102-591: Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid . It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tram thoroughfare . During the Marvellous Melbourne era, Bourke Street was the location of many of the city's theatres and cinemas. Today it continues as
204-664: A "City of Literature" by UNESCO in its Creative Cities Network. In April 1835, John Batman , a prominent grazier and a member of the Geelong and Dutigalla Association (later Port Phillip Association ), sailed from Launceston on the island of Van Diemen's Land (now the State of Tasmania ), aboard the schooner Rebecca , in search of fresh grazing land in the south-east of the Colony of New South Wales (the mainland Australian continent ). He sailed across Bass Strait , into
306-571: A $ 300 million redevelopment which officially opened in April 2011. In 1988, the Myer Centre in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall opened in time for World Expo 88 . The shopping centre featured 6 floors of stores. The top two levels featured an indoor amusement park, named Tops, with a swinging ship and Australia's first indoor roller coaster. The amusement park closed in the year 2000 and all
408-578: A $ 4 million deal to be the "face" of Myer for four years. Myer withdrew from the Coles Group part-owned flybuys rewards program on 1 February 2007. In March 2007, Myer announced first half earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $ 123 million, an increase of 84% on the previous year. This represents a profit margin of 6.8%, compared with 3.9% in the previous corresponding period. According to chairman Bill Wavish, all Myer stores were now profitable, and all stores were more profitable than in
510-454: A broad range of products across women's, men's, and children's clothing, as well as footwear and accessories, cosmetics and fragrance, homewares, electrical, connected home, furniture, toys, books and stationery, food and confectionery, and travel goods. Myer's primary department store rival is David Jones . Australian model, and Miss Universe 2004 , Jennifer Hawkins was the long-serving 'face of Myer' for 12 years, until her departure from
612-737: 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. On nearby Collins Street,
714-474: A consortium comprising the Myer family, Colonial First State and GIC Real Estate (Singapore) announced it would be purchasing Myer's Melbourne CBD store. The Bourke Street part of the store was planned to be redeveloped by 2009, with Myer taking a 60-year lease, but the development was not completed until March 2011. The Lonsdale Street part of the store closed in 2009. In September 2009, following rumours from
816-420: A consortium controlled by US private equity group Newbridge Capital . The consortium also included the Myer family, who held a 5% stake. The new owners, who also secured the freehold on the flagship Bourke Street store, indicated that they would not radically change the business, at least in the short term, and had no plans to redevelop the Bourke Street site as this would impact too heavily on profitability during
918-795: A different Christmas-themed display and are visited by around 1,000,000 children and their parents each December. The Myer Christmas Parade was an annual parade running down Bourke Street from Spring Street to the Myer windows. The parade was last held in 2010. Bourke Street is a commercial zone lined by glass-paned skyscrapers, especially at its west end. Prominent skyscrapers include the National Australia Bank headquarters at 395 and 700 Bourke, 385 Bourke Street , Bourke Place , UniSuper , Marland House , National Bank House at 500 Bourke (former headquarters of NAB), AMP Square , Medibank at 720 Bourke, Channel Nine Melbourne and AGL Energy (atop Southern Cross station). In August 1887
1020-497: A fairly exclusive membership, whilst the Melbourne Football Club, although bearing the name Melbourne, is associated by the supporters of other suburban clubs as representing the central area and perceive its supporters to represent the locality and not the entire city. The Melbourne Football Club has recently made efforts to shed its suburban tag and be embraced by the whole metropolitan area. The CBD has hosted
1122-473: A grade level tramline . Vehicular traffic was removed from the section on 13 February 1978. The pedestrian mall was officially opened in 1983 by Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales . The mall received a major facelift in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and elevated tram super-stops were later installed. In the January 2017 Melbourne car attack , a mentally ill person driving
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#17327913093381224-584: A haven for the literati for 30 years. Twentieth-century restaurants such as Florentino's , Pellegrini's and the Society Café have become Melbourne institutions. The late 20th century onwards has resulted in office block developments, residential skyscrapers, the introduction of several shopping arcades and the Bourke Street Mall. The Bourke Street Mall is a pedestrian and tram-only strip running between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets. The mall
1326-552: 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
1428-416: A major retail shopping precinct with the Bourke Street Mall running between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets , numerous offices to the west end and restaurants to the east. Its liveliness and activity has often been contrasted with the sobering formality of nearby Collins Street . For this reason, "Busier than Bourke Street" is a popular colloquialism denoting a crowded or busy environment. Bourke Street
