Perth council is paying $400k after Instagrammers flock to famous spot

This has become the most photographed building in Perth but visiting tourists have created a very expensive problem for locals.

This simple blue boatshed is so popular with tourists it has become the most photographed building in Perth — and created a very expensive problem for the local council.

The Crawley Edge Boat Shed on the Swan River has become an international hit on Instagram, with influencers flocking to the colourful wooden building for photos.

The Crawley Edge Boat Shed is a hit with influencers. Picture: Theo Fakos

“There has been an increase over the past few years of visitors to this area, with tour buses as well as self-driven visitors stopping here for photo opportunities,” Perth City Council noted in its minutes from a May 28 meeting.

“The closest public facility is located at the Narrows Gardens which is 2.4 kilometres away.”

But the shed isn’t easy to get to — groups of tourists have to duck across busy Mounts Bay Road to reach it — and once they’re there, there aren’t many provisions for them.

Influencers and tourists visiting the boat shed have taken to swamping a nearby restaurant to use its toilets, but the restaurant’s owner has complained some visitors have been rude, disruptive and verbally abusive.

So in the wake of the boatshed’s massive surge in popularity, the council has decided to build a toilet for them — at a cost of $400,000.

The toilet, which will be Perth’s first solar-powered loo, will cost an extra $20,000 each year to maintain.

The unique building is a desired place for a photo opportunity.

But it’s hoped the facility will better accommodate visitors desperate to photograph one of the city’s most picturesque buildings.

“The construction of the proposed facility, with appropriate signage at strategic locations, will allow visitors to the area the respite they need, without exhausting the current business facility’s capacity,” the council said.