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Uploaded on: May 14, 2026

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Photo - The opening of the Maylands tramline in Perth, Western Australia, occurred on March 7, 1928. The inaugural, official opening festivities were held outside the Maylands Town Hall.

This extension of the Lord Street tramway featured a single line passing through the Mt Lawley subway to Maylands.

The Maylands Hall (town hall) and its surrounding park were officially opened on 7 May 1921 by E W Hamer, the first Freeman of the City of Stirling. The building, a key site of community history, was commissioned in 1919 and initially estimated to cost £3,000, ultimately costing roughly £4,500.

Historical accounts confirm that the hall, located on the corner of Guildford Road and Eighth Avenue in Maylands, Western Australia, was used for silent film screenings shortly after it was built:

Local historical records show that silent films were regularly screened in the hall during the 1920s. In 1928, a showman named Robert Hatfield established his first permanent picture show inside the building. Longtime locals recall a fire breaking out during one of these screenings. The fire was reportedly started by Hatfield’s pianist, Jack Jones, who was a chain smoker.

The End of Screenings: Hatfield moved his operations out of the hall in 1930. Screenings permanently ceased at the venue around this time because the hall was never outfitted to screen “talkies”.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -