Degraves Street is a

pedestrian precinct Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

and

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria, Australia. It is a short, narrow

laneway An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane) ...

in the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

that runs north–south from Flinders Street to

Flinders Lane Flinders Lane is a minor street and thoroughfare in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The laneway runs east–west from Spring Street to Spencer Street in-between Flinders and Collins Streets. Originally laid out ...

and is situated in-between

Swanston Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the main streets of the Melbourne central business district and was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertically ...

and Elizabeth Street. Degraves, as the street is colloquially known, is famous for its alfresco dining options and because it epitomises Melbourne's coffee culture and

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

scene. For these reasons it has also become a popular tourist destination. The street is named after Charles and William Degraves, pioneer merchants from

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

who built a

flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

at the corner of Flinders Lane and Degraves Street in 1849. William was also notably a member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

for fourteen years.

Location

The cobbled bluestone alley forms a busy alternative thoroughfare for commuters disembarking from

Flinders Street station Flinders Street railway station is a train station located on the corner of Flinders Street, Melbourne, Flinders and Swanston Street, Swanston streets in the Melbourne city centre, central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria (Austral ...

toward the shopping areas of Block Arcade on Collins Street and

Bourke Street Mall 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 tr ...

. Degraves Street is often confused and therefore synonymous with

Centre Place Centre Place Shopping Centre is a shopping mall in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Hamilton Central. Centre Place is one of the city's three major malls along with Te Awa at The Base and Westfield Chartwell. A scheme fo ...

, a similar walkway situated diagonally on the other side of Flinders Lane. Degraves Street also offshoots to the east into a

dead end Dead End or dead end may refer to: * Dead end (street), a street connected only at one end with other streets, called by many other official names, including ''cul-de-sac''. Film and television * ''The Dead End'' (1914 film), directed by David ...

(sharing the same name) about halfway down its length.

Campbell Arcade Campbell Arcade is a pedestrian arcade located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arcade is accessible from Flinders Street station and was built in 1955 to ensure crossing between Flinders Street and Melbourne's main train station was safer ...

(also referred to as the Degraves Underpass) was built in the 1950s to allow pedestrians to walk from Flinders Street Station to Degraves Street underground, rather than walking across busy Flinders Street. It is used by thousands of people every day. The arcade is home to the Platform Artists Group who frequently exhibit artworks amongst the arcade's iconic pink tiles and black marble columns.

Culture

Degraves features numerous bars, shops, cafes and restaurants. The art deco architecture, dining umbrellas and café canopies mean the street is often described as having a Parisian or European flavour. Redevelopment of the Mutual Store in 2006 has further enhanced the lane with additional shops. Many of the taller, older buildings were also converted into loft style apartments in the 1990s, adding further life to the area. Street art and

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

are commonplace, whilst

buskers Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

/ street performers also frequent the laneway, adding to its atmosphere. The

Majorca Building The Majorca Building is a neo-Romanesque, eight-storey tall building in Melbourne, Australia, designed and constructed between 1928 and 1930. Located at 258-260 Flinders Lane, it was designed by Harry Norris, one of the most prolific architects ...

, built in the 1930s, dominates the view at the northern end of Degraves Street. The building was designed by

Harry Norris Harry Norris (12 June 1888 – 15 December 1966) was an Australian architect, one of the more prolific and successful in Melbourne in the interwar period, best known for his 1930s Art Deco commercial work in the Melbourne CBD. His designs were ...

and is cladded in

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...

tiles.

Gallery

Image:Degraves Street at dusk.jpg, Degraves Street at dusk Image:Campbell Arcade.jpg, Campbell Arcade underpass from Flinders street station with signature pink tiles Image:Degraves St exit from Flinders St Station Dec 2012.jpg, Degraves Street exit from Campbell Arcade

References

* http://www.melbourne.com.au/degraves.htm * http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040042b.htm {{Melbourne CBD Streets Streets in Melbourne City Centre

Location

Culture

Gallery

See also

References