South Melbourne
South Melbourne is a somewhat neglected part of Melbourne's inner suburbs these days, having had its limelight stolen of late by the riverfront Southbank precinct to the north and the roar of Formula One racing cars in the bayside suburb of Albert Park to the south.Historically known as Emerald Hill, it was one of the first of Melbourne's suburbs to adopt full municipal status, though back then it was a stand-alone community that was not seen as part of Melbourne. As one of Melbourne's oldest inner-city suburbs, legacies of the past can still be seen at various locations such as the town's centre, complete with its grassed town square, surrounded by the essential public buildings one expects to see at such a location - the South Melbourne Town Hall (built in 1880), Police Station, Court House, school and Post Office. The town hall precinct is home to some of Melbourne's best examples of Victorian architecture.
South Melbourne's well preserved Victorian era streetscapes are notable, in spite of the fact that its close proximity to the Melbourne city centre has seen the development of many high-rise apartment buildings through the years. Yup Temple is a Chinese temple, built by the See Yup Society in 1856, dates back to the gold rush era. Many small but attractive gardens are dotted throughout the residential areas. Like the Melbourne CBD, there are also many small laneways, most of them cobbled in bluestone.
The main commercial district is centred on Clarendon Street and side streets in the heart of the suburb. Its many retailers, cafes, eateries and art galleries. offer comprehensive retail and dining experience for shoppers, within its one kilometre shopping strip along Clarendon Street, as well as the busy South Melbourne Market in Coventry Street. South Melbourne Market has operated since 1866, as has the restored Chinese See Yup Temple.
How to get there: South Melbourne is served by tram routes 1, 112 and 96. Route 96 runs along the former St Kilda railway line, which was converted to light rail in 1987.
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Originally built as accommodation for British Imperial Garrison troops, including the 12th and 40th Regiment of Foot who were involved in putting down the armed Eureka Stockade rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria Barracks later became home to the Colony of Victoria's colonial forces. The Barracks housed the Department of Defence from the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia with the Federation of Australia's states in 1901, and remained so until 1958 when the Department moved to newoffices in Russell, Canberra.
The earliest building (G Block) at Victoria Barracks were built by soldiers on the 40th Regiment, under the supervision of a Royal Engineer officer, from 1856 to 1858, while the remaining buildings were built by civil contractors with the original bluestone buildings being constructed between 1856 and 1872. A large extension (A Block New Wing) was added to accommodate HQ Department of Defence in 1917 and while it looked like the original A Block building the construction method and interior was completely modern for the time. Another modern, for the time, art deco building (M Block) was added in 1939 - the floor was the first continuous concrete pour in Australia. The Barracks were named in honour of Queen Victoria. There are also Victoria Barracks in Sydney and Brisbane.
During World War II, Victoria Barracks Melbourne housed the Australian War Cabinet, which comprised senior MP's from the Government and Opposition parties. Myth has it that the US General Douglas MacArthur had an office at the barracks however this is not true as his HQ was at the Hotel Australia in the Melbourne CBD. Victoria Barracks Melbourne currently accommodates the corporate headquarters and ten Systems Program Offices (business units) of the Defence Materiel Organisation's Land Systems Division, as well as elements of Joint Logistics Command and the Defence Service Group.
The South Melbourne Town Hall is a local landmark and one of Victoria s grandest Town Halls. Designed by successful Victorian architect, Charles Webb, it symbolises the prosperity and confidence of the municipality in the 19th Century. The Town Hall is built on an elevated site with outstanding landmark and townscape qualities. The building has four street frontages and enjoys a prominent position on the crest of Emerald Hill. Both the land and buildings are owned by the City. The Town Hall's giant order Corinthian portico, matching pilasters and an imposing clock tower dominate Emerald Hill and the heritage significance of the building extends to its surroundings. The relatively intact Victorian streetscape and coherence of the built form is a clear strength of the precinct. The streetscape is formal, grand, confident and symmetrical.
