Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Exhibition Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne
, Australia
. The street is named after the World Heritage listed
Royal Exhibition Building
, which is located in the Carlton Gardens
.
.
At its southern end it flows into Batman Avenue, at the intersection with Flinders Street
. Batman Avenue links the central business district to the Monash Freeway
, and the section immediately south of Flinders Street
is also known as the Exhibition Street Extension. At its northern end, it flows into Rathdowne Street, which runs along the western edge of the Carlton Gardens
.
's original survey of Melbourne
.
Garryowen surmises a few years after its naming that "Stephen Street is a tribute to a permanent under-secretary of state for the colonies".
It is suggested that it was named after Sir James Stephen
, the Permanent Underdersecretary for the Colonies in London who was at the peak of his power within the Colonial Office at the time of the naming of the streets of Hoddles Grid. Alternatively, it could have been named after his father of the same name who died in 1832 after a distinguished career in the service of England.
In 1847, the Eastern Market
was opened on the corner of Stephen Street and Bourke Street
. It was the second major market in Melbourne, after the Western Market
. It was intended to be Melbourne's main fresh food market, but it proved less popular than the Queen Victoria Market
, and eventually became more of an amusement park
. It closed in 1960.
Stephen Street, was renamed Exhibition Street to celebrate the 1880 International Exhibition and the 1888 Centennial Exhibition held at the Royal Exhibition Buildings during the 1880s boom times of 'Marvellous Melbourne'. Its name was officially changed by the Melbourne City Council on 5 December 1898. The change only applied to the portion of Stephen Street north of Collins Street
. The remainder was called Collins Place, and kept that name until it became part of Exhibition Street in 1963.
The Exhibition Street Extension project was announced by the State Government in April 1998 and opened in October 1999, with CityLink
operator Transurban
operating the road and collecting tolls from road users. The project included a four lane divided road over the Jolimont railyards
, enabling Batman Avenue west of Melbourne Park to be closed. In addition the route 70
tram was removed from Swan Street, and rerouted to dedicated tracks between the sporting precinct and the railway lines, before crossing the new bridge and turning into Flinders Street. The Exhibition Street Extension was not part of the initial CityLink project announcement, as it had been promoted as a bypass that would keep cars out of the CBD.
building, ANZ Tower, Australia Post
House and the Telstra Corporate Centre
. In late 2005, accounting firm Ernst & Young
moved into the newly built Ernst & Young Tower
on the corner of Exhibition and Flinders Street
- the site of the former The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
building. Melbourne's only Cartier
store is situated on Exhibition Street, near the corner with Collins Street
.
Her Majesty's Theatre
and Comedy Theatre
are both situated on Exhibition Street.
Melbourne's Marriott Hotel
is situated on the corner of Exhibition Street and Lonsdale Street
, in addition to a Rydges Hotel, and the Mantra at 100 Exhibition Street (formerly the Pacific International).
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The street is named after the World Heritage listed
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
, which is located in the Carlton Gardens
Carlton Gardens, Melbourne
The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Central Business District in the suburb of Carlton, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
Geography
Exhibition Street runs roughly north-south, perpendicular to the Yarra RiverYarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
.
At its southern end it flows into Batman Avenue, at the intersection with Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
. Batman Avenue links the central business district to the Monash Freeway
Monash Freeway
Monash Freeway is an urban freeway in Victoria, Australia linking Melbourne's CBD to its southeastern suburbs and the Gippsland region. The entire stretch of the Monash Freeway bears the designation...
, and the section immediately south of Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
is also known as the Exhibition Street Extension. At its northern end, it flows into Rathdowne Street, which runs along the western edge of the Carlton Gardens
Carlton Gardens, Melbourne
The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Central Business District in the suburb of Carlton, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
History
Stephen Street, as Exhibition Street was originally known, was established in April 1837 as one of the eight north and south streets on Robert HoddleRobert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle was a surveyor of Port Phillip in the 1830s, and the creator of the Hoddle Grid, the street grid system upon which inner city Melbourne is based. He was also an accomplished artist and depicted scenes of the Port Philip region as well as New South Wales...
's original survey of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Garryowen surmises a few years after its naming that "Stephen Street is a tribute to a permanent under-secretary of state for the colonies".
It is suggested that it was named after Sir James Stephen
James Stephen (undersecretary)
Sir James Stephen was the British under-secretary of state for the colonies from 1836 to 1847. He was instrumental in implementing the slavery abolition act.-Early life:...
, the Permanent Underdersecretary for the Colonies in London who was at the peak of his power within the Colonial Office at the time of the naming of the streets of Hoddles Grid. Alternatively, it could have been named after his father of the same name who died in 1832 after a distinguished career in the service of England.
