Flinders Street, Melbourne


Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly 1 mi in length and one and a half chains in width. It is named for the explorer Matthew Flinders, erroneously credited with discovering Port Phillip at the time of its naming. It extends eastwards as far as Spring Street and the Treasury Gardens and westwards past Batman's Hill to the Melbourne Docklands. As the closest street to the river, Flinders Street serviced Melbourne's original river port. Customs House, now the site for Victoria's Immigration Museum, is on Flinders Street.
s, 1927.
underpass viewed from Flinders Street
The street is home to Flinders Street station, the central station in Melbourne's suburban rail network. Tram routes 70 and 75, as well as the City Circle route, run along Flinders Street, and the Flinders Street Viaduct runs parallel to the street, linking the city's two major railway stations.
Other landmarks on Flinders Street include Federation Square, St Paul's Cathedral, Young and Jackson Hotel, the Banana Alley Vaults, the old Herald & Weekly Times building, Melbourne Aquarium and Batman Park, which adjoins the Yarra River. It was once home to the Melbourne Fish Market, an ornate building constructed in 1890, covering 23,000 square metres, and of similar design to Flinders Street station. The market was demolished between 1958 and 1960 after which the site became a public carpark. The site is now home to the three towers of the Northbank Place complex which includes office space, residential apartments, retail outlets and a multi-level carpark.

King Street Overpass

An overpass was built over the intersection with King Street as part of the construction of Kings Way. It extended from Downie Street to just east of Custom House Lane. The overpass opened in stages from 22 November 1959, with trams using it from early 1960 and other traffic from mid-1960. Many businesses and properties were overshadowed by the overpass which resulted in property values dropping and the closure of hotels, shops and showrooms. Plans to revitalise the area in the early 1960s never eventuated.
In May 2002, the state government announced it would be demolished. However it would be June 2005 before work commenced. The project concluded in August.

2017 Ramming Attack

On 21 December 2017, a driver ploughed through a crowd injuring 19 pedestrians. The perpetrator, Saeed Noori, appeared in court on 23 December, charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of reckless conduct endangering life. According to Melbourne Police, Noori, a 32-year-old Australian of Afghan descent, has a history of assault, drug use and mental health issues. He was remanded in custody and ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment.