| Bourke Street | |
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Bourke Street Mall, between Swanston Street and Elizabeth Street looking west |
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| Length: | 2 km (1 mi) |
| Location: | Melbourne CBD |
| West end: | Docklands, Melbourne |
| East end: | Spring Street, East Melbourne, Melbourne |
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub. In its heyday it was the location of many of Melbourne's theatres, cinemas as well as a major retail shopping precinct. Today the street remains an entertainment hub best known as the location of the Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne's main pedestrian mall and one of the city's main tourist destinations.
Bourke Street is named for Sir Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales (and thus, of Melbourne as well) in 1837 during the drafting of the Hoddle Grid.
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Bourke Street runs roughly from east to west[1] and it bisects the CBD (known as the Hoddle Grid) along its long axis. Bourke Street runs between the parallel Little Collins and Little Bourke streets.
There are two stretches of Bourke Street; the older CBD stretch and the newer Docklands stretch. The older stretch intersects with Spring Street (overlooked by Parliament House) to the east and Spencer Street to the west.
The newer stretch is bounded by the Southern Cross Station (former Spencer Street Station) to the east and will intersect with the Collins Street expansion to the west in the future.
Concepts for a Bourke Street Mall were drawn up as early as 1964 by Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg[2] however the ambitious multi-platform design which separated cars from pedestrians was never realised.
The plans were eventually scaled down, with pedestrians sharing space with a grade level tram line. The Melbourne mall remains the only such mall to allow vehicles.
The pedestrian mall was officially opened in 1983 Bourke Street Mall officially opened by Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
The mall had received a major facelift in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and elevated tram superstops were later installed.
The Bourke Street Mall is a pedestrian and tram-only strip between Swanston and Elizabeth streets.
Bourke St Mall is home to two major luxury department stores.
There are several arcades and shopping centres that run off the Bourke Street Mall including:
There are several retail chains that maintain a flagship store presence in the Bourke Street Mall:
The east end of Bourke Street is home to Grossi Florentino, an Italian restaurant, bar and grill that's been operating for over 100 years[5] and is owned by Melbourne restauranteur Guy Grossi.
Pellegrini's Espresso Bar[6] is a Melbourne institution that has been serving coffee and hearty Italian fare to the public for over 50 years and is a popular place for tourists to visit.
Flower Drum restaurant in Market Lane, off Bourke Street opened in 1975 and is one of the most highly acclaimed Chinese restaurants in Australia, receiving multiple awards. In 2003, The New York Times Associate Editor R.W. Apple Jr. remarked that it may well be the best Chinese restaurant in the world.[7]
HuTong Dumpling Bar, also in Market Lane is currently one of the most popular restaurants in Melbourne, with people regularly queuing outside the restaurant before it opens hoping for a table.[8]
Several laneways that run off Bourke Street are known for their restaurants, cafes and bars including Causeway Lane, Market Lane, Crossley Street, Liverpool Street and Hardware Lane.
The first Myer Windows display Christmas of 1956, the year of the 1956 Summer Olympics and has been an annual tradition since with the windows decorated in a different display each Christmas aimed at children and their parents.
Bourke Street is a commercial zone lined by glass-paned skyscrapers, especially on the western stretch of the street. It is home to the new National Bank headquarters by the Victoria Harbour in Docklands, Commonwealth Bank Centre building, Bourke Place, Marland House, National Bank House and AMP Square.
Bourke Street has played a historically significant part in Melbourne's cinema industry. It was home to the city's first permanent cinema (although this was initially established near Princes Bridge), and by 1913 had developed into Melbourne's principal cinema precinct. In 1908, Arthur Russell began screening films at St. George's Hall, which was rebuilt as Hoyt's De Luxe Theatre in 1914, marking the beginning of the Hoyts cinema chain.
Bourke Street remained a centre for cinema-goers until quite recently. In 2005, the Hoyts cinema moved to larger premises at the Melbourne Central shopping centre. On 15 February 2006 the Village cinema closed down, leaving Village cinemas at nearby Crown Casino as the main Village branded city cinemas. The Chinatown Cinema, which inhabits the former Hoyts Midcity cinema, is the only cinema left in Bourke Street. Just off Bourke Street, the Greater Union cinemas and the newly expanded Kino Dendy cinemas continue to be cinema drawcards.
Tram routes 86 and 96 travel the length of Bourke Street and directly through the mall.
Parliament railway station is located at the eastern end of Bourke Street near the corner of Spring Street and is part of the underground city loop for the suburban rail network.
Southern Cross Station is located at the western end of Bourke Street and is a major transport hub for train and bus services throughout Victoria including shuttle buses to Melbourne and Avalon airports. A pedestrian bridge at Southern Cross Station provides access from Bourke St to Etihad Stadium and Melbourne Docklands.
An underground railway station for Bourke Street has been proposed as part of the Melbourne Metro.
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