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Cottesloe Beach Pylon

There it is - the little pylon standing alone offshore, probably Cott's simplest and most recognisable landmark. Built in the 1930s as one of three pylons for an ambitious shark-proof swimming enclosure, it has long outlasted the scheme that put it there. And don't get too attached to its colour - local surf clubs have been repainting it in their own stripes for bragging rights for decades.

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Cottesloe Beach Pylon standing in the ocean

View the offshore pylon from the main beach around the John Street alignment or from the foreshore terraces.

The pylon began with a much bigger idea. Cottesloe councillor and engineer R. G. Foreman promoted a protected ocean swimming enclosure during the 1930s, with three concrete pylons intended to support the structure. Engineering difficulties, storms and mounting costs meant the project was never completed as planned, earning it the enduring local nickname “Foreman's Folly”. The other pylons disappeared, but this one survived.

Its colours have become another piece of Cott folklore. The pylon has traditionally carried Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club's yellow, black and white, only for rival clubs - including North Cottesloe - to head out and repaint it in their own colours. The unofficial tussle has often flared around ocean swimming events, turning the landmark into a very visible piece of surf-club rivalry. All those extra coats of paint may even have helped protect the concrete from the elements.

The original enclosure never succeeded, but almost 90 years later Cottesloe does have one. A seasonal protected swimming enclosure is generally installed off the main beach from late October until the end of April, stretching about 170 metres north from the groyne and 140 metres offshore.

Decades of waves and storms have repeatedly damaged the pylon and required substantial repairs, yet its slightly improbable silhouette has become one of the defining images of Cottesloe Beach. Watch it change with the coast - bright and graphic on a clear morning, surrounded by white water in a swell, or reduced to a simple silhouette at sunset.

Most people enjoy and photograph the pylon from the beach, although more adventurous swimmers sometimes head out and even try to climb onto it. With waves, submerged reef and conditions that can change quickly, there are plenty of days when this offshore icon is better appreciated from the shore.

Cottesloe Beach Pylon Conservation Management Plan

Town of Cottesloe - Protected Swimming Enclosure

Useful links