St Kilda, Victoria

It is located beside Port Phillip Bay about 7 km south-east of the Melbourne's central business district. It has the largest population of any suburb in the City of Port Phillip.

The suburb has been a popular seaside resort for residents and visitors since its foundation. During the Edwardian and Victorian eras it was favoured by Melbourne's elite, and many palatial mansions were constructed. Subsequently the area became Melbourne's red-light district, with many of the large mansions converted into low-cost rooming houses. In recent years, St Kilda has begun to shake off a seamy reputation and is home to many of Melbourne's famous visitor attractions including Luna Park, the Esplanade Hotel, Acland Street, its many theatres and St Kilda Beach. St Kilda is home to many of the city of Melbourne's big events.

[edit] Origins of the name

The suburb takes its name from a ship called The Lady of St Kilda, which visited Melbourne in July 1841, five years after the founding of Melbourne. The ship was owned by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, a member of a prominent British political family, and the main shopping street of St Kilda is named Acland Street after him. The ship was named for the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The name of the island itself derives the Old Norse word skildir, meaning "shields."

Looking north over Port Phillip Bay toward Albert Park and the Melbourne skyline from St Kilda Pier

[edit] History

See also: History of Melbourne

St Kilda was originally settled because the high ground above the beach offered a cool fresh breeze during Melbourne's hot summer months. Within a few years of its founding it became a fashionable and wealthy area. St Kilda became a separate municipality in 1857. During the Land Boom of the 1880s, St Kilda became a suburb of great stone mansions and palatial hotels, particularly along the seaside streets such as Fitzroy Street , Grey Street and Acland Street and the area once known as St Kilda Hill centred between Wellington Street, Alma Road, former High Street (incorporated as part of St Kilda Road) and Chapel Street. The lower inland areas of St Kilda East were not so wealthy and comprised of many smaller, semi detached cottages, many constructed of timber.

During the Depression of the 1890s, however, St Kilda began to decline. The seaside area became an entertainment precinct for Melbourne's working classes after a tramline was extended south from the Melbourne central city area, and the wealthy people moved further south to more exclusive suburbs such as Brighton.

Italian Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department was contracted in 1906 to masterplan for the beautification the foreshore of St Kilda all the way to Point Ormond. His successful plan resulted in the famous leisure precinct that people enjoy visiting today, paving the way for several resort style developments along the foreshore including Luna Park, the Palais Theatre, St Moritz Ice Rink (destroyed by fire), Palais de Danse (destroyed by fire) and many others of the time. As a result, several landmarks along the foreshore were named after Catani, including the clock tower, gardens and arch.^[1]

From World War I onwards, parts of St Kilda have become notorious for prostitution and other vices, something that still persists today. Grey Street and Carlisle Street became red light districts.

Since the 1960s it has become one of Melbourne's leading gay and lesbian residential areas.

In the 1930s St Kilda became a centre for Melbourne's growing Jewish community and subsequently a growing Orthodox community developed with a number of synagogues and schools. In recent decades, however, the centre of Melbourne's Jewish community has moved eastwards to more affluent Caulfield. There are still Jewish neighbourhoods in East St Kilda, mainly of older and more Orthodox people and recent Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, but the Jewish character of Acland Street, for example, has been lost.

In the 1970s, widening of St Kilda Road and the creation of the Queens Way connection to Dandenong road destroyed much of the former St Kilda Junction (including the famous Junction Hotel) and High Street, once considered the centre of the suburb, which became an extension of the road. The widening also had the effect of creating a physical barrier between the foreshore suburb, its civic area and eastern streets.

Since the 1990s, an influx of tourists and young backpackers and the increased gentrification of the area over the past 5 - 10 years, has lead many long term residents to leave, thus removing much of the bohemian/artistic character of the area. The area adjacent to the Palais Theatre known as the Triangle Site, including the Palace music venue was flagged by the council for re-development in 2005, with a number of proposals. All of the proposals facilitate restoration of the Palais, but some which, somewhat controversially, advocate the demolition of the Palace. Other recent local controversies concern the locality of homeless shelters and a skate park.