1530-421: A mixed business and residential district. Prior to the 2010s, Australian CBD's were generally places workers would commute to from the suburbs and served little purpose beyond employment and shopping opportunity. In this period, many sometimes very tall towers of small one and two bedroom apartments and studio-style student housing (with no carparks) have been built, greatly increasing the resident population of
1632-617: A new site in Docklands . The historic Lonsdale Street store was officially closed. In early 2011, Myer purchased a 65% stake in Australian women's fashion label Sass & Bide for A$ 42.25 million. In October 2013, Myer purchased the remaining 35% of the business for $ 30 million. In January 2014, it was revealed by Fairfax Media that Myer had made a bid to purchase and merge with department store rival David Jones . The merger would have kept both chains operating independently on
1734-530: A number of events of significance, which include: the 1901 inauguration of the Government of Australia , 1956 Summer Olympic Games , 1981 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting , 1995 World Police and Fire Games , 2000 World Economic Forum , 2006 Commonwealth Games , 2015 Cricket World Cup , G20 Ministerial Meeting – among others. It is also recognised for the substantial number of cultural and sports events and festivals it holds annually – many being
1836-495: A sedan being pursued by the police deliberately drove the vehicle onto the footpath and ran over innocent bystanders at Bourke Street Mall. The crime claimed the lives of six people, including one baby and one child. Over twenty-five victims were hospitalised with injuries. The 2018 Melbourne stabbing attack also took place near the Target Centre on Bourke Street. An ISIS inspired male set fire to his ute before exiting
1938-463: A tertiary educational institution, and 54.3% of residents aged between 20 and 29. In common with Australian capital cities generally, especially Melbourne and Sydney, there has been remarkable growth in the CBD in the last 10 years to 2017. Residential units, population, jobs and visitation have all increased markedly, changing the central business district from a primarily business or work oriented hub, to
2040-572: A treaty to be trespassing . However, at the time the proclamation was being drawn up, a prominent businessman from Van Diemen's Land, John Pascoe Fawkner , had also funded an expedition to the area; which sailed from George Town aboard the schooner Enterprize . At the same time, the Port Phillip Association had also funded a second expedition; which sailed from Launceston aboard the Rebecca . The settlement party aboard
2142-467: A whole has been nourished by their influence, which extends from educational, cultural and sporting exchanges to unparalleled business networking opportunities." The recognised cities are: Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth Hobart Myer Myer (stylised MYER ) is an Australian mid-range to upscale department store . It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails
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#17327913093382244-501: Is Bourke Street's most famous feature and contains retail hubs like Melbourne's GPO , H&M , Zara , Cotton On and the flagship stores of Myer and David Jones . Concepts for a Bourke Street Mall were drawn up as early as 1964 by Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg however the ambitious multi-platform design which separated cars from pedestrians was never realised. Plans were eventually scaled down with pedestrians sharing space with
2346-670: Is a good representation of the commonly understood area of 'the CBD'; it includes the Hoddle Grid, plus the area of parallel streets just to the north up to Victoria Street including the Queen Victoria Market, but not the Flagstaff Gardens or the streets to the west of it, and the area between Flinders Street and the Yarra river west of Swanston Street . A map can be found here . This is not to be confused with
2448-791: Is bounded by Flinders Street , Spencer Street , La Trobe Street and Spring Street . The grid's longest axis is oriented 70 degrees clockwise from true north, to align better with the course of the Yarra River . Most of the arterial streets outside the Hoddle Grid were aligned almost north–south, Melbourne, at 8 degrees clockwise from true north–noting that magnetic north was 8° 3' E in 1900, increasing to 11° 42' E in 2009. Hoddle's survey did not include any public squares or piazzas , reputedly to avoid any facilitation of protests or public loitering, though colonial government practice did not generally include public squares other than land set aside for government buildings or markets. The whole town
2550-606: Is commonly understood to be the Hoddle Grid plus the parallel streets immediately to the north, including the Queen Victoria Market , and the area between Flinders Street and the river. There are a number of officially demarcated areas which are similar, but all differ slightly. Some that are larger still use the term 'Melbourne', which leads to some confusion. The boundaries of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Statistical Area Level 2 'Melbourne'
2652-655: Is home to many small independent galleries, often in the upper floors of older buildings or down laneways, and some of the most commercial galleries in Victoria are also in 'the city'. There are no sporting grounds within the CBD, but the 'shrine of sport' in Melbourne is the MCG ( Melbourne Cricket Ground ) located in the adjacent parkland known as Jolimont. Both the Melbourne Cricket Club and Melbourne Football Club are based there. The Melbourne Cricket Club has