In 1847, the Eastern Market
Eastern Market, Melbourne
The Eastern Market was established in 1847 on the corner of Exhibition and Bourke Streets, Melbourne, Australia. The first incarnation of the market was intended to be the city's principal fresh produce market, but it had been anticipated by the newly opened Queen Victoria Market, which quickly...
was opened on the corner of Stephen Street and Bourke Street
Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub...
. It was the second major market in Melbourne, after the Western Market
Western Market, Melbourne
The Western Market was established in December 1841 on a site bounded by Market, Collins and William Streets, and Flinders Lane. The market was Melbourne's first official fruit and vegetable market but like the Eastern Market its popularity was succeeded by the Queen Victoria Market. It traded for...
. It was intended to be Melbourne's main fresh food market, but it proved less popular than the Queen Victoria Market
Queen Victoria Market
The Queen Victoria Market is a major landmark in Melbourne, Australia, and at around seven hectares is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere. The Market is significant to Melbourne's culture and heritage and has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register...
, and eventually became more of an amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
. It closed in 1960.
Stephen Street, was renamed Exhibition Street to celebrate the 1880 International Exhibition and the 1888 Centennial Exhibition held at the Royal Exhibition Buildings during the 1880s boom times of 'Marvellous Melbourne'. Its name was officially changed by the Melbourne City Council on 5 December 1898. The change only applied to the portion of Stephen Street north of Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
. The remainder was called Collins Place, and kept that name until it became part of Exhibition Street in 1963.
The Exhibition Street Extension project was announced by the State Government in April 1998 and opened in October 1999, with CityLink
CityLink
CityLink is a system of tolled urban Highways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two existing freeways and construct two new Toll roads—labelled the Western and Southern Links—directly linking a number of existing freeways to...
operator Transurban
Transurban
Transurban is an international toll road developer and manager with interests in Australia and North America. In Australia, Transurban has a stake in five out of Sydney’s nine motorways, and in Melbourne it is the full owner of CityLink, which connects three of the city’s major freeways...
operating the road and collecting tolls from road users. The project included a four lane divided road over the Jolimont railyards
Jolimont Yard
Jolimont Yard was an array of railway lines and carriage sidings on the edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. Located between Flinders Street Station, Richmond Junction, the Yarra River and Flinders Street they were often criticised for cutting off the city from the river,...
, enabling Batman Avenue west of Melbourne Park to be closed. In addition the route 70
Melbourne tram route 70
Tram route 70 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is operated by Camberwell Depot and runs from the Waterfront City Docklands to Wattle Park in Box Hill South...
tram was removed from Swan Street, and rerouted to dedicated tracks between the sporting precinct and the railway lines, before crossing the new bridge and turning into Flinders Street. The Exhibition Street Extension was not part of the initial CityLink project announcement, as it had been promoted as a bypass that would keep cars out of the CBD.
Commerce
Exhibition Street is a commercial district lined by skyscrapers and home to many Tall buildings in Melbourne. It is home to the Reserve Bank of AustraliaReserve Bank of Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on 14 January 1960 as Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority, when the Reserve Bank Act 1959 removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank to it....
building, ANZ Tower, Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
House and the Telstra Corporate Centre
Telstra Corporate Centre
Telstra Corporate Centre is an office skyscraper in Melbourne, Australia. Standing 219m high with 47 floors, it is in the top ten tallest in Melbourne. It is located at 242 Exhibition Street. It is the world headquarters for Telstra....
. In late 2005, accounting firm Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
moved into the newly built Ernst & Young Tower
Ernst & Young Tower
The Ernst & Young Tower is one of the towers that forms part of the Toronto-Dominion Centre in downtown Toronto, Ontario. The former Toronto Stock Exchange building, now housing the Design Exchange museum, is embedded within the tower....
on the corner of Exhibition and Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
- the site of the former The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
The Herald and Weekly Times Limited is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited, who purchased HWT in 1987.-Newspapers:...
building. Melbourne's only Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
store is situated on Exhibition Street, near the corner with Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
.
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1706 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
and Comedy Theatre
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
The Comedy Theatre is a 997 seat theatre in Melbourne. It was built in 1928, and was built in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street, and diagonally opposite Her Majesty's Theatre, it is a part of the Marriner Theatre...
are both situated on Exhibition Street.
Melbourne's Marriott Hotel
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
is situated on the corner of Exhibition Street and Lonsdale Street
Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Lonsdale Street is located in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid, it runs roughly east-west. Lonsdale Street's eastern end intersects with Spring Street while its western end intersects with Spencer Street. It is home to multiple office buildings, courts,...
, in addition to a Rydges Hotel, and the Mantra at 100 Exhibition Street (formerly the Pacific International).