South Melbourne Town Hall
Before European settlement, the area now called South Melbourne featured a single hill (where the Town Hall now stands) surrounded by swamps. The Hill was a traditional social and ceremonial meeting place for Aboriginal tribes. A great gathering had been witnessed there in 1840 by a number of the early European settlers. This is supported by a painting of a corroboree on Emerald Hill in 1840 by W.F.E Liardet, held at State Library of Victoria collection. In 1840 Richard Howitt described fifty men dancing in Emerald Hill assisted by the musical accompaniment of women as a performance to "haunt the soul for years afterwards". When the first European settlers arrived in the 1840s, they called it Emerald Hill. During the Victorian Gold Rush of 1851 a tent city, known as Canvas Town was established. The area soon became a massive slum, home to tens of thousands of migrants from around the world. In 1851 when gold was discovered in Victoria, fortune seekers flocked to a tent city which had been erected on the south side of the Yarra, between Emerald Hill and St Kilda Road; this was known as Canvas Town and was laid out in streets with shops, residences and pubs, all under canvas. The first land sales at Emerald Hill took place in 1852. In 1854 Canvas Town was dispersed and many of the inhabitants moved up to the Hill. The land around Emerald Hill remained unsuitable for housing or industry until it could be drained. The Victoria Barracks, on higher land in St. Kilda Road, was built in 1859; a shore battery was built at the end of Kerford Road. In 1854 a residents' meeting was convened to agitate for independence from Melbourne. At this time an act for providing separate municipal boroughs had been drafted and became law on December 14, 1854. Early in 1855 amendments were made to the Act and on May 26, 1855, Emerald Hill became the first suburb outside of Geelong to be declared a municipal district. This was reflected in the town's motto In Ordine Primum, translated as 'first in the field'. On July 4 the first council met and Mr James Service, later to be Premier of Victoria, was elected chairman. In 1870 Emerald Hill became a borough and in 1872 it was proclaimed a Town. In 1883 Emerald Hill became a city and also changed its name to South Melbourne.
In 1863 massive floods inundated the surrounding area and the few optimistic infant industries. Although flood mitigation did not gain a significant boost until the Coode Canal (1887), land reclamation, drainage and river embankment works encouraged settlement on the flat area. The Albert Park lagoon was excavated in 1875. Removing the swamps all led to South Melbourne becoming a favoured place of residents for Melbourne's middle class in the 1870s, with fashionable terraced housing becoming the norm, including some English style squares, the best example of which was St Vincent Gardens. The South Melbourne Town Hall was built between 1879 and 1880 and designed in suitable grandeur to evoke the city's booming status, establishing a civic heart at Bank Street, bordered by Clarendon, Park, Cecil and Dorcas Streets. In 1883 Emerald Hill became a city, changing its official name to South Melbourne.
Park Towers
South Melbourne experienced a decline in the 1950s as Melbourne sprawled outwards and its residents followed the dream of owning a house on a quarter acre block of land in the suburbs. Like many other Melbourne inner city suburbs, the Housing Commission of Victoria erected several high-rise public housing residential towers during the 1960s, the tallest and largest of which, the 30 stotey Park Towers (1969), was in South Melbourne. Emerald Hill Court (1962) is another housing commission apartment building located in South Melbourne. Their erection resulted in an injection of migrants, adding to the multicultural flavour of the area.
In 1973 the old Melbourne Orphan Asylum which had changed its name to the Melbourne Family Care Organization, was in need of funds to continue its work. Without much warning to the Local Council or residents it wrote to its tenants in the area bounded by Dorcas, Cecil, Park and Clarendon streets that their homes would be auctioned in December 1973. Some 5.2 acres of Emerald Hill would be sold. In response to many residents facing the prospe3ct of being evicted, and the possibilty of the area being bulldozed, the community fired into action and fought the proposal. Their campaign involved some old-fashioned grass roots action, which included protest marches led by a brass band, singing an Emerald Hill version of Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land. The battle for the Hill was won when, two days before the auction, Commonwealth government minister Tom Uren announced the Whitlam Labor government would give the Liberal Hamer government a $3.5 million interest-free loan to purchase the site and keep The Hill in public hands.
The area was then handed over to the Victorian Housing Commission and in conjunction with South Melbourne Council, a number of urban renewal proposals were implemented, and the restoration of the area began. Verandas and fences were renovated and restored, and building interiors and exteriors were painted and renovated, all within heritage guidelines. By 1983 when South Melbourne celebrated their city centenary all was in place. South Melbourne's fortunes had turned, and it became a very desirable place to live in the eyes of a new generation of professionals who preferred inner city living to the trditional 3-bedroom house in the outer suburbs. Many of the terrace homes were restored and renovated.
Unfortunately the low income earners who inhabited the hill for many years and who had welcomed the 1974 change in ownership, found that the Housing Commission policy of market rents forced them to leave the hill. At present the residents of the hill are still tenants of the Housing Commission, but that may not be for long, as Council amalgamation and State government cut backs have put the Emerald Hill Estate once again up for sale, this time selling off individual properties and thus threatening the integrity of this historic site.
The development of Southbank in the 1990s drew even more to the area, resulting in the construction of many apartment towers in recent years.
Detailed History >> Origins of the street names of South Melbourne >>
