Fitzroy Street is a street in the 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...

 suburb of St Kilda

St Kilda, Victoria

St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...

, which enjoys great popularity as a recreational area, mainly due to its many restaurants and its proximity to the entertainment areas along St Kilda beach

Fitzroy St is named for Charles Augustus FitzRoy

Charles Augustus FitzRoy

Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, KCH, KCB was a British military officer, politician and member of the aristocracy, who held governorships in several British colonies during the 19th century.-Family and peerage:...

, governor of the colony at the time that St Kilda was expanding from its original seaside setting.

Fitzroy Street is a wide boulevarde with a grade separated tram line down its full length. There are several tram stops and at least two tram superstops along its length. The width of the street enables it to also carry two lanes for cars and a bicycle lane on either side. It is sometimes closed to traffic for major events and is part of the Melbourne Marathon track.

Originally mostly residential, Fitzroy Street became the venue for many of St Kilda's hotels. Today, Fitzroy Street is mostly mixed use. The eastern section of the street begins at St Kilda Junction

St Kilda Junction

St Kilda Junction is one of the most notorious intersections in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of St Kilda, and bordering Windsor, Melbourne and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princes Highway and...

 and comprises medium rise office towers overlooking the bottom end of Albert Park and Lake

Albert Park and Lake

Albert Park and Albert Park Lake are situated in the City of Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of the Melbourne CBD....

 and the native parkland around the Junction Oval

Junction Oval

The Junction Oval is an historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its location near the St Kilda Junction gave rise to its nickname...

. This section of the street is flanked on one side by large London Plane

London Plane

Platanus × acerifolia, the London plane, London planetree, or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and the Platanus occidentalis . Some authorities think that it may be a cultivar of P...

 trees. The mid section of the street has a number of apartment buildings and old hotels including the George, Saint and Prince of Wales. The seaside end of the street has a number of smaller buildings which house many takeout venues, including Leo's Sphagetti Bar, Melbourne's first Italian restaurant and gelateria which was opened during the year of the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

. This end is flanked on both sides by elm

Elm

Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...

 trees and junctions with the Esplanade, Jacka Boulevarde and Beaconsfield Parade.

In the middle of the street, is the former St Kilda Railway Station, though it no longer services trains. At this point, the route 96

Melbourne tram route 96

Melbourne tram route 96 is a public transport tram and light rail route in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is one of Melbourne's busiest tram route carrying 39,700 passengers a day with a frequency of every 10 minutes or less during peak...

 integrates with the on road tracks which continue along Fitzroy Street.

Between the 1870s and 1890, Fitzroy Street was a fashionable address and was lined with Filigree architecture and terrace houses, churches and schools. During the interwar years, Fitzroy Street saw extensive infill development. The character changed in the 1950s and 1960s when many of the remaining Victorian era buildings were removed, though pockets from the Victorian era remain many which are heritage registered.

Fitzroy Street became one of the centre of the LGBT culture

LGBT culture

LGBT culture, is the common culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. It is sometimes also referred to as Queer culture. The term gay culture, though not synonymous, is sometimes also used though this may also apply specifically to the culture of homosexual men.LGBT...

 in Melbourne in the 1970s and was known for its cabaret venues. It is the setting for the Midsumma

Midsumma

Midsumma is an annual lesbian and gay festival held during January and February in Melbourne, Australia.Each year over 80,000 individuals across Melbourne and Australia participate in and attend Midsumma Festival events....

Festival Parade.