The Parkerville Amphitheatre was a unique, natural outdoor venue in the Perth Hills bushland built around a dammed section of Jane Brook, famously known as Western Australia’s “Woodstock”.
The Vision and Creation (1966–1970)
The Parkerville Amphitheatre was conceived, owned, and operated by John Joseph Jones (JJJ), an English immigrant, poet, and playwright. Inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Jones used a bowl-shaped landscape carved out by Jane Brook, making almost no changes to the natural lay of the land. Jones built the venue with help from his family and voluntary labour from inmates of the nearby Barton’s Mill Prison.
Cultural Heyday and WA’s Woodstock (1971–1970s) Opened in January 1971 with public corroborees performed by Mowanjum Aboriginal dancers from the Kimberley. The venue hosted plays under the gum trees, orchestral performances, poetry, and WA’s first wine festival. Facing financial difficulties, Jones opened the venue to the emerging WA rock scene and counterculture. It hosted massive pop and rock festivals (like the 6KY Pop Festival) featuring iconic acts such as John Farnham, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, and local hard rock band Bakery, drawing thousands of young people.
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra performed several concert there.
A combination of mounting debt, accidents, friction with outraged local residents, and local council disputes led to the venue’s closure and abandonment in the 1980s. Despite offers to buy the land (which Jones intentionally blocked with impossible conditions), the amphitheatre returned to nature.
The story of the venue and its creator was captured in the 2015 documentary Parkerville Amphitheatre: Sets, Bugs & Rock n Roll by filmmakers Susie Conte and Jenny Crabb.
https://xpressmag.com.au/parkerville-sets-bugs-and-rock-n-roll-park-life/