I was fortunate enough to visit the City of Melbourne for the first time in 2006.  The City is a delight and not the uninteresting place that some would have you believe.  It has many glorious parks and a very fine Tram, Train and Bus System, which although not exact cheap to use, does seem to go everywhere (but then, I find all transport systems to be overly expensive!).  It is of interest to note that the Melbourne Tram System is the largest in the world with a network of 250 Kilometres of Track (~155 Miles), 493 Trams, 25 Routes, and 1,763 Tram Stops.

An Assortment of Melbourne Trams

Special Trams
Top Left: A Restaurant Tram; Top Right: City Line Tram; and
Bottom: Tram decorated by Pakistani Artists for service during the
XVIII Commonwealth Games of 2006 held in Melbourne

The architecture of the older buildings of The City is quite remarkable especially for the remaining examples of those constructed in Federation Style, which was the prevalent architectural style from 1890 until 1915.  While visiting Melbourne, I traveled to practically every area and found many houses and shops built in this splendid architectural style.

Federation Style Homes

Melbourne also has a number of beautiful theatres including the glorious Regent and Princes Theatres and a wonderful Picture Palace, The Astor, which is an Art Deco treasure.

The Astor

As terrific as the theatres and The Astor are, my favourite large construction in Melbourne is the Flinders Street Railway Station.  This glorious building reminded me of an Indian Temple when I first saw it.

The Current Flinders Street Railway Station

The current Station is the second to be built on the site.  The first Railway Station was opened in 1854, but by 1882, it was decided that a new Station needed to be constructed.  Work on the main structure began in 1905 and was officially opened in 1910.

The Main Entrance to the Station

The Railway Station is like a majestic jewel box and houses a number of remarkable and unexpected treasures within its confines.  One of the treasures that impressed me greatly was found to the right of the steps leading up to the main entrance and down a short staircase.  Here is found Akubra, City Hatters.

Akubra, City Hatters is tucked away close to the Main Entrance of Flinders Street Station

Although there is much to impress and many interesting buildings and streets worthy of note in Melbourne, if I had to chose one area where many of my favourite buildings were found, it would be Richmond, and especially those on Swan and Church Streets.

-oOo-

Church Street is a long road found to the east of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) and runs in a North-South direction.  At the Church Street Bridge, which crosses the Yarra River, the street becomes Chapel Street and continues to the Brighton Road in Balaclava.  Tram Route 78 follows the whole Street and begins at Victoria Street in North Richmond and continues on to the Brighton Road Terminus.

W Class Tram on Route 78
W Class Trams were built by  the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (1923 and 1956); 752 Vehicles were produced at the Preston Tram Workshops; and operated by Yarra Trams

Swan Street bisects Church Street near North Richmond Station and runs in an East-West direction.  The Street actually begins at the Swan Street Bridge, which crosses the Yarra River, although it is no longer known as Swan Street here, but Olympic Boulevard since it passes the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct (the spite of the 1952 Summer Olympic Games).

Map of Melbourne & Olympic Parks

Once The Street passes the railway tracks, it becomes Swan Street, which continues through the suburbs of Richmond and Cremone (which is where the factory once owned by Bryant & May, an architectural gem, is found on Church Street) and into Burnley where it crosses the Yarra River once more and becomes the Walden Road.

The Erstwhile Bryant & May Safety Match Factory