Prohibited area map

Perth was a prohibited area for Aboriginal people between 1927 and 1954.

The Governor had discretion to declare any place a prohibited area for Aboriginal people. Noongars were subsequently not allowed to spend time in towns and were restricted from certain places. The prohibitions applied not only to rural towns but to also Perth.

On 18th March, 1927, the Governor of Western Australia relied on the 1905 Act to declare the City of Perth a prohibited area for Aboriginal people. This particularly affected Noongar people who lived and worked there. Noongars could not loiter in towns. They had to be there on particular business and were required to have a pass for work and entering a town. In Perth, there was a six o’clock curfew which made it illegal for Aboriginal people to be in town.

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Prohibited Area Map

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