Barrack Street is one of two major cross-streets in the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia. Together with

St Georges Terrace St Georges Terrace (colloquially known as "The Terrace") is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River and forms the major arterial thoroughfare through the central business district. Its ...

, Wellington Street and William Street it defines the boundary of the main shopping precinct of the central city.

Route description

Looking down towards the Swan Bells on Barrack Street 1 - Perth

Barrack Street commences at

Barrack Street Jetty Barrack Street Jetty is an entertainment precinct and transport hub on the edge of Perth Water in the Perth central business district, Western Australia. Located at the end of Barrack Street. it comprises five jetties with a bars, cafes and ...

, and the adjacent

Barrack Square Barrack Square is an open public square on the foreshore of Perth Water on the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River, located at the southern end of Barrack Street, Perth, Barrack Street near the central business district of Perth, Western ...

. Moving in an uphill direction away from the Swan River, it passes alongside the

Supreme Court Gardens __NOTOC__ Supreme Court Gardens is a park in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia, bounded by Riverside Drive, Barrack Street, Governors Avenue, and the buildings of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. In the late 18 ...

and the

Stirling Gardens Stirling Gardens is a small public park in Perth, Western Australia. Located on the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street, west of the Government House and north of the Supreme Court buildings, it contains a group of significant scul ...

. Crossing

, Barrack Street then passes alongside the heritage-listed Treasury Buildings and the

Perth Town Hall The Perth Town Hall, situated on the corner of Hay and Barrack streets in Perth, Western Australia, is the only town hall built by convicts in Australia. Upon completion it was the tallest structure in Perth. History Designed by Richard R ...

. The town hall location was regularly utilised for special occasions, including the royal visit in 1901, and the

centenary of Western Australia In 1929, Western Australia (WA) celebrated the centenary of the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the first permanent European settlement in WA. A variety of events were run in Perth, regional areas throughout the ...

celebrations in 1929. Commercial buildings on the opposite side of the street give way to small retail businesses on both sides between Hay Street and Wellington Street. The street terminates at Wellington Street, continuing as

Beaufort Street Beaufort Street is a major road in the inner north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting the Morley, Western Australia, Morley area to the Perth central business district. For most of its length, it is a single-carriageway, tw ...

on and over the Barrack Street Bridge, which crosses the Midland and Armadale railway lines. The Barrack Street Bridge was constructed in 1894.

History

Barrack Street existed as a named road as early as 1833. It was named for the military barracks that existed along the alignment, at the corner of St Georges Terrace, in 1829. Construction of the barracks began on 13 August 1829, the day after

Governor Stirling Admiral Sir James Stirling (28 January 179122 April 1865) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governo ...

declared the foundation of the town of Perth. Soon afterwards, the soldiers' quarters were established, along an alignment that formed the street. The section between Murray Street and Wellington Street saw a minor urban renewal with Barrack Plaza officially opening on 12 July 2006.

Traffic direction

Barrack Street began as a two-way street. In 2010, the section between Riverside Drive and The Esplanade returned to two-way traffic. Further conversion occurred in 2011; the section between The Esplanade and St Georges Terrace was changed back to two-way traffic, and on 29 November 2015 the section between St Georges Terrace and Wellington Street was converted.

Cathedral Square

With the evolution of the properties in the CBD block defined by Barrack Street, Hay Street, Pier Street and St Georges Terrace, Barrack Street has become the western boundary of the Cathedral Square precinct. The renovation and revitalisation of the Perth Town Hall, and Treasury buildings has made the Barrack Street side a pedestrian entry point into the Square.

Major intersections

Barrack Street intersects all the major east–west routes in the

Perth CBD Perth () is the capital city of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The world's most isolated major city by certain criteria, Perth is part of the ...

, with all intersections being signalised except for Geoffrey Bolton Avenue. Prior to two-way conversion in 2015, it was the northbound route of State Route 53 through the CBD with William Street, one block over to the west, carrying the route southbound. Since conversion and development of

Elizabeth Quay Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth#cbd, Perth central business district. Encompassing an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct was named in honour of Elizabeth II, ...

, however, Barrack Street now carries both directions of State Route 53 north of The Esplanade before switching to State Route 5 south of The Esplanade.

Notes