Civic Gardens

The Cottesloe Civic Centre lies on the corner of Broome and Napier Streets, Cottesloe, Western Australia. It is a local landmark featuring a substantial two storey building with white walls and an orange tiled roof in the Spanish Mission style. Over 2 hectares in area the site offers extensive views westwards over the Indian Ocean and is a popular venue for picnics, concerts, meetings and weddings. It includes the administration centre for the Town of Cottesloe, the War Memorial Town Hall and extensive walled and landscaped grounds with tall Norfolk Island pines.

The Laurels was originally built in 1897-98 for Richard Pennefather. It was an elegant example of the Federation Queen Anne style. Claude de Bernales, a mining entrepreneur, bought the house in 1911 and renamed it Overton Lodge, after his birthplace in Brixton, London.