[edit] Demography

Today St Kilda is an area of sharp social contrast, with many homeless and other disadvantaged people living among the wealthy and fashionable who crowd its shops and cafes.

For many years, St Kilda has had the highest population density in the Melbourne statistical area, and the highest for a metropolitan area outside of Sydney ^[2]. This density is reflected in the built form, which consists primarily of strata titled units, apartments and flats, including a single housing commission tower. In recent years a hi-rise apartment trend in suburbs like Southbank, Docklands and the Melbourne CBD and St Kilda Road all rival the suburb's population density.

Despite migrationary trends, St Kilda retains a large Jewish population. The legacy of Jewish people in the area is evidenced in the large number of synagogues in the area and the Jewish Museum of Australia, the only one of its kind in the country, which is located in Alma Street.

[edit] Culture

St Kilda has a unique artists culture, but is also home to many local events of high profile.

[edit] Major events

St Kilda has run Melbourne's first major arts and crafts market which has been run on the Esplanade every Sunday since the 1980s. It has been rivalled in Melbourne in recent years by the Southbank art and craft market on Southbank promenade.

St Kilda is also home to many major annual events. The largest of these is the St Kilda Festival, which has grown over recent years. St Kilda also hosts Midsumma, a gay Pride March. St Kilda is home to the many venues of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Each year, the Community Cup Festival celebrates grassroots Australian rules football and raises money for local charities. Other local events include the St Kilda Film Festival and St Kilda Writers Festival.

St Kilda Festival 2005

2005 Community Cup

[edit] Music

St Kilda has a vibrant local music scene that has produced many Australian live music acts. Perhaps the most famous of these is legendary rock band Hunters & Collectors and its front-man Mark Seymour. Prominent local music venues include the Palace, Esplanade Hotel, the Prince of Wales Hotel and Palais theatre for larger concerts.

[edit] Sport

Junction Oval.

St Kilda is represented in the national Australian Football League by the St Kilda Football Club, known as the Saints, although the club lacks success, having won only the one VFL/AFL premiership in 1966 by one point against Collingwood and the record for wooden spoons. Despite this, the club has a cult following which includes local celebrities such as Ian Molly Meldrum. The team retains the name St Kilda, however the club moved its base in 1964 to Moorabbin Oval in suburban Moorabbin, and later began playing its home games out of the Telstra Dome at Melbourne Docklands.

The suburb is home to many sports ovals in Albert Park Reserve, including the historic Junction Oval.

The suburb is also home to the St Kilda City Football Club of the Southern Football League, the St Kilda Sharks who won back-to-back Victorian Women's Football League titles in 1998&99 as well as several VAFA clubs based in Albert Park.

[edit] Local landmarks

St Kilda has many distinctive local landmarks, most centred around the St Kilda Esplanade and foreshore area, several featuring domes of a Moorish architecture theme established at the turn of the century. Perhaps the best known is Luna Park an early 20th century amusement park with its famous "Moonface" entry and its historic scenic railway.

The St Kilda Pier is another local landmark and major tourist attraction. The pier is terminated by the St Kilda Pavilion, an eccentric Edwardian building in the mould of English pier pavilions which is considered of high cultural importance to Melburnians. It was recently reconstructed and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register after burning down. The pier has a long breakwater which shelters St Kilda Harbour and hosts a little penguin colony. The pier is also the starting point for a ferry which runs between St Kilda and Williamstown.

St Kilda Beach is a beach with gentle bay waves popular with swimmers and sunbathers during the summer months. It is often criticized by locals and visitors alike for its pollution, but significant recent efforts have been made by government organisations to keep it clean. The beach recently had an interpretive public artwork called, the Lady of St Kilda sculpture, a mock timber shipwreck intended for temporary installation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, however it proved to be extraordinarily popular with locals and tourists and it was left erected for many months afterward. However the sculpture has been subject to vandals disassembling parts of it, became an OH&S concern to the local council and was removed in November 2006 by the City of Port Phillip. The beach is currently subject to a foreshore redevelopment scheme aimed at improving the pedestrian experience.

