The heart beat of Melbourne is brisk, energetic, and hip. It is a city
on the move and in 10 years experts predict it will pass Sydney as the
biggest city in Australia.
I expected that Melbourne would be an old, stuffy, remote city. What I discovered was a
very modern city of steel and glass skyscrapers, an ever-growing multicultural population, a colorful past, and an attitude that blends the old with the new to make it a warm, welcoming, and open place for new possibilities and innovations. No city is perfect but this one seems to be trying to accommodate people to make life pleasant and vibrant, most notably through its architecture and urban development.
Many of Melbourne's elaborate buildings were built during the very lucrative Australian Gold Rush (1851-1914). One of the prime examples of Victorian grace is the Flinders Street Station (pictured above), the city's long-time transportation nerve center. Since 1854, residents and visitors have traveled to and from the city through this station. Today, Flinders is one of the busiest stations in the world with over 1500 trains and 110,000 commuters passing through it each day.
The station was named after Captain Matthew Flinders, a British navigator and cartographer who gave Australia its name, he was the first to circumnavigate the continent. He also charted the north, south, and west coasts and wrote about his travels in the book, Voyage to Terra Australis (1814). Here he is standing on the prow of a boat braced against the wind as two seaman bring the boat ashore. The sculpture, unveiled on November 8, 1925, is located at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Below are some other Victorian buildings I found nice to look at as I walked down the city's streets. Some of them are near newer buildings and provide an interesting contrast of time, design--and height. Urban planners today are OK with this kind of variety in the cityscape. It presents an evolution of "place".
H&M bought this former bank building on Collins Street to house its clothing store. Repurposing old buildings for new needs is a development challenge, especially when it requires Internet access. This project was considered highly successful in terms of the building's adaptation to modern times as well as its ability to increase the economic development of the area where it sits.
St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's is the Anglican Cathedral of the Melbourne Diocese located across from the Young & Jackson Hotel on one side and kiddy-corner to the Flinders Street Station. It was built in neo-Gothic transitional style
by the distinguished English revival architect William Butterfield who never set foot in Melbourne, but instead sent detailed plans for the building.
The cathedral stands on the same site where the first public Christian services were held in 1836, one year after Melbourne was founded. From 1836 to 1848 the site also served as a corn market for the city. In 1848, the site was given to the Anglican Church to build St Paul’s Parish Church in 1852. In 1885 the church was razed in order to build the present Cathedral. The Cathedral’s foundation stone was laid in 1880, and its consecration occurred on January 22, 1891.
The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican bishop whose stated vision is "to
be a place of transformation for our City and Diocese where all people
can come to experience and know God’s love in Christ Jesus." This vision is represented through its signs, symbols, sculptures, and activities. For example, in addition to Masses, prayer services, and ecumenical services, it provides English languages lessons, a Wednesday lunchtime concert series, art exhibits, musical concerts, discussions on important issues, and reconciliation with the devastations of colonialization.
The narthex of the Cathedral is flanked by pillars with slightly-pointed arches. Left is a close-up of the colorful stained glass window behind the altar.
Australia
has long been a haven for refugees. A huge
poster hangs outside the front part of the
Cathedral (left) indicates the Church's stance on this issue. The Copper Refugee Sculpture (below) by Michael Meszaros is
located on the side aisle to the left of the sanctuary. The description of the work reads:
"A refugee is pushed from one side by dangerous forces; represented by the spikes threatening the figure, whilst being prevented from escaping the spikes by a barrier (the vertical corrugations). The figure is a void to suggest that the refugee is often considered a kind of "non-person", who has lost human characteristics and is instead reduced to a number or a statistic, to be dealt with accordingly."
A Covid memorial has been set up along the side wall of the Cathedral to pray for those who lost their lives to this disease during the 2020-22 pandemic. In January 2023, Australia was just coming out of the lock-down period. Many businesses, especially those in the tourist industry, were experiencing painful shortages of staff due to the layoffs during the pandemic. Many people quit the industry without returning.
I remember when six American women were ordained priests in the Anglican Church for the first time in 1976 and met two of them at a conference. Australia first ordained women as deacons in February 1986 and as priests in May 2008 here in this Cathedral. This issue continues to be controversial, but people are gradually getting used to seeing women priests--and even bishops. The Catholic Church still clings to its male-only priesthood.
Significant donors are recognized with these elaborate brass memorial plaques posted on the side walls of the cathedral.
Public Transportation
If you are traveling from the airport into downtown Melbourne--or what they call "the Central Business District" or "CBD"--the SkyBus is the cheapest, most efficient way to go. It's only $19.50 AUS for a 30-minute ride to the Southern Cross Station. This service is another aspect of the city's effort to make travel around Melbourne convenient. The green trams in the CBD are free for the same reason. I rode on both vehicles and found them to be clean, roomy, and easy to use. Otherwise, the CBD in Melbourne is pretty walkable.
