About Ore Obelisk
Ore Obelisk is a 15-metre public artwork designed by the City of Perth’s first appointed planner, Paul Ritter, and unveiled in 1971. Commissioned to mark a transformative moment in Western Australia's history—the State’s population reaching one million, and the explosive growth of its mining and energy industries, the Obelisk stood as a bold expression of civic ambition and economic transformation..
Standing just metres from Council House, the Obelisk was part of a bold civic vision that connected urban planning with cultural symbolism. Ritter saw the work as a metaphor for the State’s economic transformation and a reflection of the city’s ambition. The stacked spheres of ore, sourced from across Western Australia and threaded along an oil drill pipe, rose from a base engraved with annual production data - a living graph of WA’s mineral wealth.
This was not a typical public art commission. It was a grassroots act of civic collaboration. With no formal client, over 50 organisations and agencies came together to realise the artwork. The P.E.E.R. Institute (Planned Environment and Education Research), led by Ritter, donated the design and coordinated its delivery as an urban experiment in collective effort.
Installed in Stirling Gardens, Perth’s oldest public garden and a site of deep cultural significance for both the civic and Noongar communities, the Obelisk stood for nearly 50 years. It became a much-loved local landmark affectionately known as “the kebab.”
In 2021, the Obelisk was removed by the City of Perth and dismantled with an oxy torch. It was placed in storage, with no plan or timeline for restoration. Despite widespread concern from heritage experts and arts professionals, on late May 2025, the City installed a mass-produced sculpture Boonji Spaceman, by an American entrepreneur - on the Obelisk’s original base.
This decision not only blocks the return of a meaningful local work - it undermines the heritage value of Stirling Gardens itself, a place the Heritage Council describes as vital to the public’s “sense of place and identity.”
The campaign to restore Ore Obelisk to its rightful place is about more than one sculpture. It’s about honouring the spirit of civic imagination, community connection, and protecting Perth’s cultural identity for future generations.
