be, without exaggeration, one of the most convenient places on earth to live. Free transport to your door. Supermarket across the road. (Coles, as featured in the very first post ever made here). The Weld Square park is across the road. Heart of Northbridge, a two minute walk. CBD, four minute walk. TAFE, Art Gallery, State Library, Museum, and the Good Fortune Roast Duck House, all nearby. Multi-storey residential developments popping up all around this block. Really, it's close to faultless. So what happened?

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Perth : Abandoned Toy Factory, O'Connor. AKA, Detroit.

Abandoned Toy Factory, Detroit, AKA O'Connor, Perth, Western Australia. Detroit is a shrinking city. In the few decades that Perth, Western Australia has gained a million residents, Detroit, Michigan, has lost a million. Mostly whiteys. Mostly.  Look, I could totally check that, and prove it as fact. Right in front of me, I have the "Atlas of Shrinking Cities". Picked it up at the Bahaus bookshop this year. That's in Germany. Dessau, Germany. Atlas der schrumpfenden Städte. A's with dots, you can't make that shit up. 2006, Phillipp Oswalt und Tim Reieniets. Henning Schirmel, you know it. So, I just checked, Detroit 1950, 1,849,568 heads. Perth 1950, 312 thousand. Who gives a fuck. There's no point. This is O'Connor, not Detroit. But, for a few hours last month, it was Detroit. Here's an abandoned Wooden Toy Factory, and some other shots of O'Connor, one of Perth's most serene and beautiful locales. If Bali was our 911, O'Connor is, our Detroit.

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Perth : West Perth Abandoned Mechanics Workshop, Straight from Kuala Lumpur

More of Perth's abandoned buildings, this time in the shit-eating corporate wanker district of West Perth. Once an art-deco era mechanics workshop, the complex now lays abandoned. Much like a klang valley hooker, the interior space sports a great, if messy, interior makeover. Ironically, this post comes to you from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All the photos here are taken with an old-school film camera. The roll of film had a use-by-date of 1987, I shot the photos about 4 weeks ago, and the film was just processed here, today, in Kuala Lumpur. Whitey ratio, off the scale. Yellow fever, setting in nicely.

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Perth: William Street Revival - EPRA - Northbridge Link - Abandoned Perth

EPRA, congratulations, you get Northbridge. No franchises for William Street. Although my predictions about the Death of Northbridge by 2015 are looking a bit shakey, I stand by my 2025 prediction of a Terminator scenario, and my 2035 prediction, that being the year humans realise they have been living in the Matrix for at least the last thousand years. Yes, from now on, I will refer to EPRA as Duke, the King of Perth, A-Number-One. SAY IT! EPRA YOU'RE THE DUKE OF PERTH A-NUMBER ONE!

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Abandoned Junky Den of Death - Perth, 6000, Western Australia

Conveniently located right in the middle of the Perth 6000 postcode, lies another abandoned warehouse. Situated close to public transport, parks, and the Northbridge entertainment precinct, it features vaulted exposed-beam ceilings, and open plan design. Currently utilised as a training ground for drug abuse, homeless living, and of course, interior decoration, art, and design, internally it does look amazing. You can't buy interior decoration like this. This is patina. You can't buy patina. You can't fake patina. You know why? Because you can't buy time. Nobody can. For sale now, I'm fairly certain realestate.com.au won't be showing you photos like these. Please enjoy a photo tour of another of Perth City's abandoned buildings.

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Abandoned Stadium - Perry Lakes Stadium, Perth

Abandoned Stadium. Perry Lakes, Perth, Western Australia. Built 1962 for the Commonwealth Games. Abandoned, and very soon to be demolished. The entire stadium with all buildings may have disappeared by the time you read this, replaced with what seems to be a more suburban version of the redeveloped Subiaco. Wassup town planners? Its practically the future already! 20,000 residents with a gondola shuttle service? Its 2010 RIGHT NOW. DO YOU REALISE, IN BACK TO THE FUTURE II, the "FUTURE" WAS 2015! Think about that. Five years to go, and its the future...

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Restaurant Review : Good Fortune Roast Duck House, Northbridge. Plus, Abandoned Sail Factory Photo Tour

Good Fortune Roast Duck restaurant, William Street, Northbridge. An institution. However, during a recent visit, something terrible happened to me. I feel so dirty. So ashamed. So... so... white. I ordered the boneless roast duck with noodles, and an extra serving of choy sum. Its a great lunch time treat. Always delivered to the table quickly. This time,  something was wrong. Very wrong. Trinny and Susannah wrong. Although I am finding it difficult just remembering the experience, I have to write it down here, you know, to let it out, and move on with my life. Yes, I got the dreaded - Guilo Special. AKA the whitey deluxe. No duck sauce. No plum sauce. Am I really, just another Guilo?

