![Lygon Street, Carlton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Lygon_Street%2C_Carlton.jpg)
Lygon Street is located in
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
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia, running through the inner northern suburbs of
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
,
Carlton North
Carlton North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra local government areas. Carlton North recorded a population of 6,177 ...
,
Princes Hill and
Brunswick East
Brunswick East is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek local government area. Brunswick East recorded a population of 13,279 at the 20 ...
. Lygon Street is synonymous with the
Italian community of Melbourne
The Italian community of Melbourne is the second largest ethnic group in Greater Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), second to the Anglo-Celtic Australians ethnic group. The 2011 Census counted
that of the 185,402 residents that were born in Italy ...
, forming the nexus point of
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
. It is home to many Italian restaurants and alfresco cafés.
Geography
Lygon Street runs north–south through the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. At its southernmost end, it connects to
Russell Street in the
Hoddle Grid
Hoddle Grid is the contemporary name given to the approximately grid of streets that form the Melbourne central business district, Australia. Bounded by Flinders Street, Spring Street, La Trobe Street, and Spencer Street, it lies at an angle ...
; it then proceeds northward, through
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
,
Carlton North
Carlton North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Yarra local government areas. Carlton North recorded a population of 6,177 ...
, and
Brunswick East
Brunswick East is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek local government area. Brunswick East recorded a population of 13,279 at the 20 ...
, to its intersection with Albion Street. Although the roadway itself continues, it is renamed Holmes Street for the stretch between Albion Street and Moreland Road, and later renamed again to Nicholson Street for the stretch between Moreland Road and the street's terminus at Bell Street. (Note that this is not continuous with the
Nicholson Street
Nicholson Street is a street in inner Melbourne. It is named after William Nicholson, then member of the Legislative Council, and later Premier of Victoria from 1859 to 1860.
Geography
Nicholson Street runs north-south through inner nort ...
which runs through the
Melbourne CBD
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "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 lai ...
,
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
,
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
and
Brunswick East
Brunswick East is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek local government area. Brunswick East recorded a population of 13,279 at the 20 ...
.) North of Park Street, the street numbers restart at 1.
Tram routes
1 and
6 run along Lygon Street between Elgin Street, Carlton, and Albion Street, Brunswick East.
Italian restaurant district
The Italian restaurant district synonymous with Lygon Street occupies the few blocks between Queensberry Street and Elgin Street in
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
. It is populated by the Italian families which migrated here in the 1950s, and holds the record of being the first place to install an espresso machine in Australia. It is also considered the birthplace of the 'Aussie' pizza. The area is heavily European in nature, and is the home of the yearly
Lygon Street Festa Lygon is the surname of a British aristocratic family. Notable people with the surname include:
* William Lygon, 1st Earl Beauchamp (1747–1816), British politician
* William Lygon, 2nd Earl Beauchamp (1783–1823), British politician, son of the ...
, one of Australia's largest outdoor street festivals. The
La Mama Theatre and
Courthouse Theatre
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-sp ...
are also in this area, as is the heritage-listed neon sign at
Borsari's Corner, named after Italian cyclist Nino Borsari, on the corner of Grattan Street.
Toto's Pizza House
Toto's Pizza House (Toto's) was the first pizzeria established in Melbourne, Australia, now a small chain of Pizza stores. Toto's opened for business on 7 July 1961 in Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria, where the business remained until closing in ...
, the first pizzeria established in Australia, has been located at the southern end of Lygon Street continuously since its opening in 1961.
Other points of interest
Melbourne Trades Hall
Victorian Trades Hall is the headquarters of the Victorian Trades Hall Council. It is located on the corner of Lygon Street and Victoria Street, just north of the Melbourne central business district, in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victor ...
occupies the corner of Lygon Street and Victoria Street.
Melbourne General Cemetery
The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North.
The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...
is situated on the western side of Lygon Street in North Carlton, between Cemetery Road and Macpherson Street. The two blocks running between Grattan Street and Elgin Street are known for shopping and boutiques. Cinema Nova was established in 1992.
A new addition is the East Brunswick Club which opened its doors as a music venue at the northern end of the street in May 2006. Lamb's Souvlaki is a popular restaurant on the strip which operates 24 hours a day.
Lygon Street was the main headquarters of an Italian Australian criminal organisation called
The Carlton Crew
The Carlton Crew is a criminal organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which was formed in the late 1970s and named after the Melbourne suburb in which it is based, Lygon Street, Carlton, commonly called "Little Italy". The orga ...
.
Gallery
Image:Melbourne Trades Hall entrance.jpg, Melbourne Trades Hall
Image:Christian chapel carlton 1865.jpg, Christian Chapel
Image:VictorianBuilding0018.jpg, Lygon Buildings, built in 1888
Image:Lygon Street, Carlton at night.jpg, Italian restaurants on Lygon Street at night
See also
References
{{coord missing, Victoria (Australia)
Streets in Melbourne
Restaurant districts and streets in Australia
Italian-Australian history
Italian-Australian culture
Italian-Australian culture in Melbourne
Landmarks in Melbourne
Transport in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
Transport in the City of Merri-bek