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Captain Stirling Shopping Centre
For decades, the Captain Stirling Shopping Centre was part of everyday life in Nedlands. Sitting on the corner of Stirling Highway and Florence Road, next to the much-loved Captain Stirling Hotel, it was where locals grabbed their groceries, a loaf of bread, the newspaper, or a prescription from the chemist. The centre was demolished in 2023, clearing the way for a new development. Its story captures nearly a century of change along one of Perth’s busiest suburban thoroughfares.
From suburban lots to a local strip
Back in the early 1930s, the Nedlands Road Board began shaping Stirling Highway as the area’s shopping street. The opening of the Captain Stirling Hotel in November 1935 cemented the corner as a hub. Over the following decades, houses gave way to low-rise commercial buildings. By the post-war years, a cluster of small shops had formed, eventually becoming known as the Captain Stirling Shopping Centre.
July 2022
The centre in its heyday
At its height, the centre offered about a dozen tenancies, anchored by a modest IGA supermarket. There was a pharmacy, a travel agency, a newsagency and a Bakers Delight. Nothing flashy but everything a neighbourhood needed. Generations of locals knew it as their “one-stop” centre.
Who owned it and why it changed hands
By 2015, the centre was looking tired. Colliers International put it to market and in April that year, German supermarket giant ALDI confirmed it had bought the property. The price wasn’t made public but the sale was part of ALDI’s big push into Western Australia.
October 2022
Closure and demolition
After years of planning approvals and delays, the development application for a new ALDI-anchored complex was granted in late 2018. Shops began closing, the site was fenced off and complaints of vandalism and vermin rolled in. By September 2023 demolition was underway, asbestos warning signs hanging from the fences.
Today, two major projects are in the works:
At 90 Stirling Highway (the old shopping centre site), despite ALDI securing approval, the company has repeatedly sought extensions, pushing back redevelopment and testing the patience of both the local community and the City of Nedlands, who have already endured years of the centre sitting vacant.
Next door at 80 Stirling Highway (the hotel block), a separate Woolworths-anchored redevelopment called Nedlands Square promises a refurbished heritage hotel, new retail and a public square, aiming to open in late 2026. Work is well underway.
September 2023
