Ask people in Perth where they go for a night out that isn’t the CBD, and many will say Beaufort Street. Over a few kilometres north-east of the city, it passes through a sequence of neighbourhoods, each with its own character. First comes the busy city end beside Northbridge, then Highgate’s café and bar strip around Mary Street, then the leafy heritage suburb of Mount Lawley around the Astor Theatre, and finally the relaxed village strip of Inglewood.
This is an independent guide to the street. We cover the neighbourhoods, the heritage buildings, the cinema, the art and the history, plus the practical details of getting here and getting around. Every guide is researched from heritage records, local history collections and reputable reporting, and lists its sources.
The street at a glance
- The city end and Northbridge. Beaufort Street begins on the northern edge of the CBD, near the Perth Cultural Centre, and climbs past heritage commercial buildings and rare Federation terrace houses. See the city end.
- Highgate. Named “Highgate Hill” in 1874 by a surveyor who was born in Highgate, London. Today it is known for its dining and nightlife around Mary Street and the heritage-listed Sacred Heart Church. See Highgate.
- Mount Lawley. Named in 1901 after Sir Arthur Lawley, then Governor of Western Australia, and known for its leafy streets of early twentieth-century houses. Its landmark is the Astor Theatre on the corner of Walcott Street. See Mount Lawley.
- Inglewood. A quieter village strip with a heritage post office and a landmark hotel, where the name is thought to come from a Norwegian barque. See Inglewood.
Heritage you can see from the footpath
Beaufort Street is a living catalogue of Perth’s architectural history. On the city stretch, the State Heritage Office lists terrace houses from the late 1890s, including a rare three-storey Federation Filigree group at 235–241 Beaufort Street. Further north, the Astor Theatre was built in 1914–15. It opened as the Lyceum, was remodelled in Inter-War Art Deco style in 1939 and was renamed the Astor in 1941. It was entered on the State Register of Heritage Places in 1999. Churches, hotels, shopfronts and houses along the way tell the story of the suburbs that grew up along the tram line in the early twentieth century. Read our heritage hub and heritage buildings guide.
Art, music and festivals
From 2010, the Beaufort Street Festival closed the street to traffic for a day of music, art and food, drawing very large crowds. It last ran in 2015, and the 2016 festival was cancelled. Its legacy lives on in the laneway murals and the street’s reputation for live music and creativity. See our street art hub and festival history.
Green space
A short walk west of Highgate, Hyde Park is one of Perth’s best-loved inner-city parks. It was gazetted as a public garden in 1897 and named Hyde Park in 1899, and its lakes, huge trees and paths are heritage-listed. See Hyde Park.
Planning a visit
Getting here. Transperth bus routes 66, 67, 68 and 950 run along Beaufort Street. Mount Lawley station on the Midland line is within walking distance of the northern section. See getting here.
When to come. Weekday mornings are good for cafés and heritage walking. Evenings and weekends are lively, especially in Highgate and around the Astor.
How long. Allow half a day to walk from Highgate to Mount Lawley with stops, or a full day to walk the whole street and detour to Hyde Park.
Ways to explore
- Follow our self-guided walk from the city end to Inglewood.
- See a film or a show at the Astor. Read the Astor Theatre guide.
- Hunt for laneway art around Highgate and Mount Lawley.
- Picnic at Hyde Park and walk the lake circuit.
- Browse independent shops in Mount Lawley and Inglewood.
Respect the neighbourhood
Beaufort Street runs through residential suburbs. Keep noise down late at night, use bins, and respect private property when photographing houses and laneway art. Many murals are on private walls, so admire them from the public laneway.
About this guide
This domain once belonged to the Beaufort Street Network, a community and trader group. That site went offline, and this independent guide was relaunched in 2026. We are not connected with that group, the councils or any business. Read about us, or contact us with tips and corrections.