Federal (Fed) Square
This large tract of land adjacent to
the CBD used to be the site of an oil refinery, not a sightly thing to have in such
proximity to the heart of a city. When the plant was removed in 1996, city planners created a
new gathering place called Fed Square. It opened on October
26, 2002, as a venue for the arts, culture, and public events like the
Australian Tennis Open. Big screens are set-up for people to watch the matches. We just missed being in town during the Open. Our guide said
that this huge square would be absolutely filled with people. This area was
originally swampy land where the Wurunderjeri people lived. It is now a
unique 21st century civic and cultural facility with performance space, a
Cinemedia Centre, small galleries, a plaza, and a winter garden with
various shops and cafés. It also features the Koorie Heritage Trust, a museum of Aboriginal life, culture, and artifacts.
Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT)
For thousands of years the Wurunderjeri people lived along the Yarra River, which they called Birrarung Marr ("the
river of mists"). However, in 1835, the community signed a treaty with the European colonialists that led to the loss of 500,000 acres of their lands and resulted in the dislocation from their ancestral home.
However, the people continued to preserve their stories, practices, and art albeit in different forms. Today, they share their culture through the Koorie Heritage Trust whose vision is "to live in a society where Aboriginal culture and history are a fundamental part of Victorian life." They do this with a number of programs, and activities, one of which we participated in called the Aboriginal Cultural Competency Workshop whose learning outcomes include:
- Developing awareness of Aboriginal culture and identity
- Developing awareness of the strengths of Aboriginal culture and people
- Assisting in making the connection and understanding the impact of colonisation and past policy for Aboriginal people today
- Developing capacity to be more understanding and responsive to Aboriginal colleagues and clients
- Motivating participants in their cultural competence journey
It is significant that the KHT is located at Federation Square. This was a place of meeting for the Aboriginal peoples in the past just as it is a gathering place for the people of Melbourne today. It is a recognition of their "shared history" and the rising importance of the Aboriginal peoples as participants in a 21st century community.
Our guide is a descendant of the Kulin Nation, which is the name of the overall nation for the various tribes who lived in this area. Our tour began in this small plot among these trees at Fed Square where the 2013 Melbourne Festival commemorated the first Tanderrum ceremony performed by the Kulin Nation since colonization in 1835. The plaque behind our guide reads:
"We have survived the many trials and tribulation of colonisation, including genocide, disease and Stolen Generations. Our stories live through our language, art, music, dance and our dreamtime. Our culture is the oldest surviving culture on Earth. Our ancestral spirits help guide and protect us through life. We are true survivors."
"Birrarung Marr" is what the Wurunderjeri people called this place along the Yarra River. On one side of the river were these over-sized depictions of the people's hunting spears, which provided food and sustenance.
The people used different spears to kill different animals where the objective was to kill as fast as possible out of respect for the animal so it didn't suffer for long. The people also killed only what they needed in order to save enough food for future generations. This is called "custodianship". They also used all of the animal--its organs as well as its muscles for food and as tools.
This opossum pelt had a fur side that was water repellent and a skin side that was warm. The skin side was decorated to tell a person's life story--with both its good and the bad parts. This wrap helps its owner to recognize that he carries both the good and bad with him always.
In this serene part of Melbourne away from the noise of traffic and the crush of the crowds, I reflected on how this young man is grappling with his identity. His Aboriginal ancestors were almost wiped out by the European colonialists, yet their stories, arts, dances, and connection to the land have been preserved. Australians have been learning about their pre-colonial past as well and they are acknowledging the native peoples and their culture and society. This is a delicate balance and not one easily achieved because it addresses the issue of identity.
Identity is not something we are born with. It is something we construct as we discover and come to terms with who we are, where we live, and what we want in this world. This means that our identity evolves as we respond to our world and our experiences in it. This young man reflected a great pride in his Aboriginal origins, which he has discovered working at the KHT. He has gained a new strength by teaching others about his ancestors. The question remains: how are the non-Aboriginal people seeing their identity with the Aborigines as a part of the present-day culture?
Barak Building -- A Tribute to Melbourne's Aboriginal Past
Looking north on Swanson Street is the Barak Building. The Arts Centre Melbourne is in the foreground on the left and St. Paul's Cathedral is the steeple just to the right of the Barak Building. The building is located on the land of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation. The Koorie Heritage Trust is hidden in the foreground (right) in Fed Square.
The architects consulted Barak’s family and the wider Wurundjeri community throughout the design process. The aim of the façade was to recognize the history and presence of Aboriginal nations on the land where Melbourne now stands.
