Brunswick Street, Melbourne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brunswick Street also refers to the Brunswick Street railway station and nearby road in Brisbane.
Brunswick Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, known for cafés, live music venues and alternative fashion shops.
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[edit] Geography
Brunswick Street runs north-south through the inner northern Melbourne suburbs of Fitzroy and Fitzroy North, from Victoria Parade at its southernmost end, crossing Alexandra Parade, and continuing until reaching St. Georges Road in Fitzroy North, near the Edinburgh Gardens; there, its former northward course is continued by a much smaller residential street named Brunswick Street North.
Tram route 112 runs along the entire length of Brunswick Street for part of its journey.
[edit] History
Brunswick Street, believed to be named after Captain Brunswick Smythe, owes its origins to Benjamin Baxter, who owned a lot of land along Victoria Parade, in the recently proclaimed township of Newtown (now Brunswick South). Baxter's lot was Lot 49, which was adjacent to Lot 48 on the north-west corner of Victoria Parade and Nicholson Street. In 1839 Baxter subdivided his lot into quarters, creating roads between the subdivisions. These became Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street. Initially, Brunswick Street only ran as far as what is now Hanover Street. In 1840, Mr R. S. Webb subdivided Lot 70, which was to the north of Baxter's lot. This extended Brunswick Street further north to Bell Street (originally known as Hamburg Street). The street was officially proclaimed in 1851.
Shops had appeared on Brunswick Street as early as the 1840s. By 1854 the strip rivalled Bourke Street as a shopping district.
After World War 2, large numbers of immigrants (principally from Mediterranean Europe) settled in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, including Fitzroy. Among them there were many Italians, who in turn imported espresso machines and established the foundations of Melbourne's café culture. For some decades, the suburb of Fitzroy was a grungy working-class area of low rents and cheap shops. This area began to attract students, artists and bohemians. The T. F. Much Ballroom commenced in Cathedral Hall (now called 'Central Hall', just opposite St Vincents Hospital, in Brunswick Street, in 1970. The T. F. Much was the heart of Melbourne's music scene and saw stand out performances by Daddy Cool, Spectrum (and Murtceps), Carson, Capt Matchbox as well as several of Joe Camilleri's earlier incarnations. In the 1980s, 3RRR established its studios in Victoria Street, off Brunswick Street, the Punters Club established itself as a significant live music venue, and independent record shop PolyEster Records opened. These businesses cemented Brunswick Street's status as a nexus of Melbourne's indie music and post punk/new-wave subcultures, which in turn drew in waves of suburban tourists in their teens and 20s. Gentrification was not long in following, though the economic recession of the 1990s slowed it somewhat. One by one, the few remaining regular shops closed and were replaced by cafés, fashion boutiques and bars. Gradually, some of the original attractions were forced out; the Punters Club closed in 2002, and 3RRR has relocated further out to Brunswick.
[edit] Attractions
The majority of the entertainment precinct of Brunswick Street lies between Johnston Street and Alexandra Parade, with some of it spilling southward. North of Alexandra Parade, Brunswick Street becomes predominantly residential.
[edit] Cafés and Eateries
Joe's Garage is a comfortable mix of café, bar and restaurant with footpath dining out front. It's a laid back affair with free wifi which pulls many laptop users to the venue. 'Joe's' is also the regular home of tequp ( tequp.com ) , a weekly meeting of artists and technically minded people.
[edit] Live music venues
The Rob Roy Hotel (corner of Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street, Fitzroy) has largely taken up the space left vacant in the Fitzroy live music scene when the Punters Club closed, and hosts gigs on most nights of the week, sometimes by international acts. Smaller performances also take place upstairs at Bar Open and the Cue Bar. The First Floor is a trendy Chapel Street-style bar which hosts bands as well as DJs. Other worthy pubs and bars include Cape Lounge, and the Evelyn, which are both popular places to see a band. The culture of Brunswick Street has extended onto Johnston Street, with many bars and pubs spread along the street.
[edit] Shops
PolyEster Records is now owned by Australian folk/pop indie label Candle (home to the Lucksmiths), and still carries a decent range of independent and major-label releases. The original founder of the shop, Paul Elliott, runs PolyEster Books, a bookshop specialising in outré topics (sex, drugs and rock and roll feature heavily, as do conspiracy theories and fringe beliefs) on the other side of the street. Some years ago, this shop was raided by the vice squad, who confiscated much stock, though no charges were laid. Since then, the proprietor has gone out of his way to thumb his nose at the authorities by conspicuously keeping pornography on display.
Gown of Thorns is a fashion boutique specialising in gothic and alternative clothing and accessories.
