The race to re-draw Perth’s city skyline is on. Once a flat provincial centre politely perched on the edge of the Swan River, today the city is literally climbing towards the clouds. But with all this talk of Perth storming into the future, SunsetMag takes a minute to reverse time and revisit the city that was and could have been.

Eavesdrop on any St Georges Terrace conversation today and you’re liable to hear: “I’ve got to head into QV.1 and then Bankwest, then I’ll meet you at The George for lunch and we can go over some papers before we head to Central Park.” But things could have been so much different. Picture this conversation: “I first need to swing by the Moir Chambers and then the AMP Building, before filling up at Winterbottom’s Garage. Then I’ll meet you at the Adelphi Hotel before we head over to the Stock Exchange.”

Sadly, all of these places have long disappeared – their ancient bricks torn down to make way for the shiny steel and glass city we know today. The magnificent Moir Chambers on St Georges Terrace were built in 1896 and demolished in the early 1970s, as was the AMP building and Mill Street’s iconic Winterbottom’s Garage (once proudly Australia’s largest garage). The unmistakeable art deco charm of Mill Street’s Adelphi Hotel was wiped away in the late 1960s, and the 1890s Stock Exchange is now but a distant memory.

“West Australians are very good at beating themselves up about things they should have done or not have done,” explains expat Englishman and Executive Director of Heritage Perth, Richard Offen.

“Yes we’ve lost an awful lot of St Georges Terrace and lots of magnificent buildings went in the 1960s and ‘70s, but quite frankly, Perth was doing nothing different to other cities around the world. Just about everywhere that had any money was having the policy of ‘out with the old and in with the new’.”

Perth city’s first architectural roots are pretty inglorious by global standards (see 1837’s Old Courthouse in the Supreme Court gardens, today Perth’s oldest building). After Captain James Stirling had reneged on his initial vision to have Perth city located at what is today Guildford, building began in present-day Perth with acute trepidation. The structures were largely humble affairs – a product of functionality and practicality – save for buildings holy or reverently suitable for opulence, such as St George’s Cathedral, the Perth Town Hall and Government House.

Indeed, the population’s apprehension to planting more permanent roots in Perth was fuelled when Stirling came close to declaring WA a failed colony in the 1830s. Mother England answered with convict labour (WA was originally intended as a free colony) and some more serious building began. However, it wasn’t until the gold rush of the 1890s that there was enough confidence – and wealth – to set the foundations of a permanent and proud city.

More than most cities, Perth’s physical appearance is inexorably linked to gold booms (throw in some nickel, gas and iron ore and you’re laughing!). The gold rush of the 1890s brought us many of Perth’s most treasured buildings, such as His Majesty’s Theatre and McNess Royal Arcade – both designed by master architect, William Wolf. Situated on the corner of Hay and Barrack Streets and now camouflaged with retail outlets, McNess Royal Arcade was Perth’s second-ever arcade, the first being the Busy Bee Arcade in what’s now known as Northbridge.

To take a swim through Northbridge meant something slightly different back in the 1800s. In fact, the area was originally a lake and home to Chinese market gardens. The lake was drained in 1864 and the area became known as ‘North of the Line’ when the rail was laid in the 1880s. ‘North of the Line’ was home to large Greek, Chinese and Italian communities and was also known as Little Italy before it was rebranded Northbridge in 1979.

As well as the Busy Bee Arcade on the Horseshoe Bridge end of William Street, the Brass Monkey (formerly known as the Great Western Hotel) was one of the most lavish results of the gold boom of the 1890s. On the other side of the train line, the Palace and the Savoy hotels also stand as testament to a period of tremendous wealth and growth for Perth.

Future booms would bring with them concrete, steel and glass and an austere post-war architectural ideology that would set the tone for a new city. Today the more optimistic fruits of the most recent boom are quickly racing for the skyline and will alter Perth for good. But glimpses of the past remain – the city that was and the city that could have been.

Heritage Perth celebrates Heritage Day in the city on November 15 with walking tours of colonial and indigenous sites, plus plenty of other activities that will take you back in time. Check out http://heritageperth.com.au for all the details and give Richard Offen a yell – he’d be more than happy to take you for a stroll through the Perth you may not know.