So let’s take a walk through the history of Perth City’s skyline.
The year 2003
I was in year 12 when I first took a camera down to the Swan River to watch the reflections of the city lights in the water. A small bunch of school friends stood nearby while all my focus was on the cameras long shutter release. The skyline was a lot simpler back then, and very two dimensional. It made it easier to shoot from any angle, and relatively unchanging as you moved around it.
It is interesting to see that the woodside building was under construction at that time. Today, the new home of woodside is currently under construction in the Capital Square project.
The year 2007
I returned to do it again with a digital SLR, but it was when I started to appreciate how beautiful our city looks on a sunny spring day that I really fell in love with shooting the skyline.
The year 2008
In 2008 I took to the air for the first time to see our city from above. In a small aircraft we performed some tight manoeuvres around the CBD. The aerial shots of Perth City made me understand how much area our city takes up, and how much room there is for new towers to be built over time. Eventually, the Northbridge City Link project would expand the usable area of the city northwards while Elizabeth Quay brought it south to the river.
The year 2009
The beginning of the construction boom of Perth began to show in 2009. Not only were many minor towers built around the city, the massive Brookfield Place began to rise from the center of the CBD. Behind the city, wellington street began to rise giving the street level feel of Perth a boost.
The year 2010
Just a year later the effect of Brookfield place was unmistakable. Citizens of Perth were aware of how their city was changing. In East Perth, taller and bulkier apartment buildings began to emerge and slowly the two skylines began to integrate.
The year 2011
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting came to Perth in 2011 and with it was a small pause in the level of construction of the city. The State Government delayed some civic works such as Elizabeth Quay to maintain a cleaner image of Perth. The crown of Brookfield Place was completed and the glass wall that is our city shone brightly.
The year 2012
Construction ramped up heavily with the onset of Elizabeth Quay. For three years it would mark the foreshore of the city as a huge construction site.
The year 2013
10 years after I took that first photo of Perth, I came back to the city at night to produce a master image of the Perth City Skyline at night. I was very happy with both the development of the city and my personal development in the world of photography.
The year 2014
Some very important infill towers were built, such as the Treasury tower, which was part of the larger Treasury and Cathedral redevelopment. The prominent tower filled the large gap that existed between the Perth CBD and the East Perth skyline from the South Perth riverbank.
The year 2015
For the final year of the construction of Elizabeth Quay, much of the public watched on with nervous anticipation. The construction process had redirected city traffic, and elements of the site such as the footbridge was now visible from great distances.
The year 2016
It is 2016 and the city continues to grow and look more beautiful than ever before. The opening of Elizabeth Quay has given people a whole new way to appreciate the beautiful skyline of Perth City.