2754-544: 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 bisects Bourke Street at the city centre's west end and is a major transport hub for train and bus services throughout Victoria. The station also has shuttle buses to Melbourne and Avalon Airports . A pedestrian bridge at Southern Cross station provides access from Bourke Street to Docklands Stadium and Melbourne Docklands . Bourke Street has played
2856-628: Is located just outside the CBD in Carlton. In 2008, Melbourne was designated a " City of Literature " by UNESCO in its Creative Cities Network . The State Library Victoria is the most visited library in the city, and hosts the Wheeler Centre . Melbourne has been placed alongside New York and Berlin as one of the world's great street art meccas, and its extensive street art-laden laneways, alleys and arcades were voted by Lonely Planet readers as Australia's top cultural attraction. The CBD
2958-527: Is named for Irish-born British Army officer Sir Richard Bourke , who served as the Governor of New South Wales from 1831 and 1837 during the drafting of the Hoddle Grid . Bourke Street runs roughly from east to west and bisects the city centre along its long axis. Bourke Street runs parallel between Little Collins Street to the south and Little Bourke Street to the north. There are two primary stretches of Bourke Street, split by Southern Cross station :
3060-490: Is the core central activities district (CAD) of Greater Melbourne. It encompasses a number of places of significance, which include the, Federation Square , Melbourne Aquarium , Melbourne Town Hall , State Library of Victoria , State Parliament of Victoria and Supreme Court of Victoria . It is also the main terminus for the Melbourne metropolitan and Victorian regional passenger rail networks–being Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations respectively, as well as
3162-534: Is the core of Greater Melbourne's metropolitan area , and is a major financial centre in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. It is home to Melbourne's famed alleyways and arcades and is renowned for its distinct blend of contemporary and Victorian architecture . In recent times, it has been placed alongside New York City and Berlin as one of the world's great street art meccas , and designated
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3264-414: Is the rectangular grid of the streets in the centre of the city laid out in 1837 by government surveyor Robert Hoddle . All major streets are one and half chains (99 ft or 30 m) in width, while all blocks are exactly ten chains square (ten acres (4.0 ha), 660 ft × 660 ft or 200 m × 200 m). It is one-mile (1.6 km) long by one-half-mile (0.80 km) wide. It
3366-595: The 2016 census , the population of the CBD (the Level 2 statistical area of Melbourne) was 37,321 residents, about half of which were overseas students. Only 14.3% of residents were born in Australia, while 24.9% were born in China. Other places of birth included Malaysia 8.3%, India 6.2%, Indonesia 4.5% and South Korea 4.0%. Only English was spoken at home by 21.7% of residents, while 30.8% spoke Mandarin. Most of these overseas born are students, with 57.3% of residents attending
3468-400: The Asia-Pacific region. It is home to the corporate headquarters of the world's two largest mining companies: BHP and Rio Tinto ; as well as two of Australia's "big four" banks: ANZ and the National Australia Bank , its two largest gaming companies: Crown and Tabcorp , largest telecommunications company Telstra , two largest transport management companies: Toll and Transurban and
3570-737: The Australian Centre for the Moving Image , the Australian art galleries of the National Gallery of Victoria , the Koorie Heritage Trust , and the Deakin Edge auditorium. Melbourne is considered the literary centre of Australia, and has more bookshops and publishing companies per capita than any other city in Australia. The headquarters of the world's largest travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet
3672-835: The Capitol Theatre are all located within the Hoddle Grid. The Arts Centre Melbourne (which includes the State Theatre , Hamer Hall , the Playhouse and the Fairfax Studio), and the Melbourne Recital Centre are located just to the south of the CBD, with the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in parklands to the east. The Federation Square arts complex occupies a prime site on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets, and includes
3774-489: The Docklands (with Docklands Stadium ) to the west, and Southbank and South Wharf on the other side of the Yarra River. Despite the area being described as the central business district, it is neither the geographic or demographic centre of Melbourne; due to urban sprawl to the south east the geographic centre is in the southeastern suburbs (in 2002 it was located at Bourne Street, Glen Iris ). The Hoddle Grid
3876-655: The Enterprize entered the Yarra River, and anchored close to the site chosen by Batman, on 29 August. The party went ashore the following day (near what is today William Street ; and is now celebrated as Melbourne Day ) and landed their stores, livestock and began to construct the settlement. The Association party aboard the Rebecca arrived in September after spending time at a temporary camp at Indented Head , where they encountered William Buckley – an escaped convict, believed dead, who had been living for 32 years with
3978-444: The Hoddle Grid in 1837, Bourke Street was considered "out of town" until the 1840s when the western end saw the opening of St Patrick's Hall, the first synagogue and the first public hospital. During the 1850s it gained a reputation as a busy thoroughfare popular as the centre for Saturday nightlife. As retail presence increased with department store Buckley & Nunn opening a succession of buildings in 1851 and rival Myer in 1911,
