Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district 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...

, 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...

, part of the Hoddle Grid

Hoddle Grid

The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the streets in the centre of the central business district of Melbourne. Named after its designer, Robert Hoddle, the Grid was laid out in 1837, and later extended...

 laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects 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...

 and Federation Square

Federation Square

Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street

Lygon Street, Melbourne

Lygon Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, Australia running through the suburbs of Carlton, Carlton North, Princes Hill and Brunswick East. Lygon Street's name has become synonymous with Italian restaurants and cafés located in the Carlton part of the street...

, a street famous for its Italian restaurants and cafes.

Russell Street has a rich and colorful history. Like many premium, inner-city precincts it has been transformed over a period of extensive urban renewal to become a hub for learning, living, shopping and dining. Russell Street is lined with established, green leafy trees and is the address of many restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, offices and the Grand Hyatt

Hyatt

Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...

 Melbourne hotel.

Russell Street is also the address of some of the city’s most important public amenity. The QV building, once the Queen Victoria Woman’s Hospital is now a upmarket mix of retail, restaurant, office and residential. The old Russell Street Police Headquarters

Russell Street Police Headquarters

Russell Street Police Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia was for many years the headquarters of the Victoria Police before they were moved to William Street in about 1990. The main multi-storey brick building located on the west of the site was constructed 1940-1943 in the Art Deco style by...

 has been redeveloped into apartments and the Old Melbourne Gaol is now managed by the National Trust of Australia

National Trust of Australia

The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....

 (Victoria) as a popular tourist attraction. The former Melbourne Magistrates' Court

Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court

The Former Melbourne Magistrates' Court building, located on the corner of La Trobe and Russell streets in the Melbourne CBD, was the original home of the City of Melbourne's City Court and District Court, and also housed an emergency court....

 on the corner of Russell and La Trobe Streets is now being used by RMIT University

RMIT University

RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....

 as part of its broader CBD campus. Retaining is original purpose, the grand State Library of Victoria

State Library of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...

 is an important resource for over 1.5 million visitors every year and was one of the world’s first free libraries.

Russell Street is easily reached by public transport by taking a train to Parliament railway station, Flinders Street railway station or Melbourne Central railway station

Melbourne Central railway station

Melbourne Central is an underground station in the metro railway network of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of five stations on the City Loop, which encircles the central business district. The station is under La Trobe Street, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, on the northern edge of the CBD...

. It also intersects several streets serviced by metro tram lines.