91-772: Birrarung Marr is an inner-city park between the central business district in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia and the Yarra River . It was opened in 2002. The name refers to the bank of Birrarung , the 'river of mists', in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people, the Indigenous inhabitants at the time of European colonisation of the Melbourne area. The 8 hectare (20 acre) park lies immediately to
182-725: A WNBL game between the Southside Flyers and the Sydney Flames following increased interest in the match due to the participation of Hall of Fame player Lauren Jackson . The game set a WNBL record of 7,681 spectators. Netball is played regularly at the venue. It is the home court of the Melbourne Vixens and Melbourne Mavericks in the Suncorp Super Netball competition. The Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels also played games at
273-628: A concert for Life Tour supporting their album History of Tomorrow . From 2011 to 2013 the venue hosted the Melbourne judges' audition stages of the Seven Network singer search program The X Factor . Its also been the home to the Victorian State Schools Spectacular since 2008. In November 2022, a stampede occurred outside the venue prior to a concert for American singer Steve Lacy , with poor organization by stadium management being blamed for it. The concert
364-497: 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
455-449: A kilogram to 1.2 tonnes mounted on steel poles. The result is not unlike a collection of church bells, however they are spread through an open space rather than being confined to a tower, allowing people to walk between them. There are thirty-nine bells in total, spanning 3 octaves. Tuned in the just intonation system, the bells are controlled by computer, and play an ever increasing range of compositions, some commissioned, some submitted by
546-616: A larger crowd. During construction, the project was referred to as the Melbourne Park Multi-Purpose Venue . When it opened in 2000, a sponsor was immediately assigned naming rights and it became known as the Vodafone Arena . This arrangement lasted for eight years. On 12 May 2008, it was announced that its name would change to Hisense Arena in a multimillion-dollar deal that was originally supposed to last six years. Meanwhile, temporarily throughout
637-421: 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
728-530: 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
819-564: 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
910-440: A series of creative arts workshops often extend into this space from ArtPlay. Following the success of ArtPlay, The City of Melbourne has developed a similar arts program in the heart of the city for teenagers called Signal, located alongside to Flinders St Station. The Federation Bells on the middle terrace, commissioned in 2001, are a collection of inverted bells comprising nine different design types of various sizes from half
1001-499: A series of level open terraces . The lower terrace, next to the river, has a gravel surface. The middle terrace is on the east side of the park, adjacent to Batman Avenue, and has a grassed surface. The upper grassed terrace on the north side of the park is at the same level as Flinders Street, about 10 metres above the river bank. (The upper terrace was intended to link to the top deck of the Federation Square carpark, which
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#17328008334521092-463: 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
1183-572: 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
1274-549: 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 Melbourne Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia. It
1365-412: Is a GreenSet surface (between 2008 and 2019 the surface was Plexicushion ) and the roof is retractable , making it one of the few venues where tennis can be played during rain. The venue is able to hold a maximum spectator capacity of 11,000 for events such as music concerts where general floor seating or standing room is available. For basketball , netball and tennis the capacity is 10,500. When
1456-670: 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
1547-732: 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
1638-606: 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'
1729-655: 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
1820-628: 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
1911-522: 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 the Hoddle Grid plus the area of parallel streets just to the north up to Victoria Street including the Queen Victoria Market , but not
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#17328008334522002-490: 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
2093-586: Is the main home court of National Basketball League (NBL) teams Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix . Formerly, the Victoria Titans and South Dragons used it as their home, until high rental prices forced the teams to find other venues. Until this move the venue was largely devoid of sporting events outside of the two weeks of the Australian Open tournament held each January. The Dragons, founded in 2006 until they withdrew from
2184-414: 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
2275-411: Is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open , the first Grand Slam professional tennis tournament held each calendar year. The arena also hosts various other sporting and entertainment events throughout the year. The arena has sometimes been dubbed "The People's Court" during Australian Open matches, owing to its accessibility for Australian Open patrons with a ground pass (i.e.