4080-618: The Hoddle Grid plus the area of parallel streets just to the north up to Victoria Street including the Queen Victoria Market , but not the Flagstaff Gardens , and the area between Flinders Street and the Yarra River . It includes the grand boulevardes of St Kilda Road , Royal Parade and Victoria Street marking the entrance to Victoria Parade as well as extensive gardens including the Melbourne Botanical Gardens and Jolimont Yard . The Central City
4182-545: The Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company commenced operating a cable tramway from Spencer Street to Clifton Hill along Bourke Street. It closed in October 1940 with buses introduced. In June 1955 the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board replaced the buses with electric trams. Today, tram routes 86 and 96 travel the length of Bourke Street and directly through the mall. Parliament railway station
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4284-446: The 1950s, with residential not making a return until the 1990s with the conversion of older buildings. Since the 2000s this has accelerated with numerous high rise apartment buildings and student housing projects. With the loss of residents, restricted retail and pub hours, the central city became dominated by 9-5 business uses, with one commentator remarking that in the 1970s, the city was "as deserted as war-torn Berlin". According to
4386-446: The 2015 strategic review, a $ 221mn capital raising was announced. The resulting dilution of shareholder value in conjunction with little support for the actions in the strategic plan saw the share price decline to $ 0.91. In April 2017, Myer acquired two fashion brands—Marcs and David Lawrence—after they were placed in voluntary administration. On 27 March 2020, Myer announced it would be temporarily closing down all of its stores from
4488-492: The Aboriginal people did not have any official claims to the lands of the Australian continent. The proclamation formally declared, under the doctrine of terra nullius , that The Crown owned the whole of the Australian continent and that only it alone could sell and distribute land. It therefore voided any contracts or treaties made without the consent of the government, and declared any person attempting to rely on such
4590-602: The Arts campus of the University of Melbourne lies just to the south. The CBD, along with the adjacent Southbank area, has had comparatively unrestricted height limits in recent years, and has four of the six tallest buildings in Australia (or 5 of the top 10, excluding spires). The tallest in the CBD is currently Aurora Melbourne Central which topped out in December 2018. Melbourne had historically competed with Sydney for
4692-494: The Bourke Street building. By 1934, the public company had a paid-up capital of nearly £2.5 million. On the death of Sidney Myer in 1934, leadership of the company fell to briefly to Lee Neil , who died a few months later, and thence to Elcon Myer. On the death of Elcon in 1938, leadership went to their nephew Norman Myer. Norman Myer led the company until his death in 1956. Myer grew by developing its own stores (becoming one of Australia's major property owners and developers in
4794-420: The CBD, including students. Many older buildings have been converted to loft-style apartments, and there are some older apartment buildings with larger more spacious units, with a relatively small amount of luxury housing. There are few families with young children, with only 3.1% of residents under the age of 14, and equally small numbers of over 50, so most residents are students or young professionals. The CBD
4896-469: The Collins Street hill, legal professions around William Street, and warehousing along Flinders Lane and in the western end. Government buildings like GPO, State Library, Supreme Court, and Customs House occupied various blocks with Parliament House and the railway stations on the edges. Residential uses, most notably the slums of Little Lonsdale Street , were largely replaced by commercial uses by
4998-738: The Colonies , Charles Grant , recognised the settlement's fait accompli that same year, and authorised Governor Bourke to transfer Bearbrass to a Crown settlement. Batman and the Port Phillip Association were compensated £ 7,000 for the land. And, in March 1837, it was officially renamed "Melbourne" by Governor Bourke in honour of the British Prime Minister of the day, William Lamb (the Lord Melbourne). The Melbourne CBD does not have current official boundaries, but rather
5100-539: The Myer card in October 2006 in conjunction with GE Money. According to GE Money, 125,000 accounts had been opened by August 2007. In November 2007, Myer launched a Visa credit card, also in conjunction with GE Money. Myer stated it was prepared to wear losses from the card for two years and that its objective was to drive increased loyalty from the card (which links with the MYER one card) rather than being profitable in its own right. It expected to sign 100,000 customers to
5202-569: The New Myer Credit Card, now offered by Macquarie Group . Existing card holders were invited to join the new programme, or have their existing Myer point earning cards converted to non-Myer point earning Latitude Finance cards. As of April 2024, Myer has 56 stores across Australia, in both capital cities and regional centres. The national flagship store is located in the Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne and received
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#17327913093385304-858: The RMIT area, but including Southern Cross Station, much of Southbank down a line along the West Gate Freeway , Kingsway, down to Coventry Street, South Melbourne , and the north wharf area and the South Wharf area. A map of the CCZ can be found here . The area described as 'the central city' in Clause 21.08 of the Melbourne Planning Scheme is similar, but also includes the Docklands . There are several adjoining areas that have important functions that are sometimes included within
