King Street, Melbourne

King Street is a main road in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. It is considered a key hub of Melbourne's nightlife and is home to many pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, and adult entertainment venues.[1]

King Street

Victoria
King Street, facing north from Flinders St
General information
TypeStreet
Length2 km (1.2 mi)
Route number(s) State Route 60
Former
route number		 National Route 1 National Route 79
Major junctions
North end Curzon Street,
North Melbourne
 
South end Kings Way,
Southbank
Location(s)
Suburb(s)Melbourne CBD

Part of the original Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837, the road has become a main traffic thoroughfare connecting Southbank and North Melbourne through the city centre. King street is named for Captain Philip Gidley King, the third Governor of New South Wales.[2]

Geography

King Street begins at Flinders Street and ends at the intersection of Hawke Street and Victoria Street in West Melbourne. Towards the northern end of King Street lay the Flagstaff Gardens, whilst the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium and Crown Casino are at its southern tip. King Street becomes Kings Way south of Flinders Street.

The street was part of National Routes 1 and 79 until the city bypass road linking the Monash Freeway with the Westgate Freeway was completed. Crossing through Melbourne's main financial district, many of Melbourne's tallest office towers line King Street. The area was once lined with bluestone warehouses, some of which still exist to the present day.

Notable buildings

The street has many examples of modern architecture, some designed by Yuncken Freeman who also had their offices located on the street. Many King Street buildings are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and/or classified by the National Trust of Australia,[3] including:

St James Old Cathedral
  • St James Old Cathedral, the oldest church in Melbourne (1847)
  • 328-330 King Street, the oldest residence in Melbourne (1850)
  • Former York Butter Factory (1852)
  • Former F. Blight & Company Warehouse, currently Colonial Hotel (1853)
  • Former Zanders No 3 Warehouse (1854)
  • Former Levicks & Piper Wholesale Ironmongers Warehouse (1859)
  • Former Phoenix Clothing Company (1859)
  • Langdon Building (1863)
  • New Zealand Mercantile building (1909)
  • Former Melbourne Wool Exchange, currently Australian Institute of Music City Campus (1913)

Other prominent buildings include:

  • Great Western Hotel, a pub continuously operating for 150 years (1864)[4]
  • Rialto Towers, formerly Melbourne's tallest building (1986)
  • The Melbourne Stock Exchange (1990)
  • Victoria University's City King St campus
Looking towards King Street at its intersection with Collins, with the Federal Coffee Palace on the right. The building was demolished at the height of a contemporary boom in the early 1970s.

As with many of Melbourne's streets, several notable heritage buildings were demolished during the 1960s and 1970s, including:

Adult entertainment district

During the 1980s many former warehouses at the southern end of King Street (and in nearby Flinders Street) were converted into night clubs.

King Street subsequently became Melbourne's main nightclub district, with some of Melbourne's largest clubs including Clique Lounge Bar, Tramp, Inflation, La Di Da, Brown Alley & Sorry Grandma along the strip.[5]

The street is also considered the hub of Melbourne's adult entertainment venues, including Goldfingers, The Men's Gallery,[6] Dallas Dancers, Bar 20, Centrefold Lounge[7] and Spearmint Rhino.

Events

See also

 Australian Roads portal

References
  1. "King St Stripped of alcohol?". www.abc.net.au. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  2. Street Names
  3. "VHD". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  4. Dow, Aisha (25 January 2017). "Last drinks? Plan to demolish gold-rush pub the Great Western Hotel for apartment tower". The Age. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  5. "Clubs & music venues". City of Melbourne What's On. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  6. The Men's Gallery
  7. Centrefold Lounge

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