East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, east of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

, located within the

City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the Melbourne central business district, central city area of Melbourne. In 2021, the city has an area of and had a populati ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 census. East Melbourne is a small area of inner Melbourne, located between

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and the Central Business District. Broadly, it is bounded by Spring Street, Victoria Parade, Punt Road/Hoddle Street and Brunton Avenue. One of Melbourne's earliest suburbs, East Melbourne has long been home to many significant government, health and religious institutions, including the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria that follows a Westminster System, Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the Monarchy in Australia, King, represent ...

and offices of the

Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australian state of Victoria. As a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the State Government was first formed in 1851 when Vic ...

in the Parliamentary and Cathedral precincts, which are located on a gentle hill at the edge of the Melbourne's

Hoddle Grid The 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 a ...

, known as Eastern Hill. The world-famous

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

(MCG) is located in

Yarra Park Yarra Park (35.469 hectares) is a public park that is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct, a sporting precinct in Victoria, Australia. Located in Yarra Park is the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and numerous sporting fields ...

, in the East Melbourne locality of Jolimont. East Melbourne has been affluent since its first establishment and contains some of the oldest Victorian homes and

terrace house A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...

s and parks and gardens in Melbourne.

Geography

The Parliamentary and Cathedral precincts are located on a gentle hill, known as Eastern Hill.

Jolimont railway station Jolimont railway station is a commuter railway station on the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines, which are part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the inner-eastern suburb of East Melbourne, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Jolimont s ...

is at the top of a ridge, which extends towards Bridge Road in

, from which Jolimont slopes downwards towards the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower st ...

and the residential section to the north slopes gradually towards the flatter areas of Fitzroy and Collingwood to the north and Richmond to the south.

History

The area now known as East Melbourne was inhabited from an estimated 31,000 to 40,000 years ago and Eastern Hill was originally known as Ngár-go (or "high ground") by the

Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language, Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the traditional owners of the Yarra River Valley, covering much of the present location of ...

along with Fitzroy. The flat ground known today as Jolimont extending toward the Yarra was part of the area also known by the Wurundjeri as Quo-Yung (or "dead trees"). It was named East Melbourne in 1837 by

Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

surveyor

Robert Hoddle Robert Hoddle (21 April 1794 – 24 October 1881) was a surveyor and artist. He was the first Surveyor-General of Victoria from 1851 to 1853. He was previously the Surveyor-in-Charge of the Port Phillip District from 1837 to 1851. He became ...

, but was not actually settled until 1840, some time after neighbouring Fitzroy and Collingwood. Among the first settlers was

Charles La Trobe Charles Joseph La Trobe (20 March 18014 December 1875), commonly Latrobe, was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Aust ...

, who built a transportable dwelling in 1840 and wealthy professionals followed, establishing mansions there. The plan of the alignment of streets was adopted in July 1849. In the 1960s and 1970s, while other inner-city suburbs were experiencing

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

, East Melbourne, traditionally a blue ribbon district, experienced a temporary decline. Flats began to appear and replace many of the old mansions. Many remaining mansions had been converted to rooming houses over the years. The construction of the Hilton Hotel saw the demolition of Cliveden mansions, a five-storey Victorian era terrace and the largest mansion in Melbourne (a small section of the panelling, doors and other decoration of the ballroom is retained in the formal restaurant of the Hilton). Office development and expansion of the hospitals in the area affected much of the area surrounding Victoria Parade. During the 1990s East Melbourne once again experienced a sharp increase in property prices. The Becton development at Jolimont, modelled on a picturesque Georgian village, created one of inner-city Melbourne's first exclusive enclaves. Many of the remaining mansions and terraces were placed on heritage registers and subdivided into apartments. Later the Victoria Brewery was also converted into exclusive apartments, named "TriBeCa", after the Manhattan neighbourhood. East Melbourne's proximity to the city, its small size and its relatively unspoilt streetscapes ensure its property is expensive and highly sought after.

Population

At the 2016 census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,964. 62.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.2% and New Zealand 3.0%. 75.0% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 42.8% and Catholic 18.3%.

Notable buildings

Public and institutional buildings

East Melbourne is home to the

Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the Executive (government), executive government of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. As a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutiona ...

in the Parliamentary precinct at Spring Street and Treasury Place. Treasury Place is notable for its government buildings on Spring Street, including Parliament House of Victoria (built in 1856 to the design of Peter Kerr) and the old Treasury Building (built in 1857 to the design of John James Clark). Treasury Place forms Australia's finest

Renaissance revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

streetscape, combining the facades of the Premier's Department and Treasury, State Offices, now occupied by the Education Department, the former Government Printing Office and Commonwealth Government Offices (built 1912–1914 to the design of John Smith Murdoch), all overlooking the Treasury Gardens. The rear of these offices is a feature of St Andrews Place. Following the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...

