Langley Park is an open space in the central business district 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. Running alongside Riverside Drive, it is grassed, rectangular in shape and has dimensions 900 x 100 m (3000 x 300 ft). It was created by

reclaiming In linguistics, reappropriation, reclamation, or resignification is the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change (i.e. ...

land from the adjacent Swan River between 1921 and 1935, to provide open space near the city. As a pioneer of civil aviation in Western Australia, Major

Norman Brearley Sir Norman Brearley, (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia. Early life Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, ...

used the park as an airstrip in the 1920s. That tradition continues with "fly-ins", where small aircraft land in the park. In 2003, to celebrate 100 years of powered flight, 10 aircraft – one representing each decade of the 20th century – landed. Aircraft have also used the park to perform emergency landings. In 1997 a

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

TMK had an engine failure and put down in the park. While not an official airfield, Langley Park makes Perth a place where fixed-wing aircraft can land in proximity to the central business district.

Modern usage

Langley Park's location makes it a popular place to view the annual

Lotterywest Skyworks The City of Perth Skyworks (previously named for other sponsors) was a large scale fireworks show in Perth, Western Australia that was held annually on Australia Day (26 January) over Perth Water, the section of the Swan River (Western Austral ...

, which are held over the river. The

Telstra Rally Australia Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in Coffs Harbour as the final leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) until 2018. First run in 1988, the rally was held in and around Perth, Western Australia until 2006. It was pa ...

World Rally Championship held events at the park for 11 years from 1992 to 2002, and once more in 2005.www.rallyaustralia.com.au
''The Road Ahead for 2005''. Accessed 21 March 2006 During November 2006, 2007 and 2008, the final stage of the

Red Bull Air Race The World Championship Air Race is a series of air races sanctioned by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI). Originally established in 2003 as the Red Bull Air Race, and created by Red Bull GmbH, the event involves competitors navigating a c ...

World Series was held over the Swan River and

Perth Water Perth Water is a section of the Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is between the Causeway to the east, and Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, ...

, using Langley Park as the airfield.

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

has used the park many times to set up its big top for its shows whenever a big top touring production visits Australia. Shows performed at Langley park are: Saltimbanco, Alegria, Quidam, Dralion, Ovo. On 30 September 2018, the park was the site of the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...

homecoming celebrations after winning the

2018 AFL Grand Final The 2018 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the West Coast Eagles and the Collingwood Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2018. It was the 123rd annual grand final of the Australian ...

References

External links

{{commons category, Langley Park Parks in Perth, Western Australia Perth waterfront State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Perth East Perth, Western Australia