2366-561: The 2006 Commonwealth Games the stadium was used for basketball and other sports. Its name was changed to Multi-Purpose Venue with all Vodafone-related signage covered over with black shrouds because Telstra , a competitor of Vodafone, was a major sponsor of the games. In 2004 and 2012 , the UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held at the venue. Other events were UCI World Cup events and Australian Madison Championships. On 14 and 15 June 2013,
2457-507: The 2006 Commonwealth Games , the Hisense Arena reverted to being called "Multi Purpose Venue" for the duration of the sporting event. In 2014 the naming contract with the multinational Hisense was extended for a further three years. Despite the contract ending at the conclusion of 2017, Hisense Arena remained the name of the venue for several more months, effectively for free. In August 2018, Tennis Australia announced it had bought
2548-652: 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
2639-535: 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
2730-410: 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 a "City of Literature" by UNESCO in its Creative Cities Network. In April 1835, John Batman ,
2821-796: 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
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2912-835: 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
3003-545: 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
3094-655: 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
3185-584: 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 is the core of Greater Melbourne's metropolitan area , and is a major financial centre in Australia and
3276-491: The Jolimont railyards , and diversion of Batman Avenue away from the river bank to connect to Exhibition Street. These works enabled reclamation of land from the former rail yards and roadway to create Melbourne's first significant new inner city park in one hundred years. Construction of Birrarung Marr began in 2000. The project was a joint venture by the City of Melbourne , which provided A$ 15.6 million to design and build
3367-557: The Moomba Waterfest, changing sculpture exhibitions, and community festivals while providing an attractive setting for passive recreation at other times. The park also provides walking and cycle access between the city centre and the sporting precinct to the south-east, and forms a link in the Capital City Trail , which provides continuous bike access along the Yarra River. Birrarung Marr was therefore designed as
3458-654: The National Gallery of Victoria in 1985, but off-loaded by the Gallery when major renovations were undertaken in 1999. The William Barak Bridge was officially opened in December 2005 for the 2006 Commonwealth Games . This provides pedestrian access between the middle terrace of Birrarung Marr over the CityLink toll road and railways to the vicinity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground . In addition to
3549-446: 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
3640-492: 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
3731-546: 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
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3822-420: 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
3913-550: The City: A History of Melbourne's Public Gardens . State Library of Victoria, 1997. 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 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
4004-469: 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
4095-738: 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
4186-630: The Melbourne Tigers) and the Melbourne Vixens announced their intentions to move from the arena to the smaller capacity Margaret Court Arena (MCA) from 2015. However, Melbourne United abandoned their move to MCA after the 2015–16 NBL season and continue to play their games at John Cain Arena, while the Vixens will continue to split their games between John Cain and Margaret Court Arenas, with John Cain used for games expected to attract
4277-858: 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
4368-462: 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
4459-602: The William Barak Bridge, which was not part of the original design for the park, destroyed one of the major display plantings on the north-facing embankment of the middle terrace. Additional tree planting for shade and shelter was envisaged for the level areas of the upper and middle terraces, but has not yet been implemented. The name comes from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri, meaning "beside
4550-507: 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
4641-648: The arena in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy before merging to form the Vixens. The Vixens also used it for home games in the ANZ Championship . The Australian Diamonds sometime play home international fixtures at the venue. The venue also hosted the 2016 , 2017 and 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series . The largest netball attendance at the arena was on 20 November 2004 when 10,300 saw the Diamonds defeat New Zealand 53 to 51. During
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#17328008334524732-421: 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
4823-420: 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
4914-442: The built-up banks. In 1992 the new Victorian Government under Premier Jeff Kennett initiated a development program focused on central Melbourne. For the centrepiece of this program, the State and City of Melbourne jointly sponsored an architectural design competition for Federation Square . The creation of Birrarung Marr resulted from the reorganisation of infrastructure and land uses near Federation Square, including clearance of
