Wheel and bell tower offer similar view

by Wen Xing Ho

April 17, 2008

BARRACK SQUARE businesses, Perth’s lord mayor and tourists reckon there’s room enough for a ferris wheel proposed for the Swan River foreshore, even though the nearby Perth Bell Tower already offers similar views.

In a clipped comment, bell tower boss Paul Grootveld said, if the ferris wheel were built, it would do no harm and potentially some good for his business.

Spearheaded by a company called World Tourist Attractions, which has observation wheels in London’s Hyde Park and on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the wheel this week received the provisional thumbs up of Perth’s lord mayor. The company wants to erect a wheel, half the size of the London Eye, on the foreshore to the west of Barrack Square.

“I believe it will benefit the bell tower,” Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi said, “and no doubt also bring great visitation and utilisation of the cafes in the Barrack Jetty precinct who have been concerned about declining visitation.

“The ferris wheel is a temporary opportunity to revitalise the foreshore [which] will provide the people of Perth with an opportunity to see this area more closely. “

Ms Scaffidi assured there’d be no cost to the city, with the operator to be charged a lease fee if the wheel was approved.

Visitors to Barrack Square on April 17 were divided on whether they’d prefer to view the brackish River Swan from the existing bell tower, or the proposed ferris wheel.

“I would probably go check out the bell tower,” said John Chase, a visitor from England. “I’m from London and even I have never been on the London Eye.”

Anthony Bishop, a tourist from Adelaide would prefer to take his view from the wheel.

“I would rather visit the ferris wheel,” he said. “I think it has a better view of the river compared to the bell tower.”

Matteo Geri, a swimmer from Italy, who’s in Perth to compete in the FINA Masters World Championship currently underway, said he wouldn’t mind visiting both lofty structures.

“They are so near each other I wouldn’t mind visiting both,” Mr Geri said. “I think that tourists would want to visit the bell tower and ferris wheel.”

Meanwhile a local business operator was all for the wheel.

“I don’t know much about the ferris wheel but I believe that it would bring more people to the foreshore and increase the amount of tourists to the area,” said Andy Baudry who manages the nearby Lucky Shag pub. “Now that is not a bad thing.