ACDC Lane, Melbourne

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The street sign for ACDC Lane in Melbourne

ACDC Lane is a street in Melbourne, Victoria. It is a short, narrow laneway, running south from Flinders Lane between Exhibition Street and Russell Street in the central business district of Melbourne.

The street was formerly called Corporation Lane, but was renamed on October 1, 2004 as a tribute to Australian rock band AC/DC. The Melbourne City Council's vote to rename the street was unanimous.^[1] The trademark lightning bolt or slash ("/") used to separate the AC and the DC in the band's name contravened the naming policy of the Office of the Registrar of Geographic Names, so the punctuation was omitted on the street sign.

Melbourne's Lord Mayor John So launched ACDC Lane with the words, "As the song says, there is a highway to hell, but this is a laneway to heaven. Let us rock." Bagpipers then played "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)." One month after the renaming, a lightning bolt was erected above and below the street sign.^[2] The lighting bolt was removed at a later date, for unknown reasons.

The street sign for ACDC lane has been stolen and replaced numerous times.

The lane contains a rock 'n' roll nightclub called the Cherry Bar.

[edit] Reason for the name

Corporation Lane was chosen for renaming in part because the band filmed the music video for "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" on Melbourne's Swanston Street. ACDC Lane is near Swanston Street.

Other factors given include: AC/DC's status as cultural ambassadors for Australia, the band's ties to Melbourne, and the lane's position in the city's bar district.^[3]

[edit] See also

• Leganés, Spain, also has a calle AC/DC. The street sign is subject to theft by fans.

[edit] References

• ACDC Lane, Melbourne is at coordinates 37°48′56″S 144°58′15″E / -37.815505, 144.970822 (ACDC Lane, Melbourne)Coordinates: 37°48′56″S 144°58′15″E / -37.815505, 144.970822 (ACDC Lane, Melbourne)