5406-462: The State Suburb level area, also called Melbourne, which is a larger area. The area of the postcode 3000 is very similar, but also includes the area to the east of Flinders Street Station , and a leg up northern Elizabeth Street . A map of this can be found here and here . The locality (suburb) of Melbourne is an official area, but is larger; it is the area of postcode 3000 combined with
5508-698: The Visa card by November 2008. Myer reported it had signed 15,000 customers to its Visa card in the first five weeks from launch, half of whom were converts from the existing store card. In 2007, the Coles Myer Card, Coles Myer Gift Card and Coles Myer Source MasterCard were renamed Coles Group Card, Coles Group & Myer Gift Card and Coles Group Source MasterCard respectively and as such were no longer affiliated with Myer. In 2017, Myer's partnership with GE Money (now Latitude Financial Services ) ended, and Myer relaunched their store branded credit programme as
5610-558: The area of postcode 3004 (an area to the south of the central city, including the Domain and Botanic Gardens parklands, and the east side of St Kilda Road ) and both of these postcodes are known as Melbourne. The term 'central business district', or 'CBD', was first used in the Report on a planning scheme for the central business area of the City of Melbourne by town planner E.F. Borrie, which
5712-480: The bank of Merri Creek (near the modern day suburb of Northcote ), consisted of an offering of: blankets , knives , mirrors , sugar , and other such items; to be also tributed annually to the Wurundjeri. The last sentence of Batman's journal entry on this day became famous as the founding charter of the settlement. So the boat went up the large river. And, I am glad to state about six miles up found
5814-578: The bay of Port Phillip , and arrived at the mouth of the Yarra River in May. After exploring the surrounding area, he met with the elders of the indigenous Aboriginal group, the Wurundjeri of the Kulin nation alliance, and negotiated a transaction for 600,000 acres (940 sq mi; 2,400 km ) which later became known as Batman's Treaty . The transaction, which is believed to have taken place on
5916-663: The board representing the Myer family. Head office for Myer, moved from Coles Myer head office in Hawthorn East back to Lonsdale House (Lonsdale Street store) in Melbourne's CBD. Beginning July 2006, Myer held a "History Making Clearance" to clear out excess stock deemed either unprofitable or unpopular, and reduced inventories from $ 1.5 billion to $ 750 million, and all store-specific warehouses were closed. Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins began appearing in campaigns for Myer in 2006 and in January 2007 signed
6018-439: The bottom of the grid. The grid would affect the merchandise allocated to each store, rather than selling the same range of product in downtown Melbourne as in regional Queensland. On 13 February 2004, Grace Bros stores were re-branded as Myer. In April 2004, Myer re-opened its Bondi Junction , store which replaced a former Grace Bros store closed in April 2002 to make way for the redevelopment of Westfield Bondi Junction . It
6120-606: The business Target , positioning it as a discount department store chain. The core business of the company began to expand even further with the purchase of liquor retailers (San Remo and Crittendens ) and fast food outlets ( Red Rooster ). In 1983, Grace Bros bought Myer in New South Wales, and then in July of that year Myer acquired Grace Bros Holdings Ltd. The Myer store on Market and Pitt Streets in Sydney became
6222-603: The business of Wright and Neil, Drapers , in Bourke Street , Melbourne , near the General Post Office , and a new building was completed and opened in 1914. From this base, Myer built Australia's largest chain of department stores, and the only chain with stores in all Australian states. In 1918, the Doveton woollen mills at Ballarat were purchased, and in 1921 a new building fronting Post Office Place
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#17327913093386324-429: The city given the lack of train lines to these areas. Major bicycle trails lead to the CBD and a main bicycle path down Swanston Street. Ferries dock along the northbank of the Yarra at Federation Wharf and the turning basin at the Aquatic Centre . There is also a water taxi service to Melbourne and Olympic Parks. City of Melbourne has five sister cities. According to the City of Melbourne council, "the city as
6426-440: The city of Melbourne , Victoria, Australia , centred on the Hoddle Grid , the oldest part of the city laid out in 1837, and includes its fringes. The Melbourne CBD is located mostly in the local government area of the City of Melbourne , which also includes some of inner suburbs adjoining the CBD, while a small section extends into the City of Port Phillip . The contemporary locality of Melbourne includes within its boundaries
6528-456: The close of business 29 March 2020 for a period of four weeks, standing down 10,000+ staff members, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . Myer continued to operate their online store, with no contact delivery available and click & collect at certain stores. Myer announced a plan to re-open all stores by 30 May 2020. In late October 2024, Myer announced they had reached a deal to buy Premier Investments ' Apparel Brands division (comprising
