I’ve been trying to be more proactive about photographing buildings that are likely to be redeveloped within the next ten years or so. In many cases, including this one, I’m limited to photographing them from the outside and that’s fine.

 

These places rarely disappear overnight. They sit there for decades, housing people and their ordinary life until one day they’re demolished and replaced with some boring-as-batshit high-rise, with no record of what once stood on the site. Even though, the Swan Flats aren’t exactly visually captivating themselves.

 

This is not my personal history but it’s someone’s history. And once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

 

The building

“Swan Flats” doesn’t appear to be an official registered name but it’s the name displayed on the front of the 1962 building. The site comprises four single-level units on a 1,013 m² block, each with two bedrooms, one bathroom and enclosed courtyards. The property was sold as a single investment site in August 2024 for $2.35 million.

 

The character of the property

The flats are typical of mid-20th-century suburban medium-density housing in Applecross, occupying land close to the Swan River and near major amenities and transport routes. The layout is simple and functional, providing basic accommodation suited to elderly residents, couples or renters.

 

The location

Applecross is a well-established riverside suburb about 7 km south-east of Perth’s city centre. It sits between the Swan River to the north and the Canning Highway, the main road that runs the length of the suburb and connects Perth with Fremantle. The highway itself is a significant arterial route in Perth’s road network, running immediately south of the Swan River and passing right past 887 Canning Highway.

 

Properties along Canning Highway are often valued for their proximity to the river and the transport routes that provide direct access to the Perth CBD, Fremantle and other key areas. Applecross has a mix of housing types, nearby parks, shops and cafés and is currently experiencing change due to development pressure around the Canning Bridge area.

 

Development potential

Because the site sits within what real-estate marketing materials describe as the Canning Bridge Structure Plan area (a planning framework for future growth and intensification around the Canning Bridge transport hub), properties like 887 Canning Highway are sometimes marketed as “land-banking” opportunities. That means the owner can hold them as income-producing rentals, with the possibility of redevelopment in the future if planning rules change and demand increases.

 

These flats have since been re-tenanted.