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Old Swanbourne Hospital - Abandoned Mental Crazy People's Hospital : Photo Tour

Swanbourne Abandoned Hospital, 1904. Formerly, Claremont Mental Hospital. Since 1987, abandoned. This is an amazing collection of buildings, another vivid example of Perth's urban decay. Montgomery Hall is the most impressive structure of the group, a classically proportioned space, akin to the internal courtyard at the abandoned Treasury Building on St Georges Terrace. But this abandoned building, is hidden in the burbs. Heavy ceiling detailing is balanced perfectly with high windows on the east and west sides of the hall, natural light bathing the interior. After the Menora based abandoned Jewish Hospital (Oy Vey!) featured here, I was surprised to find Perth had another abandoned hospital. Read on, for a photo-tour of one of Perth's little known heritage gems.

Hey, can I just mention one thing? If you are interested in improving your skills with the camera, I should point out that I have a secret weapon. I talk all about it here. Cheers.

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Northbridge : Is Perth's Best Suburb Dead Already?

Say goodbye to Northbridge. Well, the Northbridge as you know it. If you think Northbridge is scary in 2010 (it isn't), fast forward to 2015, just five years from now. There are now plenty of new restaurants - The Sizzler has opened up in the disused DV8 nightclub, the Krispy Kreme Mega-plex is finally up and running. Wok-In-A-Box is in the same location that Billy Lee's Chinese Restaurant formerly occupied -  the increased rents in Chinatown forced a move out to the burbs (north of Walcott St). Finally, the Butcher Shop, one of the first William St tennants in the new revival of Perth's best street, called it a day. That spot is now Witchery for Men, right next door to Perth's first Baby Giordano...

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Fremantle : Freo's Best Tourist Attraction - South Fremantle Abandoned Power Station Part 2

Built 1946, abandoned 1985. 34 years of life for a power station seems kind of short. Call this part two, as most of this building has been featured before on 6000times. A trip back down to Fremantle really was worth it just to view the North West section of the structure, which I hadn't previously seen. Yes, Fremantle. Home of John Butler, Luc Longley, and about 24 thousand freaks. Far out man. I haven't seen that many freaks per-capita since my trip up to Two-Rocks, visiting abandoned-Atlantis.

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Perth : Abandoned Old Treasury Building, St Georges Terrace - Photo Tour

Old Treasury Building, Perth. Built 1874. Abandoned, finally, in 1996. Perth's first ever Government office complex. Victorian Second Empire and Federation Free Classical style, designed by state governement architects GT Poole and RR Jewell. Over the last decade or so, the building has been left derelict. Amazing design, ground zero location. When distances are measured from Perth to anywhere, this is the starting point they are measured from. Perth to Hong Kong - 6012 km's (the official Hong Kong marker being Larry Wong's Chinese Laundry and Dry Cleaning, on Wan Chai Road).  At this time, it is looking likely that the old treasury building will be transformed into a new five star hotel. For now, it remains empty. Enjoy the (extensive) set of photos of perhaps Perth's finest abandoned building - Ye Remarkable Old Abandoned Perth Treasury Building.

Also, this is important. Cocktails and Mexican food are at stake. If you are interested in improving your skills with the camera, I should point out that I have a secret weapon. I talk all about it here. Cheers.

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Perth : No Place for Metrosexuals

I was just reading about Dorcia Fridays "no metrosexual attire" policy. Amusing for sure, and I see where they are coming from, but it does put the promoters into the same class as every other night club with a dress code. Dress codes are a remnant from the 1980's. Bunbury has dress codes. Kalgoorlie has dress codes. Rockingham has dress codes. Night clubs that have dress codes, are, usually, full of douche bags.

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Perth : Skyscrapers, Abandoned Railway Tunnel, Iwan Iwanoff Update

Perth remains a construction site. The view is changing every day. 140 William is looking amazing, I am looking forward to the street level connections. This city  is adding buildings at a faster rate than ever before. In the burbs, at ground level, a small Iwan Iwanoff update. Golovin House, 1959, has had a 2009 makeover, and is looking more and more like my lotto dream every day.

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Perth - Is It Time Yet?

Perth has given me a strange feeling lately. Its telling me - move on. Weird, because I love this city. I feel at home here. I'm always busy. Checked out Martin's "Territory Twelve" exhibition at Kurb Gallery, fantastic. Checked out Ben and Si's as well, at Turner - amazing. I watched the Pyrophone Juggernaut at the Northbridge Piazza opening, a musical instrument spewing fire-balls and beats into the warm Perth air. Went to see the huge travelling jade Buddha at the museum, very peaceful. Had a bunch of friends around for a pretty typical Perth night-in - beer, cocktails, and pizzas. A random lady pulled her pants down and urinated at my front gate, but thats just part of living in the city (I tried to get a photo for this blog, but wasn't quick enough). The one night boredom came to town last week, I roamed the city late at night taking most of the photos on this page.

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