William Barak (1823–1903), the "last chief of the Yarra Yarra tribe", was the last traditional ngurungaeta (elder) of the Wurundjeri-willam clan. He became an influential spokesman for Aboriginal social justice and an important conveyor of Wurundjeri cultural lore. In his later life Barak painted and drew Wurundjeri ceremonies and carved weapons and tools, which made him a significant Aboriginal artist of the 19th century. As an 11-year-old, he witnessed John Batman and the tribal Elders sign the infamous treaty of 1835 that led to the indigenous community’s loss of some 500,000 acres of their lands and resulted in the dislocation from their ancestral home.
Historical Lanes and Arcades
As I hoped to see Melbourne's Victorian legacy, I would certainly get my fill through its historical lanes and arcades. These narrow streets and pedestrian pathways are a popular cultural attraction for their cafes, bars, restaurants, boutiques, sushi bars, street art, and Koko Black, reputedly the best chocolate in Australia.
The oldest laneways are a byproduct of Melbourne's original 1837 urban plan, which provided service access routes to the CBD's major streets. By the 1850s, Melbourne had over one hundred lanes, some of which became associated with the city's criminal element. Recognized for their heritage value, many lanes in Melbourne have been pedestrianized and undergone gentrification since the 1990s. The shopping arcades, among the best known being the Block Arcade and the Royal Arcade, reached a peak of opulence during the late Victorian era.
Flinders Lane is the oldest street in Melbourne. It was the center of Melbourne's rag trade for the mid-20th century and is still home to small boutique designers, many boutique hotels, "loft style" apartments, cafes, and bars. It connects with a number of smaller lanes.
Hosier Lane is a much-celebrated landmark because of its Urban art. The cobbled laneway lies near Federation Square. Although some of the art is bizarre, the lane has been noted for the quality and often political nature of its art. Below are some samples of the artworks, however, be quick to look at them because they will soon be painted over for the next artist's picture.
Not only is this mural way up high in an inaccessible place, but it is never painted over out of respect for the Indigenous peoples who populated Melbourne and Australia for over 60,000 years.
Erected between 1891 and 1893, the arcade was designed
by architect David C. Askew who tried to create something like the Galleria Vittoria in Milan.
The result was one of the city's most richly-decorated interior
spaces with mosaic-tiled flooring, a glass canopy, wrought iron,
and carved stone finishings.
Store offerings tended to be on the more sophisticated side. I really wanted to go to the tea room but alas, reservations were required. That alone warrants a return trip to Melbourne in the future!
I'm not a shopper, but the laneways and arcades were like magnets to me due to their warmth and intimacy. Places like this present both the essence of a city and its uniqueness in the world. It is important to note also the human scale of the buildings. They never go beyond 6 storeys, and they were built with natural materials: brick, stone, glass, wood. Human scale is one of the principles practiced by the Victorian architects--and revitalized by the New Urbanists of today. It contrasts the 20th century's towering steel and glass buildings.
Queen Victoria Market
Farmers markets are interesting, happy places. They showcase a variety of food, clothing, household items, and people, too. Their crowds are friendly and discerning of the products they buy. No one rushes around at the farmer's market; they savor it. The colors, sights, and sounds also seem to represent the essence of the city. Consequently, I was looking forward to seeing this one--only I missed it. Maybe the day or the time wasn't right because all I could find to eat was this food truck that sold burgers, french fries, and soda. However, this video below provides an idea of what the Queen Victoria Market was like. It sounds like a great place!
Many thanks to Terri who provided a couple photos of some interesting and colorful market stands. Crocodile or kangaroo anyone? How about dragon fruit?
Here is one of my favorite small businesses that cleverly plays off the name of the 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies,
by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. It was
strategically located near the Flinders Street Station to provide people with a quick snack. There were a couple other stands in other locations in the city.
Young & Jackson Hotel and Restaurant
On our second evening in Melbourne we had dinner at Young and Jackson's, a famous local restaurant and hotel with a long and intriguing history.
John Batman, one of the founders of Melbourne, bought the land in 1837 to build a home here. In 1839, he turned his home into a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse was demolished in 1853 and warehouses were erected in its place. The Princes Bridge Hotel opened there in July 1861, and it was renamed to Young and Jackson after the Irish cousins Henry Figsby Young and Thomas Joshua Jackson who took it over in 1875. In 1979, it was purchased by Marcel Gilbert. By the 1920s, the hotel became an amalgamation of five separate buildings that were later extended in both directions and rendered and painted to match each other. Since that time, the exterior hotel has had large advertising signs on its roof.
