A stark image capturing the view from Kings Park in 1962 shows how much Perth changed in the ensuing decades.

This picture and many others snapped by government photographers from the 1940s to the 1980s capture the unique local character and rapid social changes experienced throughout.

The collection, curated by the National Archives of Australia, will be on display in Northbridge until November.

Named from Sea to Suburbia, the images were taken by dozens of photographers employed by government agencies, who visited towns as far north as Broome, down to Pemberton in the south.

Some images were taken by the Australian News and Information Bureau (now the Department of the Interior) to portray life in Western Australia as appealing — something it does successfully.

From idyllic pictures of kids climbing a tree at Kings Park Adventure Playground in 1973, to men playing bowls on a perfect green at Perth Esplanade in 1962, life in Perth certainly looked serene.

A picture taken from above the old Swan Brewery in 1966 shows Perth’s changing skyline, while another offers a snapshot of bathers enjoying a swim at Port Beach, Fremantle in 1975.

Exhibition co-curator Kellie Abbott said the photographic collection held by the National Archives is a valuable resource for Western Australian history and heritage.

“This unique exhibition depicts our way of life in an era spanning 40 years from the end of the Second World War,” she said.

“Australian Government photographers covered the west from the Kimberley to Esperance, Perth to Kalgoorlie, outback to forest, and sea to suburbia, documenting the extraordinary and the everyday.

“Some images in the exhibition showcase our beautiful, iconic landmarks, while others illustrate our changing attitudes to the environment and urban development.”

Other images show WA’s unique country character, one shows two rugged men repairing a station fence in 1973, while in another a forestry worker climbs a set of rickety steps up a fire lookout tree.

Sea to suburbia is open at the National Archives’ Western Australia Office in Northbridge until 28 November 2025.