The Building

… a work that will be not only an ornament to the city but confer a great and lasting benefit on the community at large.”

Governor Hampton’s plan for a Town Hall gave Perth a beautiful and unique building, which has become a landmark at the heart of the life of the city.

Governor Hampton kaadatj Boorloo miya, baal kwobidak miya. Baal koort winin Boorloo-k boodja.

Started in 1867, and mostly built by convicts, the building was in use even before it was completed. The unfinished building was decked out with flags to welcome the Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in 1869. The first office of the telegraph was established in the base of the Town Hall tower and the first message sent between Perth and Fremantle on 21 June 1869.