6630-450: The construction period. Texas Pacific also had interests in UK department store Debenhams and high-end US retailer Neiman Marcus . This sale was completed for A$ 1.4 bn on 2 June 2006. After being divested from Coles Myer (later Coles Group , then purchased by Wesfarmers ), new owners Newbridge Capital and the Myer family appointed chairman Bill Wavish and chief executive Bernie Brookes, both formerly of Woolworths . Rupert Myer joined
6732-437: The day before David Jones. On 9 August 2004, Myer staged a fashion parade open-air in Martin Place , gaining widespread attention, and again it was held the day before David Jones' show. On 17 August 2005, Coles Myer announced that within 12 months, it would decide to demerge, divest or retain Myer. Thirteen expressions of interest were made for all or part of Myer. On 13 March 2006, Coles Myer announced it would sell Myer to
6834-404: The east and north fringes. A hybrid rapid transit and heavy rail project known as the Metro Tunnel is currently under construction, with two stations in the city centre at the State Library and Town Hall. This will be the first rapid transit system to serve the city of Melbourne and the second of its kind in Australia. The Melbourne trams network is the world's largest, and most lines from
6936-489: The fashion brands Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Jacqui E, Portmans and Dotti). As part of the transaction, Myer will issue new shares (worth $ 863.78 million) to Premier Investments, while Premier will contribute $ 82 million to the business. Solomon Lew will join the Myer board as a non-executive director. The deal requires approval from the shareholders of both companies. The MYER one program was introduced in August 2004 after Coles Myer discontinued its shareholder discount card
7038-420: The historic city centre and the modern Docklands precinct. The city centre portion runs from Spring Street in the east (overlooked by Parliament House ) to Spencer Street and Southern Cross station. The newer Docklands end continues on the other side of the station (which is only accessible to pedestrians) and finishes at its intersection with Collins Street further west. Having been laid out as part of
7140-437: The iconic brewing company Foster's Group . It also serves as the main administrative centre for the City of Melbourne as well as the State Government of Victoria – the latter with the suburb of East Melbourne . Two universities have major campuses in the area: the main city campus RMIT University ( city campus ), and three campuses for Victoria University (City King, Queen, Flinders campuses). The Victorian College of
7242-429: The idea of 'the CBD' or the central city, such as Parliament House and the Treasury buildings on Spring Street, which are officially in East Melbourne , and Southern Cross railway station on Spencer Street , which is officially in Docklands. Other areas have in the last 30 years become heavily developed with apartments, office buildings and important functions similar to the CBD, and are sometimes incorporated, such as
7344-635: The indigenous Aboriginal group, the Wathaurong of the Kulin nation alliance. Batman was dismayed to discover the settlers of the Enterprize had established a settlement in the area and informed the settlers that they were trespassing on the Association's land. However, according to the Proclamation of Governor Bourke , both the parties were in fact trespassing on Crown land . When Fawkner (who
7446-565: The largest in Australia and the world. The Melbourne central business district is the transport hub of the city. Flinders Street station is the hub for Melbourne's suburban train network and the busiest station, Southern Cross station , which is the hub for regional and interstate transit located on Spencer Street , and the three underground stations of the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop – Parliament , Melbourne Central and Flagstaff stations are located on
7548-540: The main Grace Bros store. In 1984, Myer acquired Boans , the dominant Western Australian department store chain and embarked on a major redevelopment of its Perth City Store. In 1985 the Myer Emporium (and Target, its discount department store) merged with GJ Coles & Coy forming Coles Myer , then Australia's largest retailer. Myer remained a distinct entity within the new corporate structure until it
7650-641: The most dense section of the Melbourne tram network . Bordering its north-east perimeter is the World Heritage -listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens as well as the Melbourne Museum . Just to the south are the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre , Crown Casino , Arts Centre Melbourne , and the National Gallery of Victoria The central business district is a major financial centre in Australia and
7752-567: The new proposal, when food and clothing retailer, Woolworths South Africa offered to purchase David Jones, by way of a scheme implementation deed, in which shareholders of David Jones would be offered $ 4-per-share. In response to the Woolworths deal, Myer withdrew their proposal to David Jones. Myer's long serving CEO Bernie Brookes, whose strategy was to clean up the business and develop efficiency strategies, announced his departure in March 2015. In September 2015, as part of an outcome from
7854-416: The newly expanded Kino Dendy cinemas continues to be a cinema drawcard. The adjacent Russell Street Greater Union cinemas closed in 2013 and has since been demolished. [REDACTED] Australian Roads portal Melbourne central business district The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known simply as " the City " or " the CBD " ) is the city centre and main urban area of