5005-441: The cheapest form of ticketing available) and the close proximity of spectators to the players, with the arena developing a reputation for being an incredibly passionate venue with a terrific atmosphere, particularly when Australians are playing on the court. Construction commenced in the late 1990s, and was completed in 2000. The arena features a cycling track, which is covered over with seating for court events. The tennis court
5096-429: 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
5187-477: The competition after winning the championship in 2009, played three seasons at the arena. For the 2012–13 NBL season , the Tigers (now renamed Melbourne United ) returned to the venue, and played 7 of their 13 home games at the arena. They later shifted all home matches to the venue. The Phoenix, who made their debut in the 2019–20 NBL season , share their home with John Cain Arena and the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South . The largest basketball crowd
5278-404: 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
5369-455: The first week of the tournament, at the same time as matches being played on the adjacent Rod Laver Arena . The first Australian Open match played at the venue was on 15 January 2001 and lasted less than ten minutes, when Monica Seles advanced to the second round after Brie Rippner was felled with injury in the second game of the match. The first match completed on the court was Tim Henman 's first round win over Hicham Arazi . John Cain Arena
5460-433: The footbridge within the park and the Federation Bells). The design has received various awards including the Royal Australian Institute of Architects ' Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design in 2004, and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (Victoria) Awards for Excellence in Planning and Excellence in Design in 2003. A long ramping footbridge within the park, designed by architects Swaney Draper, links
5551-437: 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
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#17328008334525642-429: 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
5733-405: 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
5824-442: The international marketplace. However, the City emphasised a broader role as social venue supporting individual and community activities as well as major events. From either viewpoint, Birrarung Marr was envisaged as an active, urban space, more like beachside promenades than the older public gardens in other parts of Melbourne, such as the Fitzroy Gardens . The intent was to provide a robust setting for events such as Circus Oz and
5915-479: 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
6006-420: The late State Premier of Victoria, who is regarded as a critical figure in keeping the Australian Open in Melbourne in the mid-1980s. The new name came into effect in December 2020. Every year, the venue hosts many matches as part of the Australian Open tennis tournament. It has usually only been used for day matches in the first 10 days of the tournament. In 2012 the venue began hosting night matches during
6097-512: The mature elms along the river bank and at Speakers Corner, about 200 new trees were planted in the park during its construction. The new plantings focus on Australian species including a mass planting of Macrozamia communis ( cycads ) on the embankment overlooking Speakers Corner. Also in this area are several Doryanthes excelsa (gymea lilies) and Lepidozamia peroffskyana (pineapple zamia, another cycad). Hundreds of smaller Australian native plants are also present although construction of
6188-441: 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
6279-457: The naming rights and had elected to call it Melbourne Arena , saying it preferred a non-commercial title "iconic with the city". The non-corporate name was to be in effect for five years, though the Victorian Government and Tennis Australia did not rule out extending the arena's name beyond that period. On 3 February 2020, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the arena would be renamed "John Cain Arena" in honour of John Cain Jr. ,
6370-495: The north bank of the Yarra River after construction of the Queen Victoria Monument at their earlier venue on the south bank. The site was one of the few public spaces in Melbourne where large public assemblies and speeches were allowed without a prior permit. The mounds that speakers used to stand on to address these crowds can still be seen in this corner of Birrarung Marr. There are barbecue facilities, as well as public toilets near Speakers Corner. The Yarra River Trail traverses
6461-425: The old State Swimming Centre remained until the late 20th century. The first rail line crossed the area in 1859 and railways eventually occupied most of the parkland between Melbourne's central business district (CBD) and the Yarra River. At the 19th century's end, these impacts were outstripped by reconstruction of the Yarra River itself, which was straightened, widened and deepened, with tree-lined avenues formed along
6552-448: The park is remarkably quiet and peaceful given its proximity to major roads and railways. The concept plan for Birrarung Marr was prepared by the City of Melbourne, with in-house landscape architects Ronald Jones and Helena Piha as principal designers. Consultants engaged to undertake the detailed design and documentation include Taylor Cullity Lethlean (landscape architects), Paul Thompson (planting design) and Swaney Draper (architects for
