Swanston Street

Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertically bisects Melbourne's city centre and is famous as the world's busiest tram corridor, for its heritage buildings and as a shopping strip.^[1]

Swanston Street runs roughly north–south in-between Russell Street to the east and Elizabeth Street to the west. To the south it becomes St Kilda Road after the intersection with Flinders Street, whilst the road's northern end was originally at La Trobe Street. The street beyond that now known as Swanston Street was originally named Madeline Street, and runs through the suburb of Carlton to Melbourne Cemetery.^[2] The street is named after merchant, banker and politician Charles Swanston.^[3]

Swanston Street was one of the main north–south streets originally laid out as part of the 1837 Hoddle Grid. The early town was concentrated at the western port end, but Swanston Street gained importance with the establishment of a crossing over the Yarra river at this point connecting the main road to the south. A timber bridge in 1845 was replaced by a grand stone one in 1850, in turn replaced by the even grander stone and iron one in 1888 still in use, Princes Bridge. By then the street was lined with large public buildings, office buildings, pubs, hotels and especially shops. Landmarks of included the Melbourne Town Hall and the State Library. The street also accommodated numerous cable tram lines that spread into the southern suburbs. With the advent of the automobile in the early 20th century, the street became a major but crowded north-south route carrying car traffic from areas north of the city through to St Kilda Road, which continued throughout most of the 20th century. By the 1930s, after replacement of the cable cars with electric trams, the street carried nine tram routes, with the frequency of trams being the one of the highest in the world. By then more larger office and retail buildings and banks lined the street, including landmarks like the Nicholas Building and the Manchester Unity Building.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the street had problems with heavy traffic and its associated pollution, homelessness, loitering, and a plethora of discount stores, fast food outlets, sex shops and strip joints.

As part of Victoria's 150th birthday celebrations, three blocks of Swanston Street was closed to traffic, turfed and treed between Flinders Street and Lonsdale Street for a Summer street-party on February 9-10, 1985.^[4][5] The conversation then began around the permanent transformation of Swanston Street. In March 1992, the street was closed to daytime private through-traffic between Flinders and La Trobe Streets, roughly half its length.^[6] This section is known as Swanston Street Walk. Swanston Street was redeveloped in 1992 with a number of public sculptures being established through the Percent for Art Program. The most famous of these statues is of a small bronze dog called Larry La Trobe by Melbourne artist, Pamela Irving.

In November 2008, the newly elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle proposed returning private vehicle traffic to the street.^[7] The move attracted opposition from the Public Transport Users Association, Australian Greens and Bicycle Victoria. The idea was rejected and, by January 2010, plans to make the entire length of Swanston Street in the city car-free were announced by the Lord Mayor himself, a complete reversal of his previous stance.^[8]

Many marches, rallies and protests involve the use of Swanston Street, resulting in planned and unplanned road closures. The street is the venue for many annual events, including the Moomba parade, the AFL Grand Final parade and Melbourne Cup parade. It is also the major route for the Anzac Day parade because Swanston Street leads into St Kilda Road, the site of the Shrine of Remembrance.

Swanston Street was one of the busiest roads in Melbourne, carrying a large volume of private car traffic, mostly transiting through the city. In 1992, the street was made partially car-free, with limited exemptions for small freight, buses and private cars during certain times of the day. After that, proposals for the street to become entirely car-free gained momentum.

On 27 January 2010, it was announced that the entire length of Swanston Street up to Franklin Street would become car free.^[8] The $25.6 million proposal involved extending the footpath by about four metres, allowing room for two avenues of plane trees, planting, seating, kiosks, bicycle parking, sculptures and the like. Tram stops were created by extending the footpath up to the tracks for the length of a block at Collins, Bourke, La Trobe and Franklin Streets. A major bicycle route was created down the street, which shares the footpath at the new tram stops. The only other access allowed was for emergency vehicles and small-scale freight at certain times. The modifications to the street commenced in late 2011 and were completed in late 2012.

Many of Melbourne's most noteworthy precincts and prominent buildings face Swanston Street as the city's historic main avenue, including:

• Flinders Street railway station
• Federation Square
• Young and Jackson Hotel
• Nicholas Building
• St Paul's Cathedral
• Melbourne Town Hall
• Capitol Theatre
• City Square
• Westin Hotel Melbourne
• Manchester Unity Building
• Curtin House
• Chinatown Archway
• QV Village
• State Library of Victoria
• Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
• City Baths

Both the University of Melbourne and RMIT University also have campus buildings fronting Swanston Street.

Tram routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72 currently run along the street, with the frequency of trams making Swanston Street the world's busiest tram corridor.^[1] Two of the busiest railway stations in Melbourne are located near the street, with the hub Flinders Street station at its southern end and, further north, the underground Melbourne Central station at the intersection of La Trobe Street. The Metro Tunnel is being constructed under Swanston Street, and should be completed in 2025.

Swanston Street is also a major route for commuting cyclists to and through the city, with bike lanes from the northern suburbs and from St Kilda Road in the south, and the Capital City Trail on the Southbank of the Yarra River.

The parking of tour buses along the street caused controversy in September 2008 when a young cyclist was killed by a bus as it turned out of a parking spot.^[9] There had previously been calls to the council to relocate the large buses from the street where there was little space between buses and trams.

Swanston Street was previously served by bus services to Gardenvale and Middle Brighton. When Melbourne-Brighton Bus Lines' licence periodically came up for review, the Melbourne City Council and Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board always opposed.^[10][11][12] Finally the buses were removed from Swanston Street in October 1989, by which time they were operated by the Public Transport Corporation.^[13]

Swanston Street was the shooting location for the 1976 video for AC/DC's song "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". It led to a nearby street being renamed ACDC Lane in honour of the music video.

It is also referenced in The Distillers' song "Dismantle Me", as singer Brody Dalle is originally from Melbourne, as well as TISM's song "Get Thee in My Behind Satan" and Courtney Barnett's "Elevator Operator".

Jane Halifax (Rebecca Gibney) of the Halifax f.p. television series is shown living in an apartment at 339 Swanston Street (Jensen House;^[14] now converted into a UniLodge) opposite the State Library.

• Henry Burn, Swanston Street from Princes Bridge, 1861
• Swanston Street c. 1873 Charles Nettleton State Library Victoria H88.21/9
• Buxton's Rooms on Swanston Street, which were the site of the 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition in 1889
• Swanston Street, looking north from Princes Bridge, 1959
• Swanston Street near RMIT, August 2017
• A pair of southbound Melbourne trams embark passengers in Swanston Street just north of Little Collins Street, May 2012
• Archway to Melbourne Chinatown on Swanston Street, January 2015
• A street stall on Swanston Street, May 2013
• Flinders Street station, on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets, August 2012
• Upper House, on the corner of Swanston and Queensbury Streets

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Media related to Swanston Street at Wikimedia Commons