It doesn't seem widely known amongst the locals that much of the Perth foreshore is man-made. The aerial shot below shows the Perth convention centre and surrounds in 2012. Hover over the picture to see how different things were sixty years ago.
Life on Perth has a good collection of information on the foreshore reclamation, why it was done, and what traces of the old foreshore remain.
Google Earth has historical aerial imagery of Perth going back to 2000, but for older pictures, back to the 1940s in some areas, the government
Landgate (Java required) site has plenty to look at. Have a look at what was demolished to make way for the Mitchell Freeway, or work out when your house was actually built.