However, the real story of Young & Jackson is Chloé, a model from Paris who posed nude for French artist Jules Joseph Lefebvre in 1875. The portrait has hung on the walls of the hotel since 1909. The painting is oil on canvas measures a life size 120x55 inches. It had previously hung in the National Gallery of Victoria for three weeks in 1883 when it was withdrawn from exhibition because of the scandal it created for church groups. The Young and Jackson Hotel bought it in 1908 for its pub where it hangs today.
Chloé captivated the hearts of many soldiers and sailors who frequented the bar at Young and Jackson during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Lonesome servicemen addressed letters to her from the trenches in Turkey, France, and Papua New Guinea promising to return to her. The painting was damaged in 1943 by an American serviceman who threw a glass of beer at it. In 2004, a hotel patron fell against it and caused long vertical cracks on its protective glass. The damage was repaired and returned to the hotel bar a month later.
But that's not the end of the story. The model who posed for the painting has been the subject of much bar room speculation and mythologizing with many accounts depicting her as having had a love affair with Lefebvre, the artist, and committing suicide after he declined to marry her.
Most
of us had the char-grilled steak with cheese-crusted gnocchi, which was
delicious--but a mite filling! This great restaurant started out as a
pub in the 19th century and the dark woods and elaborate sculpted decor
testified to its classic Victorian background.
Tsindos Greek Restaurant
We spent our last evening in Melbourne at the Tsindos Greek Restaurant. Our table was on a laneway, and we had traditional Greek food. The Greeks are one of the larger ethnic populations in Melbourne. We were treated to some great hospitality by the owner who was good with playful jokes. This restaurant's food, service, and atmosphere definitely deserve an A+.
The New Melbourne
As
for Melbourne's new buildings, the Yarra riverfront is magnificent. Pictured above is
Southbank, which hosts a bevy of
apartments, restaurants, hotels, shops, and a huge casino. The building with the gold square on its top floors is called the Eureka Building. It pays tribute to the Australian Gold Rush (1851-1914) and provides a sky deck for aerial views of the city.
The Spire of the Arts Centre Melbourne soars into the sky to feature a modernistic dancing ballerina that wraps itself around the building with grace and poise.
The Arts Centre has been showcasing the best of Australian and international performing arts for over 30 years. It is also host and partner to national and state companies such as Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet, Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Victorian Opera, Sydney Dance Company, and Bangarra Dance Theatre.
"Under the Spire" sit the State Theatre, Playhouse, Fairfax Studio, St Kilda Road Foyer Gallery, car park and box office, and the Australian Music Vault, plus a variety of function rooms and other less conventional performing spaces. Across the lawn is Hamer Hall which hosts concert performances across all music styles. A short walk through the Kings Domain Gardens features Melbourne's iconic outdoor venue, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Such building projects do not just happen no matter the amount of money available. The governments of Melbourne and the State of Victoria have made a commitment to provide a beautiful, functioning city with options for all the people who live in it. To direct and plan for these projects, Development Victoria was established in April 2017 to create vibrant places across the State of Victoria
through diverse and strategic property development and urban renewal
projects. The agency revitalizes
iconic public
buildings, creates important cultural and recreational facilities, and
recycles public land. It builds homes and communities where people and
business can thrive by catering to different budgets, lifestyles, and
people. As its cities and communities change and grow, Development
Victoria breathes new life into
urban areas, unlocks public lands, and creates entire new precincts. It
also revives well-loved public buildings and redevelops Victorian icons
like Flinders Street Station, the State Library, and Melbourne Park.
In Conclusion
Melbourne is an impressive 21st century city that straddles time and space as it tries to attend to all its citizens' needs. And, it's a comfortable city, not as intimidating as Sydney, which is a beautiful world-class city and an important hub of the Asian-Pacific Region. Melbourne feels more quirky, friendly, and navigable than most big cities. It is like an emerging tiger on the world's stage that will make its mark as a good example of what cities made for human beings can be. After all, what could you expect from a city founded by a man named Batman who called it Batmania?
Resources
https://melbournecitytour.com.au/attractions/flinders-street-station/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Flinders
https://qvm.com.au/visit-us/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlo%C3%A9_(artwork)
https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/arts-centre-melbourne
https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/visit/theatres-and-spaces
https://www.development.vic.gov.au/about/governance
https://www.development.vic.gov.au/projects/docklands-studios-melbourne?page=overview
https://cathedral.org.au/about-us/history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanes_and_arcades_of_Melbourne
https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/a-guide-to-melbournes-arcades-and-laneways/
https://www.britannica.com/place/Yarra-River
https://armarchitecture.com.au/projects/barak-building/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barak
https://theconversation.com/the-koorie-heritage-trust-re-centres-indigenous-communities-by-design-47531
https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au/
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