Uncover Perth’s 200-year story on this engaging historical walking tour. Discover the city’s boom-and-bust cycles, indigenous farming practices, scandalous art movement, and more!
- Perth - The Boom-and-Bust tour narrates Perth’s journey from the struggling Swan River Colony to its emergence as the City of Light. Spanning from First Contact to the present, each stop on the tour unfolds Perth’s story decade by decade. The tour features both contemporary and historical footage to illustrate how shifts in the State’s economic fortunes have led to waves of demolition, development, and social change. Each stop is paired with various hospitality venues across the CBD to highlight the best of the West.
The Boom-and-Bust tour highlights quintessentially Western Australian stories such as:
The City’s peculiar fascination with heritage balconies
The ancient science of indigenous farming practices
Perth’s ‘scandalous’ modernist art movement
London Court: the first place in Perth to have air-conditioning
The rise, fall, and resurgence of Alan Bond
Demolished buildings of Perth
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First Contact - This is where the tour begins. Your self-guided walk will start upon arrival, featuring historical footage, audio commentary, venue recommendations, and additional historical references.
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His Majesty’s Theatre - The self-guided tour proceeds to His Majesty’s Theatre, where we delve into the story of WA’s first gold boom.
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Raine Square - Heritage King St sets the scene for the tale of farming in Western Australia.
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Hay Street Mall - The route continues with two stops in Hay Street Mall, exploring Perth’s Gilded Era and its recovery from the Great Depression.
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Council House - The tour moves on to the Council House, where we narrate the story of minerals and modernism.
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Quay Perth - There is no better place to witness the impact of Perth’s 1980s boom than the buildings along The Esplanade. Explore the then-and-now of sites including the Former Esplanade Hotel.
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The Bell Tower - The tour concludes at The Bell Tower, a short walk from Elizabeth Quay. Our final stop tells the story of how Western Australia’s boom-and-bust cycle persists today.
- Extended stays: Savour hidden history & wide open spaces. Spend more time where your interest lies.
- Audio & immersive narration: our virtual guides make locations come alive with history and anecdotes
- Social media integration: capture and share moments with immersive media
- Turn-by-turn navigation: seamlessly guided with maps, media & commentary, on-demand, on any device
- Private transportation
- Self-Guided Tour - uses your phone or tablet
Explore 200 years in an afternoon! This tour tells Perth’s story from the struggling Swan River Colony to its coming of age as the City of Light. Each stop on the tour progressively tells Perth’s story decade-by-decade. The tour includes current-day and historical footage to show how each shift in the State’s fortunes has driven waves of demolition, development and social change. Boom-and-bust showcases quintessentially Western Australian stories such as: > The City’s strange obsession with heritage balconies > The ancient science of indigenous farming practices > Perth’s ‘scandalous’ modernist art movement > London Court: the first place in Perth to have air-conditioning > The rise, fall and rise again of Alan Bond Rushed itineraries miss the magic. Stories Unseen is the clever way to experience places differently. Our curated, self-guided tours seamlessly bring locations to life with audio & immersive narration from our charismatic companions.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
