Northbridge Food Hall

Vacant and boarded up since the late 1990's, a foreign company purchased the venue, armed with enough finances to construct a new apartment complex with all the normal jazz and specs.

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I remember my family and I used to come here every now and then between 1992 and 1994 after we had dinner in Northbridge. The only time we came to Northbridge, aside from my traditional Timezone Birthday Party when I was about 12 or 13, was just before we saw a concert at the Perth Entertainment Centre.

 

One of the stalls here had the BEST milkshakes!

 

I think it was around 1996 when that stall closed and shortly after, that was the end of this food hall. I have very little other memories of this place, although I think all the stores sold cooked Asian meals.

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Over the years, the homeless bust open the boards of the food hall and start camping inside. The rangers are usually pretty quick to act on it, with a force of police as backup.

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In May 2016, the food hall was littered with the usual homeless camp's trash and disregard for the place, as well as a bit of furniture they'd probably flogged from somewhere.

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Neighbours living above in the apartment complex were in fear of a fire being lit and left uncontrolled. The Perth Voice crew went to have a lock and whilst they didn't enter, they could see, "mattresses, bedding, food scraps, luggage, bikes, clothes and a stereo system" amongst a sea of rubbish. Upon returning back to their office, the photographer noticed embers still alight in a pile of kindling in one of the photos. There were also the remains of a file on the orange tiled floor.

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January 2021 was the first opportunity I had to go in and photograph it. The day I heard that it was accessible, I went straight down there with two keen mates. We probably wouldn't get another chance anytime soon, as on the annual or so event an entry is made into the building, it'd be sealed up before most people knew it.