7956-451: The night-time street was also notorious for public disorder, fights, brothel touts and drinking and drunkenness. Cheap restaurants appeared from the 1870s, when Parer's Hotel and Crystal Tea Rooms became a Melbourne institution, while the Café de Paris was a favourite literary and artistic meeting place. Ellis Bird's Books opened in 1925 at number 21 and Margaret Bird and her husband built up
8058-414: The philanthropist John Haasz, was killed and five other people were injured in the alleged rampage. Khan pleading guilty at his trial. Many of Melbourne's famous arcades and shopping centres connect to Bourke Street, including: The inaugural Myer Christmas Window display was in 1956, the year of the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics and became an annual tradition. Myer's shopfront windows are decorated in
8160-445: The previous month, Myer indicated it would float the business at an indicative share price range of $ 3.90 to $ 4.90 when it listed on 2 November, giving it a market capitalisation between $ 2.3 billion and $ 2.8 billion. The final issue price was $ 4.10, but by August 2011 the shares had fallen to $ 2.09. In 2010, Myer's re-developed Bourke Street mall store opened, becoming the company's new flagship store. Head office moved to
8262-715: The previous month. Myer revamped its MYER one program by introducing a graduated rewards system with four levels including Standard , Silver , Gold and Platinum . Each reward level is dependent on customer spend and confers exclusive benefits. The Platinum membership is by invitation only and is for Myer's highest spending customers and was added to the program in May 2013. In September 2010, Myer stated there were 3.7 million members and five million cards in circulation. Of these, over 20,000 had Gold status, spending over $ 7,500 per annum. Sales attributed to members accounted for 68% of total Myer sales. Gift cards valued at $ 51 million had been provided to members as rewards in
8364-589: The previous year. As of February 2024, the Myer One program has more than 7 million members. Myer originally had a store card managed by Australian Retail Financial Network (ARFN), sold in 1995 to GE Money . This was superseded by a Coles Myer Card and Coles Myer Gift Card which could be used at all Coles Myer stores. This was augmented by the Coles Myer Source Mastercard , also managed by GE Money. Following its sale, Myer relaunched
8466-569: The previous year. Myer acquired four Harris Scarfe stores (including regaining a store it divested to Harris Scarfe in 1998) and took a minority shareholding in Harris Scarfe. The Mymerch system, developed with IBM and Oracle, cost $ 99 million and was implemented early April 2007. Among other functions, Mymerch increased Myer's ability to carry out statistical analysis of customer habits giving it greater capacity to forecast sales trends and target promotions. Myer's profit turnaround
8568-837: The process) and acquiring other department stores, including Adelaide's Marshall's and Bell's ( Victor Harbor ) in South Australia, Western Australia's Boans in 1984, Queensland's Barry & Roberts as well as McWhirters of Brisbane's Fortitude Valley in 1955 and Allan & Stark in 1959, in Victoria Shilliday's ( Mildura ), and in New South Wales they acquired Western Stores , McLean's Central Stores ( Lismore ), Morley's ( Tweed Heads ), Farmers & Co in 1961, Mortimer's ( Gosford ) in 1968, P.G.Smith & Regans ( Tamworth ) in 1953 and Grace Bros in 1983. In 1968, Myer acquired Lindsay's stores in Geelong , renaming
8670-604: The purchase of the old established businesses of Robertson & Moffat and Stephens & Sons. In Adelaide , in 1925, the company Myer SA Stores Ltd acquired a controlling interest in Marshall's department store and its shares continued to be listed on the Adelaide Stock Exchange until Myer Emporium Ltd made a successful takeover bid in 1966. A separate building in Queensberry Street, Melbourne,
8772-542: The river all good water and very deep. This will be the place for a village. — Journal of John Batman (8 June 1835). Upon returning to Van Diemen's Land, Batman's treaty was deemed invalid by the Governor of New South Wales , Sir Richard Bourke , under the Proclamation of Governor Bourke in August 1835. It was the belief of Governor Bourke, as well as the Governor of Van Diemen's Land , Sir George Arthur , that
8874-569: The role in 2018. The Myer retail group was founded by Sidney Myer , who migrated from Belarus to Melbourne in 1899 after the height of Victoria's gold rush , with very little money and little knowledge of English to join his elder brother, Elcon Myer (1875–1938), who had left Russia two years earlier. They opened the first Myer store in Bendigo in 1900. After prospering, they opened a second store in Bendigo in 1908. In 1911, Myer purchased
8976-420: The store to appeal to customers lost in the down market experiment. In 2003, one of the key changes made by the recently appointed Managing Director, Dawn Robertson, was to classify each Myer Grace Bros store using a grid system referencing the socio-economic status of the area, its turnover and growth potential. Larger city-centre stores would rank at the top of the grid and smaller regional stores would rank at
9078-501: The street was often compared to London 's Oxford Street . Melbourne's first theatre opened on Bourke Street as the Pavilion (1841), and by the late 1840s the east end was established as Melbourne's main entertainment zone. Theatres and public halls were complemented by billiard halls , cigar divans, rifle galleries, bowling alleys and sideshows. While the early evening crowd trod Bourke Street's pavements for entertainment or for show,