6643-683: The park on its south side. One of the railway buildings remaining from the Jolimont railyards was converted into a children's art centre and cultural centre, called ArtPlay. ArtPlay opened in 2004 and runs a range of workshops where children and families can undertake creative arts workshops alongside artists of all disciplines. ArtPlay is open to the public on weekends and during school holidays and works with schools during weekdays. In 2006 ArtPlay worked with over 20,000 children, offering nearly 300 different workshops, performances and events. A children's playground has been developed next to this building and
6734-552: The park, and the State Government of Victoria , which funded the railway rationalisation and clearance of the site. The park was formally opened to the public on Australia Day , 26 January 2002. The initial schemes for Birrarung Marr proposed a 'festival park', a largely commercial venue supporting the State's use of sporting and cultural events such as the Australian Grand Prix to position Melbourne in
6825-452: The public can down load a player from www.federationbells.com.au and compose and submit their own works online. Circus Oz has incorporated a live event with the Bells for their 2013 season. The ten-metre high, three-legged Angel was installed along the river bank in 2006. The sculpture was commissioned from Melbourne mosaic artist Deborah Halpern for installation in the 'moat' in front of
6916-418: The public. This sound sculpture plays three times a day. The bells were designed by Neil McLachlan and Anton Hassel. In 2010, Spring Innovations were asked to design a new dynamic playing system that was publicly launched on 1 April 2012. Since then the bells have played over 11 million times annually with near complete reliability. They now monitor themselves and report on their playing status daily. Members of
7007-597: 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
7098-412: The river". The name was applied to the park after the design was adopted. City of Melbourne, New riverside park design brief , May 1998 (unpublished). City of Melbourne, Melbourne's new riverside park draft concept plan , August 1998 (unpublished). Georgina Whitehead, History notes for new riverside park area , prepared for the City of Melbourne, 1998 (unpublished). Georgina Whitehead, Civilising
7189-554: The south-east of the central business district, between Flinders Street and the north bank of the Yarra River , east of Flinders Street station , and west of Exhibition Street , Batman Avenue and the Rod Laver Arena . In 1856 the colonial government indicated that the marshy site of Birrarung Marr was intended for park or ornamental purposes. However, several institutions including a morgue had already been established there, more still were developed, and facilities including
7280-562: The spires of the Victorian Arts Centre and St Paul's Cathedral and the Rialto office tower. The shaping of the terraces and the drainage channels between them lined with river red gums evoke the billabongs once found on the site, and the linear paths and bridge structures also suggest the railways that dominated the site through much of Melbourne's history. The park's open spaces are largely shielded from nearby traffic, and
7371-592: 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
7462-535: 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
7553-470: The three terrace levels and provides disabled access. Speaker's Corner, in the south-eastern corner of Birrarung Marr, was a remnant of Yarra Park between the Jolimont Rail Yards and Yarra River that was used as a location for public lectures, protests and demonstrations. For example, in 1916, an estimated 50,000 people came to protest against conscription . These activities had been moved to
7644-549: The velodrome is in use the northern and southern banks of seats, which cover the turns of the velodrome, are raised to reveal the track while the floor seating is removed leaving a reduced capacity of 4,500. Following the renovation of the Margaret Court Arena as part of a A$ 363 million upgrade to Melbourne Park in time for the 2015 Australian Open, which included a retractable roof and an increase in capacity from 6,000 to 7,500, both Melbourne United (formerly
7735-478: The venue played host to an ice hockey exhibition series between teams representing the United States and Canada. The arena hosts several musical and entertainment events each year, in concert with other venues in the precinct. On 26 February 2007, Irish boy band Westlife held a concert for The Love Tour supporting their LP The Love Album . On 18 September 2018, Taiwanese vocal pop band Mayday held
7826-574: 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
7917-456: 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
8008-622: 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
8099-758: Was on 4 December 2016 during the 2016–17 NBL season when 10,300 fans saw Melbourne United defeat the New Zealand Breakers 98–74. This broke the previous basketball attendance record of 9,308 set in 2008 in a local derby game between the South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers. The venue co-hosted the 2007 FIBA Oceania Championship where the Australian national basketball team won the gold medal. John Cain Arena has also hosted several Harlem Globetrotters Exhibition Games during their tours of Australia. On 4 February 2023, John Cain Arena hosted
8190-431: 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
8281-466: Was ultimately not built to the agreed brief although its extension is now being considered.) The massive terraces were formed on the level railyard site using spoil generated by works on the adjoining rail lines, Federation Square, and construction of the nearby Melbourne Arena . Basalt boulders from these excavations were also re-used in the park to form retaining walls. The layout of the park emphasises lines of sight to various Melbourne landmarks such as
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