The St Kilda Sea Baths is a Moorish themed building erected in the 1920s was recently restored, but the baths were established as early as the 1850s however previous buildings burned down.

Acland Street is a shopping and restaurant precinct famous for its cake shops and cafes. It also features a number of public artworks.

St Kilda Town Hall is an impressive building by William Pitt. Directly opposite is the St Kilda Public Library, built between 1971-73 at 150 Carlisle Street, it is a notable brutalist design by architect Enrico Taglietti, uniquely designed to open like a book. Also includes Ashton Raggatt McDougall’s award winning extension (1994).^[3]

Luna Park Entrance	St Kilda Pavilion, formerly Kerby's Kiosk, recently reconstructed	St Kilda Sea Baths	Lady of St Kilda sculpture (a temporary art installation; now removed) at St Kilda main beach
St Kilda Town Hall, Carlisle Street	St Kilda public library, Carlisle Street

[edit] Theatres / cinemas

St Kilda has three main theatres, each catering to a different niche use. The Palais Theatre is located on the Esplanade and was built in 1927 to the design of Henry White as a cinema (formerly Palais Pictures). It is now used as a live music and concert venue and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Astor Theatre on Chapel Street is a modern/art deco styled cinema built in 1935 to the design of Ray Morton Taylor. It features the largest screen in southern hemisphere and operates as an arthouse cinema with its own year long film festival and private functions.^[4] The National Theatre (formerly the Victory) on the corner Barkly and Carlisle Streets is a Beaux Arts styled performing arts venue built in 1920 which is home to the oldest ballet school in Australia (established 1939).

St Kilda once had many more smaller theatre venues, but has lost many over the years.

Palais Theatre

Astor Cinema

National Theatre

[edit] Places of worship

St Kilda is home to a large number of places of worship built over the years to serve primarily the Christian and Jewish faiths, although many of these churches have since been converted for other uses. St Kilda Synagogue is one of the earliest, built between 1872-1880 and is located in Charnwood Grove. The Former Baptist Church, built in 1876 at 16 Crimea Street served as a masonic hall before being acquired by St Michael's Grammar School. The St Kilda Parish Mission Uniting Church, built in 1877 on the corner Chapel and Carlisle Streets is notable for its polychromatic brick and slate roof design. St Kilda Presbyterian Church, built in 1878 on the corner of Alma Road and Barkly Street was designed by Wilson & Beswicke architects. The Sacred Heart Church is a St Kilda landmark with its tall tower built on Grey Street in 1890 to the design of renowned colonial architect Reed in partnership with Henderson & Smart architects. The Former St Kilda Uniting Church on the corner Fitzroy and Princes Streets became part of an apartment complex in the late 1990s. The Holy Trinity Church built between 1882 and 1889 on the corner of Brighton Road and Dickens Street is another church by Reed of Reed & Barnes. Other notable churches include the Christ Church Complex on the corner Acland Street and Church Square.

St Kilda Synagogue	Holy Trinity Church	St Kilda Parish Mission Church	Sacred Heart Church
Former Baptist Church	St Kilda Presbyterian Church

[edit] Residential architecture

With many layers of development, St Kilda is characterised by an eclectic mix of residential styles, ranging from rows of Victorian terrace houses, Edwardian and interwar homes and apartments to post-war and modern infill development. Much of the suburb's innovative architecture is recognised nationally.

