PerthNow’s 2016 feature named ten pubs linked to Perth’s 1980s band-pub scene and reported what had become of their buildings or sites by then. Those descriptions are a historical snapshot, not confirmation of what occupies each site today. The feature did not explain a scoring method, so these are its selections—not an objectively ranked top ten.
What PerthNow reported about the ten pubs in 2016
The list below follows Rob Broadfield’s PerthNow feature, published on 11 December 2016. Each later use is what that article reported at the time; it should not be read as a verified description of the site in 2026.
| Pub | Later use reported in 2016 |
|---|---|
| Coronado Hotel, Claremont | Medical centre |
| Shenton Park Hotel | Retirement home |
| Swanbourne Hotel | Retirement home |
| Mosman Park Hotel | Apartments |
| Rose Hotel, North Fremantle | Medical practice and apartments |
| Globe Hotel, Perth | Backpacker hostel |
| Fitzgerald Hotel, Northbridge | Professional offices |
| Federal Hotel, Barrack Street, between Wellington and Hay streets | Adina City Hotel |
| North Perth Hotel | BP service station |
| Maylands Hotel | Burnt down; the site was reported as a vacant block |
For a present-day visit or historical project, check each address against recent local records or operator information: the 2016 article does not establish whether these uses continued.
Why Perth’s band-pub era faded
Neil Randall, identified by PerthNow as the former owner of the Shenton Park Hotel, described noise and crowd management as growing problems in the 1980s. “Noise issues became serious problems for us in the 80s,” he said. Randall added that residents were becoming less tolerant and it was harder to manage the noise and behaviour of crowds. He also pointed to rising land values, particularly in Perth’s western suburbs, as a factor that made operating hotels difficult to justify. PerthNow’s feature quotes Randall on the pressures behind the closures.
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Randall said the Shenton Park was the last pub of that era to go, closing in the early 1990s after the Coronado and Swanbourne hotels. The venue’s stage had hosted acts including the Hoodoo Gurus, INXS, Painters and Dockers, Paul Kelly, The Stems, and Dave Warner and the Suburbs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the wider pub scene was changing
A separate ABC News report from November 2016 covered a Perth pub-history walking tour led by historian and author Eddie Marcus. Marcus described a shift from the popularity of “beer barns” in the 1980s toward more intimate bars and hotels by 2016. That account offers context for the changing pub scene, but it does not establish that the tour still operates.
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The former Great Western Hotel, now known as the Brass Monkey, provides another example of a changing venue, though it is not among PerthNow’s ten. The WA State Heritage Office says the hotel was built in 1896, refurbished in 1988–89 and renamed. Its heritage record describes it as continuing hotel operations through 2011. The inHerit place record documents that building’s history.
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