The District Court of Western Australia will open its doors to the public on Sunday, 12 April, offering a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of the state’s busiest courts.
As part of the Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival, visitors will be able to explore areas of the Court that are typically off-limits, including the custody centre and holding cells. The open day will also give members of the public the chance to step inside courtrooms where some of Western Australia’s most high-profile cases have been heard, and to speak directly with judges about how the justice system operates.
It is only the fourth time in its 56-year history that a District Court Open Day has been held, with the last in 2019.
Chief Judge Julie Wager said the event provides a valuable opportunity for the community to gain a deeper understanding of the Court’s work.
“This is an excellent opportunity for West Australians to understand how the District Court operates, and the important work carried out every day by our judges, staff and jurors,” Chief Judge Wager said.
“It’s not often the public can step inside areas like the custody centre or holding cells, so this provides a rare insight into the workings of the Court.
“The District Court has played host to some of the state’s most high-profile cases, so this is definitely a unique, educational experience not to be missed.”
District Court judges handed down 1,905 sentences last year, with 446 criminal trials heard across the state. There were more than 3,600 lodgments in the civil jurisdiction.
The open day will also feature a range of interactive experiences, including a mock jury selection process to help visitors better understand jury duty. Younger attendees can take part in a scavenger hunt and even have their photo taken wearing a robe on the judge’s bench.
The District Court Open Day will be held on Sunday, 12 April from 10am to 3pm and is free to attend.
New exhibition at the Old Court House Law Museum
The open day forms part of the broader Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival, which celebrates Western Australia’s rich cultural and historical landscape.
Visitors can also explore other significant sites during the festival, including Government House and the Old Court House Law Museum — the City of Perth’s oldest building. The Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm and is hosting a new exhibition from 1 April, Enduring Walls, Evolving Stories: 190 Years of Reveley’s Court House.
The exhibition traces the history of the Old Court House, once the legal, social and civic heart of the colony, and examines the enduring legacy of Western Australia’s first civil engineer, Henry Willey Reveley. One of only two surviving structures from Reveley’s work in Western Australia, the Old Court House offers a window into the early challenges and ambitions that shaped the State’s legal foundations.
More information about the festival is available at www.visitperth.com/boorlooheritagefestival.
