Charles Street is a major road in the inner northern suburbs of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia. It runs from
Newcastle Street and extends up to London Street, providing a connection between
Mitchell Freeway
The Mitchell Freeway is a freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest High ...
and
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road is a arterial highway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia linking Joondanna and Yokine in the south with Wanneroo and Yanchep in the north. As part of State Route 60, it begins from Charles Street in the inner ...
. It is the southern section of part of
State Route 60, which continues north along Wanneroo Road.
History
The street was named after
Captain Charles Fitzgerald, Governor of WA, 1848–55. The section of Charles Street from Carr Street to
Walcott Street
Walcott Street is an important east–west road in the inner northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking four of Perth's major northern road corridors ( Charles Street, Alexander Drive, Beaufort Street and Guildford Road
Guildfor ...
was originally an extension of
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road is a arterial highway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia linking Joondanna and Yokine in the south with Wanneroo and Yanchep in the north. As part of State Route 60, it begins from Charles Street in the inner ...
. Its name appears for the first time on maps of the Land Department in 1853.
In October 2022,
Main Roads began a planning study to upgrade Charles Street with grade-separated "duck and dive" interchanges (effectively
single-point diamond or
roundabout interchange
A roundabout interchange is a type of interchange between a controlled access highway, such as a motorway or freeway, and a minor road. The slip roads to and from the motorway carriageways converge at a single roundabout, which is grade-separate ...
s in which the intersection is at-grade and the free-flowing road is below ground) at its busy
Vincent Street,
Scarborough Beach Road
Scarborough Beach Road is an arterial northwest–southeast road located in the inner northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It connects North Perth to Scarborough Beach, and is mostly a single carriageway road, with two or three lanes ...
, and
Walcott Street
Walcott Street is an important east–west road in the inner northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking four of Perth's major northern road corridors ( Charles Street, Alexander Drive, Beaufort Street and Guildford Road
Guildfor ...
intersections.
However, after community opposition to the required demolition of about 100 properties, the study was abandoned in November 2022.
References
Streets in Perth central business district, Western Australia
Roads in Perth, Western Australia
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