John Forrest statue

The John Forrest statue is located on a roundabout at the intersection of Lovekin and May Drives. It was unveiled in August, 1928 and honours the first Premier of Western Australia (1890 - 1901) and the first President of the Kings Park Board. John Forrest became Surveyor General in 1883 and officially named the gazetted public area as Perth Park in 1895.

In 1918, Sir John Forrest was to be made a Baron of the United Kingdom but he died in September before King George V formally signed the Letters Patent. The title of Lord Forrest was therefore never legally established but was applied to this monument when erected.

In his time, he doubled the size of the reserve, sought funding for the park and heavily influenced the first years of design and planning. Sir John Forrest was also chiefly responsible for the construction of Fremantle Harbour (1898), the Eastern Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (1903) and the Transcontinental Railway (1917).

State War Memorial Precinct

The State War Memorial Cenotaph is easily identified along Perth's skyline and is one of Kings Park's most iconic features. The site was selected on the bluff of Mt Eliza in 1926 after much negotiation with the Perth City Council, Premier and various committees, with the construction completed for the State’s Centenary in 1929. The Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance, Pool of Reflection and ANZAC Bluff feature within this precinct. The State War Memorial attracts over 40,000 visitors for the annual ANZAC Day Dawn Service.

2/16th Battalion Memorial

The 2/16 Battalion Memorial is located north of the Cenotaph. It honours the men of this battalion who fought in Syria, New Guinea and Borneo in WWII. It is flanked on either side by a plaque for the first 16th placed in 2003.

Jewish War Memorial

The Jewish War Memorial was erected in 1920 to honour soldiers of the Jewish faith who died in WWI. The monument was designed by sculptor Pietro Porcelli. It consists of an Ionic column of Donnybrook stone rising from a granite base and crowned by a globe of copper bearing the Star of David. A plaque was added in 1953 to commemorate those who died in WWII.

Floral Clock

A bequest from Mr F. Wittenoom, a Western Australian pastoralist, was used to build a floral clock that was unveiled in 1962. The landmark was removed in 2011 to allow for landscape improvements. It has been reinstated 200 metres south of its previous location, near the Western Australian Botanic Garden entry. The 2013 design features Australian plants as the roman numerals and a range of Western Australian native plants around the perimeter and in the clock centre.

Pioneer Women's Memorial

The bronze sculpture, ornamental lake and fountains of the Pioneer Women's Memorial serve as a centre-piece for the Western Australian Botanic Garden. The iconic nine foot bronze sculpture was formally opened in January 1968, reputed to be the largest undertaken in Australia at the time. The figure represents a mother with an infant in her arms, stepping forth to meet her destiny. It stands on a stepping stone in the pond surrounded by five other stepping stones and fountains, and is the centre piece of the Water Garden.

Firefighters' Memorial

The Firefighters' Memorial Grove was unveiled in 2000 in memory of all Western Australian firefighters who have served and given their lives in protecting our communities. Enhancement works were completed in 2014 and included the addition of two life-sized bronze statues by local artist Jon Tarry modelled on Western Australian firefighters, one standing and the other kneeling and holding the helmet of a deceased colleague.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Memorial

Australia's first State war memorial for Indigenous Australians commemorates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who gave their lives serving with the Australian armed forces and services in all conflicts since the Boer War. A granite rock with memorial plaque stands opposite seating and a wall, which includes rocks from regional areas of the State where Indigenous people came to serve their country.

Kokoda Memorial Plaque

The Kokoda Track Memorial was placed on the slope of Mt Eliza in 2001. It commemorates all units who served on the Kokoda Track in WWII. The Memorial sits at the start of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, which is a tribute to the bravery of Australian troops who fought through atrocious conditions and against vastly superior numbers in the Papua New Guinea campaign of July 1942 - January 1943.

Vietnam Memorial Pavilion

The Vietnam Memorial Pavilion was originally constructed at Karrakatta Cemetery in 1899 and then relocated to its current position in 1988. Dedicated on 1 October 1989 the memorial commemorates sixty-one Western Australians who gave their lives in the 1962 - 1973 conflict. On 7 December 2002 a statue of two soldiers from Australia and Vietnam was placed in front of the pavilion. 

Tobruk Memorial

First dedicated in 1966, this memorial is similar in design to the Australian memorial which once stood at the Tobruk War Cemetry in Libya. It honours the 'Rats of Tobruk' who defended Tobruk during the siege by German and Italian armies in 1941. The marble of the Tobruk name-plate came from a building in Tobruk. A time capsule lies beneath the memorial.

2/28 Battalion and 24th Anti-tank Company Memorial

Unveiled on 8 October 1961, the 2/28 Battalion and 24th Anti-tank Company memorial (Flame memorial) commemorates the men from these units who gave their lives in World War II. The memorial is a symbolic flame mounted on a stepped plinth of granite. The sculptor, Margaret Priest, described the memorial as 'abstract lines of flame forming a vital upsurge of life beyond death'. In 2007 the memorial was refurbished and moved closer to the Tobruk memorial.

Dr Arnold Cook Memorial

Dr Arnold Cook who became totally blind at the age of 18 years, pioneered the famous Guide Dog movement in Australia. The site was dedicated on 15 October 1986 by the Governor, Professor Gordon Reid, and the memorial unveiled by Mrs Ruth Reid on 4 December 1989. Greg James was the sculptor.

South African War Memorial

Previously known as the Fallen Solder’s Memorial, this was the first war memorial erected in Kings Park. It honours Western Australian soldiers killed in the Boer War (1899-1902). The foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Cornwall and York, who would later become King George V, in 1901 and the completed memorial was unveiled in September 1902. It was one of the largest and most impressive memorials in Australia at the time and remained the most important symbol of sacrifice until the unveiling of the State War Memorial in 1929.

HMS Queen Elizabeth Shells

The HMS Queen Elizabeth bomb shell was originally used to collect donations for the maintenance of the Honour Avenues. The collection box consists of thirteen shell casings including a fifteen inch projectile from HMS Queen Elizabeth that served at ANZAC Cove from 1914-18. It was unveiled in August 1921.

10th Light Horse Memorial

The 10th Light Horse was the only Western Australian cavalry regiment in World War 1. The Infantry was formed in 1900 and served in Sinai, Palestine, Jordan and Syria. The force was disbanded in 1919. The memorial honours the fallen 301 men from this regiment and was unveiled in April, 1921. Each ANZAC Day, the unit lays a sheaf of wheat in honour of the regiment’s horses.

Bali Memorial

The Bali Memorial is dedicated to Western Australians who died, or were injured, in the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002. The sandstone pillars are aligned so a ray of light enters the memorial at sunrise on 12 October each year, illuminating the plaque engraved with the names of Western Australians lost.

The memorial honours the courage and support provided by many individual volunteers and organisations following the incident. It was officially dedicated on 12 October 2003.

Queen Victoria Statue

The Queen Victoria Statue was gifted to the city of Perth by Hackett and Allen Stoneham, local and London mining entrepreneur in 1902. It was a replica of another made for the Examination Hall of the Royal College of Surgeons, with the Queen’s robes given to the sculptor to copy the lace into the Carrara marble. The veil was also created in likeness of the Queen’s wedding veil. The memorial was unveiled in October, 1903.

The four cannons that usually form part of this memorial have been temporarily removed in 2021 for inspection ahead of potential preservation works.

Leake Memorial Fountain

The Leake Memorial Fountain was erected in honour of George Leake who became Premier of Western Australia in 1901. It was designed in a Byzantine style by Technical School art master J.W.R. Linton and was unveiled in July 1904. It was funded through a bequest by Mrs Leake, who specifically requested a marble drinking fountain for the Park.