St Kilda is home to many "boom style" mansions, dating back to the early days of the seaside resort. Notable historic residences include Eildon Mansions on Grey Street built in 1855 and modified in 1880 is a grand old mansion now serving as backpacker accommodation which is listed on the Victorian Heritage register. Hewison House built on Chapel Street in the 1870s is a former mansion that has become an administration building of St Michael's Grammar School. Marion Terrace in Burnett Street was built in 1883 and is considered one of the finest Second Empire styled terrace houses in Australia. Myrnong Hall built in 1890 on Acland Street is a large Victorian mansion richly decorated in cast iron.

Some notable Edwardian buildings includes The Priory, built in 1890 at 61 Alma Road, it is one of the few Richardsonian Romanesque homes in Melbourne, built as the boarding house for a ladies school, but now a private residence.^[5]

During the Interwar years, St Kilda was heavily subdivided into apartments. This era produced some outstanding designs including Canterbury Flats on Canterbury Road built between 1914-1919 to the design of H.W & F.B Tompkins is a notable mixture of Edwardian styles. Belmont Flats on the corner of Alma Road and Chapel Street was built in 1923, an outstanding blend of Arts and Crafts and Californian Bungalow influences applied to an apartment building, was built in 1923. Belvedere Flats at 22 Esplanade on the corner of Robe Street was built in 1929 and is a notable Spanish Mission styled block of flats designed by William H. Merritt and has featured on The Secret Life of Us. All of these buildings are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. A significant block of Spanish Mission flats, the Baymor Court, built in 1929 was demolished in November 2004 to make way for the Esplanade hi-rise apartment development.^[6]

St Kilda is also home to some notable contemporary residential designs. St Leonards Apartments in St Leonards Street is two blocks of post modern apartments built in 1996 to the design of Nonda Katsalidis and is recognised with multiple RAIA Victorian architecture awards. Newman House on Canterbury Road was built in 2000 and became a pop architecture icon. The house was designed by Cassandra Fahey for local celebrity Sam Newman featuring an image of Pamela Anderson's face. Sam did not first obtain council permission, however permits were issued retrospectively when it became a major local landmark and won the award for Best New Residential Building in the RAIA Victorian Architecture awards. Newman no longer lives at the house.

Eildon Mansions	Hewison House	Richly detailed Victorian terrace house on Gray Street	Marion Terrace
Myrnong Hall, Acland Street (undergoing restoration work). Built 1890.	The Priory	Canterbury Flats	Belmont Flats
Art Deco apartment buildings on Brighton Road	Belvedere Flats	St Leonard's Apartments block 2	'Newman House'

[edit] Historic hotel buildings

St Kilda features many notable grand old hotels, some which still operate as licensed premises and others that function as accommodation. The most famous is the Esplanade Hotel on the Esplanade. Built in 1878 and later modified, the Esplanade is an iconic pub and live music venue known by locals simply as the 'Espy'. The St Kilda Coffee Palace, built in the 1870s was once the suburb's main coffee palace. It is now a busy backpackers hostel. The George Hotel built in 1887 on the corner of Fitzroy and Grey streets was once a large coffee palace. In the 1990s is was converted into studio apartments. The building is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register however many of the interior and exteriors are in need of restoration. The Prince of Wales Hotel is another famous hotel which was built in the 1930s in the moderne style. It has been used as a cabaret venue and is now another live music venue.

The 'Espy'

The George Hotel

Former St Kilda Coffee Palace

[edit] Parks and gardens

St Kilda is known for its many parks and gardens, many featuring combinations of the predominant Canary Island Date Palms, which are synonymous with the area and Californian Fan Palms. Some of the notable gardens include St Kilda Botanic Gardens on Blessington Street, which has heritage features and gates, a conservatory, rose garden, lake and sustainable Eco Centre building. The gardens were once surrounded by mansions, but was subject to unit development in the 1960s. The St Kilda Foreshore and Catani Arch are on Jacka Boulevarde, while the upper Esplanade reserve where the Sunday markets are held features the Catani Clock Tower, heritage toilets and vaults. The Catani Gardens which sit between the foreshore, Beaconsfield Parade and the Esplanade includes a War Memorial, Captain Cook statue and Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Buildings. O'Donnell Gardens is adjacent to Luna Park on Acland Street and features an art-deco monument and tall palms. Alfred Square on the upper Esplanade has numerous war memorials, which include the South African War Memorial (1905) listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Albert Park is a large park which spans many suburbs, including St Kilda on Fitzroy Street and hosts a number of sporting fields and a recreational lake. The St Kilda Town Hall features a small public Victorian garden facing the corner of busy Brighton Road and Carlisle Street.

