Hay Street, Perth

Hay Street is a major road through the central business district of Perth, Western Australia and adjacent suburbs. The street was named after Robert William Hay, the Permanent Under Secretary for Colonies. Sections of the road were called Howick Street and Twiss Street until 1897. One block in the central business section is now a pedestrian mall with extremely limited vehicular traffic, so that it is necessary to make a significant detour in order to drive the entire length of Hay Street.

Route description
Orientated east-west, the road starts at The Causeway travelling west through the suburbs of East Perth, Perth, West Perth, and Subiaco, where the road originally terminated at Subiaco. Unusually, the street numbers reset to 1 when Hay Street crosses Thomas Street and enters Subiaco.

A subway under the Fremantle railway line was constructed in the early 1900s, replaced when the railway was moved underground through Subiaco in 1999. From that point it becomes Underwood Avenue through Jolimont, Floreat (past Perry Lakes) and ends in Swanbourne.

Buildings
A number of buildings are along the road, including:
 * Gledden Building
 * His Majesty's Theatre
 * London Court
 * Melbourne Hotel
 * Perth Town Hall
 * City of Perth Library
 * Carillon City
 * Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade
 * Plaza Theatre and Arcade
 * QV.1
 * Regal Theatre
 * Ross Memorial Church
 * St Georges Hall
 * Subiaco Hotel
 * Walsh's Building

Pedestrian mall
The Hay Street pedestrian mall was the earliest conversion from street to mall in Perth, introduced in 1972, despite the road being a major thoroughfare. Through traffic was initially diverted to either Murray Street or St Georges Terrace.

Cathedral Square
Hay Street between Pier Street and Barrack Street defines the northern boundary of a block, that has evolved in name from the Cathedral precinct to Cathedral Square, in which the Perth Town Hall, and the City of Perth Library are situated on the Hay Street side of the square.

In popular culture
A photograph of the Hay Street pedestrian mall taken in the early 1980s was used as the cover art for Perth-based psychedelic rock band Pond's 2017 album The Weather.