For many Curtin Radio listeners, WA has been home for a lifetime, and watching it change over the decades has been like watching an old friend grow up. From corner shops and backyard cricket to skyscrapers and buzzing food markets, our state has come a long way.
Let’s take a little trip down memory lane.
WA Suburbs
From sleepy streets to bustling hubs.
There was a time when Perth’s skyline could be counted on one hand, and a trip to “the suburbs” really did feel like you were heading out into the bush. Many remember when kids rode bikes helmet-free until the streetlights flickered on, and every cul-de-sac had a cricket game in full swing. The corner deli was the heart of the neighbourhood, and milk was delivered in glass bottles left on the doorstep.
Now? Those same sleepy streets are filled with bustling cafés, international cuisines, and boutique shops. The corner deli might be gone, but in its place is a coffee roaster serving flat whites that could rival Melbourne’s best. Our suburbs are now diverse hubs where cultures, flavours, and stories from across the globe have settled in.
We’ve come a long way!
WA Industries
From mining towns to global players.
Ask anyone who remembers the early mining booms, and they’ll tell you about red dust coating everything. Not to mention long shifts under the sun, and towns springing up seemingly overnight. FIFO wasn’t even a term back then — it was just how people worked.
WA has always been built on grit. Wheatbelt farmers will recall the hard slog of harvest season, neighbours banding together to bring in the crop before the weather turned. Today, those same industries have gone global. Our resources, farming, and fishing don’t just fuel WA — they feed the world. That’s pretty amazing.
WA Culture & community.
Shifting attitudes.
Remember when Sunday trading was unthinkable? When pubs had a strict 6 o’clock closing? Or when going out for fish and chips in Fremantle on a Friday night felt like a big event?
WA has changed. Our once-quiet state has blossomed into a multicultural hub, celebrating food festivals, arts, and music from every corner of the globe. Subiaco Oval once roared with Eagles and Dockers fans; today, the new stadium lights up the river as thousands pour in for sport and concerts alike. Thankfully, even as the pace of life has quickened, our laid-back WA spirit remains.
Pictures that tell a story.
Some of the best reminders are found in old photographs. You might have one of a crowded day at the Perth Royal Show in the ’70s, fairy floss in hand. Perhaps you’ve got a family shot amongst a hundred other beach-goers out on the sand at Scarborough with an esky, transistor radio, and zinc on your nose.
For the younger generations, they’re a chance to glimpse what life was like before skyscrapers, smartphones, and Sunday shopping.
Compare them to today’s images — Elizabeth Quay glowing at night or bustling multicultural street markets. Take a photo at Kings Park, and it’ll be filled with families from all backgrounds enjoying a picnic.
We celebrate the then and the now.
At Curtin Radio, we celebrate WA both then and now. Whether it’s through music, memories, or milestones, this state’s story is our story too.