O'Donnell Gardens, next to Luna Park	St Kilda War Memorial, Catani Gardens	Catani Gardens, main path looking towards the 1988 bi- centenary reproduction rotunda (bandstand).	Catani Gardens, Captain Cook statue and Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron buildings
Alfred Square, Anglo-Boer War and Vietnam War memorials, and Catani Clock tower in background	Ornate cast iron fountain in Albert Park off Fitzroy Street	Entry gates to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens from Blessington Street

[edit] Other landmarks

Other St Kilda landmarks include the St Kilda Marina on Marine Parade, one of the first marinas in Melbourne and still very popular. The Metropole and Terminus on Fitzroy Street is the former St Kilda railway station, it now serves as a light rail terminus and apartment and restaurant precinct. The St Kilda Lawn Bowls Club, Fitzroy Street and its heritage clubhouse buildings have been featured on television and film. The St Kilda Park Primary School on Fitzroy Street is a large gothic styled building behind the bowls club and one of the suburb's main schools. St Kilda Primary School is on Brighton Road and is also a large gothic styled building. It hosts a monthly fashion market. St Kilda Junction is a large traffic interchange which also feeds into St Kilda Road. Junction Oval on Fitzroy Street is one of St Kilda's main sporting grounds and features two large heritage grandstands.

St Kilda Park Primary School building

Junction Oval

[edit] References in popular culture

The Network Ten drama The Secret Life Of Us was set in St Kilda, mostly around Acland Street, Fitzroy Street and in the famous Esplanade Hotel. The main characters were often depicted playing social games of soccer in Catani Gardens and social lawn bowls at St Kilda bowls club, both of which have since become a popular local traditions. The show featured a fictional pub called the Foo Bar which was often sought after by tourists but did not actually exist, the popularity of the name later inspired a real licenced venue in nearby beachside Brighton.

Many of the indoor scenes from The Story of the Kelly Gang were filmed in St Kilda^[7].

Many of Paul Kelly's popular songs feature the suburb, including From St. Kilda To King's Cross from the Album Post which included the famous lyric "I'd give you all of Sydney Harbour (all that land, all that water) For that one sweet promenade", in reference to the St Kilda Esplanade. The area also featured in songs such as Killed her in St Kilda by Voodoo Lovecats, St Kilda Nights by Purple Dentists and Melodies Of St Kilda by Masters Apprentices.

[edit] Recreation and Leisure

Recreation on St Kilda beaches includes most watersports, including windsurfing, kitesurfing, rollerblading, beach volleyball, jetskiing, waterskiing and sunbathing. A skate park for the Fitzroy street end of Albert Park is in the planning stages.

Kitesurfing on St Kilda Beach

[edit] Transport

St Kilda is well connected to the Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne by trams and a dedicated Light Rail line along the former St Kilda railway line which terminates at the Terminus - the former St Kilda railway station before integrating with the on-road system.

Tram routes 96 from Bourke Street, tram 112 from Collins Street and tram 16 from Swanston Street, all service St Kilda and are around 25 minutes from the city.

A major taxi rank is on Fitzroy street.

Buses also run through the suburb.

The Bayside Trail off-road bicycle network connects through St Kilda.

[edit] Localities in St Kilda

St Kilda West is a locality in St Kilda and represents the area north west of St Kilda bordered by West Beach Road, Fraser Street and Canterbury Road. It is a small community which is a mix of medium density terrace housing and flats (mostly 1920s stock) to modern hi-rise apartments.