9180-592: The suburbs run down one of the streets of the CBD, with Swanston Street hosting of six lines, making it one of the world's busiest tram corridors. Trams also run along Flinders, Collins, Bourke, La Trobe , Spencer, Market , Elizabeth , and Spring Streets. In recent years nearly all CBD tram stops have been rebuilt as larger all-accessibility "superstops". The city is also well connected by bus services, with majority of buses running down Lonsdale Street , with major bus stops at Melbourne Central and Queen Victoria Village . Most bus routes service suburbs north and east of
9282-568: The surface, combining back-office and supply chain operations saving both companies an estimated $ 5 billion per year. The $ 3 billion non-binding indicative proposal was made to the David Jones board of directors in late October 2013, however was rejected by the board in November 2013. In February 2014, Myer reapproached David Jones, offering to purchase David Jones at market value (estimated to be 1.7 billion). David Jones had not yet commented on
9384-535: The tallest buildings, which until the 2000s were all office towers, and the three tallest buildings in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s were all in the Melbourne CBD. Almost all the major theatres in Melbourne are located in the CBD or its fringes. Historic theatres including the Princess Theatre , Regent Theatre , Forum Theatre , Comedy Theatre , Athenaeum Theatre , Her Majesty's Theatre , and
9486-563: The vehicle and stabbing three bystanders. Two victims were hospitalised and one died. Police attended the scene within one minute of the car fire and shot the offender, who later died in hospital. In September 2023, Zain Khan drove through a tram stop, running over multiple bystanders before crashing into two cars at the Bourke/Russell Street Intersection. A 76-year-old Brunswick man, identified in media reports as
9588-501: Was added at Melbourne and in the following years Myer purchased adjoining properties, eventually building a store known as the Myer Emporium . The 1914 building had been designed by architects HW & FB Tompkins , who went on to design all the extensions over the next 20 years. The Myer store expanded to Lonsdale Street in the 1920s, and the Bourke Street frontage was expanded and rebuilt in 1933. The Myer Emporium grew with
9690-574: Was at first accommodated within the Hoddle Grid, but the huge surge in immigration brought about by the Gold Rush in the 1850s quickly outgrew the grid spreading into the first suburbs in Fitzroy and South Melbourne (Emerald Hill), and beyond. The Hoddle Grid and its fringes remained the centre and most active part of the city into the mid 20th century, with retail in the centre, banking and prime office space on Collins Street , medical professionals on
9792-456: Was commissioned by the City of Melbourne, and published in 1964. The maps used in the report show the CBD as just the Hoddle Grid, plus the parallel streets immediately to the north, and the area between Flinders Street and the river, very similar to the ABS area. Since 1999, the Melbourne Planning Scheme has included a 'Capital City Zone' which is a much larger area, including the former CBD, minus
9894-507: Was noted for his democratic nature) arrived in October, and following tense arguments between the two parties, negotiation were made for land to be shared equally. As Fawkner had arrived after the two parties, he was aware of the Proclamation of Governor Bourke , which had gained approval from the Colonial Office in October. He knew that cooperation would be vital if the settlement was to continue to exist fait accompli . Land
9996-511: Was put up in 1928, it was called Carlton Despatch, Myer had a large number of trucks that delivered items to the suburbs of Melbourne. People phoned the department that sold what they wanted. It was then sent to Carlton Despatch and delivered to peoples homes. They paid with a Myer Card, that put the amount on their account, that was sent to customers monthly. The Collins Street businesses of T. Webb and Sons, china importers, and W. H. Rocke and Company, house furnishers, were bought and transferred to
10098-520: Was sold in 2006. In 2000, Coles Myer CEO Dennis Eck, faced with lower sales and profits from Myer and Grace Bros stores took the department stores down market, reducing service levels, increasing stock volumes on the selling floor and introducing product to appeal to younger consumers. In doing so, he ended up replicating the approach of another of Coles Myer's chains, Target. The resulting effect included reduced customer visits and reduced units sold per transaction. In 2001, Coles Myer set about to reposition
10200-434: Was tempered in April 2007 by the loss of key staff. Bob Boutin, apparel director, Mark Bingemann, women's wear business manager and Jasmine Bingemann, footwear and accessories manager all resigned within a short period. This followed reports of management dissatisfaction over the direction of the fashion business signified by the defection of designers such as Alex Perry and Tigerlily to David Jones . In June 2007,
10302-406: Was the first Myer store to open in several years and incorporated new features such as white glossy floor tiles, extensive use of glass, and greater use of mannequins. Under managing director Dawn Robertson, Myer began to target the Sydney market more strongly, to challenge the position of chief rival David Jones particularly in ladies fashion. In February 2004, Myer held its Sydney fashion parade
10404-431: Was then divided, and the settlement existed peacefully, but without a formal system of governance. It was referred to by a number of names, including: "Batmania" and "Bearbrass" of which the latter was agreed upon by Batman and Fawkner. Fawkner assumed a leading role in the establishment of Bearbrass; which, by early 1836, consisted of 177 European settlers (142 male and 35 female settlers). The Secretary of State for
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