, the Commonwealth Offices Building served as the administration buildings for the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

from 1911 to 1927 including the Prime Minister and Governor General's offices.

Religious buildings

Nearby Cathedral Place is home to St Patrick's Cathedral,

Catholic Theological College Catholic Theological College (CTC) is one of the constituent theological colleges of the University of Divinity, an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in Divinity (academic discipline), divinity. The college is located in Eas ...

and many other former religious buildings now serving mixed use. The Anglican St Peter's Church sits opposite the Catholic cathedral. The former Baptist Church House, built between 1859 and 1863, although substantially modified during conversion into an office building, is one of the finer classical styled buildings in East Melbourne and was designed by Thomas Watts. On the corner of Hotham and Powlett Streets, the large Cairns Memorial Presbyterian Church, which was built in the 1880s was subject to an innovative apartment conversion after the church was gutted by fire in 1988, leaving only the exterior sandstone shell.

Commercial buildings

Other notable buildings include the Arts & Crafts style of the Victorian Artists Society (1892) by Richard Speight and Harry Tompkins, the Eastern Hill Fire Station (1893) and the East Melbourne Synagogue (1877) by Crouch & Wilson.

Orica House 1 Nicholson St. (formerly ICI House) is a 19-storey office building in Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Begun in 1955 to house the headquarters of the Australian subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries (since spun off as ...

, built on the edge of the Melbourne CBD on

Nicholson Street Nicholson Street is a street in inner Melbourne. It is named after William Nicholson (Australian politician), William Nicholson, who is remembered as the "father of the ballot". He was also a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Legis ...

between 1955 and 1958 and designed by Bates, Smart & McCutcheon, is notable as being one of the first curtain wall glass skyscrapers in the world and the first skyscraper to break Melbourne's strict height limits. Until 1961, it was also Australia's tallest building. Victoria Brewery (1882), between Albert and Victoria Streets, is notable as an early work of William Pitt. Its castellated facade has since been partially restored and converted into the TriBeCa apartments.

Housing

East Melbourne is home to some of Melbourne's earliest houses. While notable terrace housing is predominant in the area, the suburb also has some fine remnant mansions, the oldest and largest in East Melbourne being the blue stone colonial mansion Bishopscourt (designed by Newson & Blackburn), which dates back to 1853, was used as Victoria's Government House in 1874–1876 and has been the residence for all of Melbourne's Anglican Bishops and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s since its completion. It is on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

. The two-storey house at 157 Hotham Street, built in 1861, is notable as a rare example of bluestone gothic applied to residential architecture. The house is often attributed to Joseph Reed and considered one of his early residential works. Accordingly, it is also listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Several terrace houses are notable, including Tasma Terrace (1878), by architect Charles Webb, arguably Melbourne's finest terrace home and headquarters of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

in Victoria, Clarendon (the home of Her Place Women's Museum), East Melbourne Terrace, Annerley in George Street and Cypress Terrace (1867) in Hotham Street. The large Queen Anne-styled townhouse building known as Queen Bess Row is also notable. Completed in 1887 and designed by architect firm Tappin, Gilbert and Dennehy, this impressive red brick building dominates a main residential corner. Another landmark is Eastbourne Terrace, an eclectic

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

terrace, on the corner of Simpson Street and Wellington Parade. East Melbourne is also characterised by

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

houses and apartment buildings. One unique example of the architectural legacy is the "Dorijo" apartment building, located at 458 Victoria Parade. Designed by architect I.G Anderson in 1934, Dorijo's significant aspects include a reduction in the size of the three balconies that progress up the facade of the building structure and the unmistakable tower at the top of the building, with links to his other, more controversial site, Lonsdale House. File:Bishopscourt east melbourne.jpg, '' Bishopscourt'', East Melbourne (1853) Joseph Reed architect File:186 George St, East Melbourne.jpg, 186 George Street (1856) Joseph Reed File:Clarendon Terrace, East Melbourne.jpg, ''Clarendon Terrace'', East Melbourne (1857) File:Gothic House in Hotham Street, East Melbourne Australia (4527567491).jpg, 157 Hotham Street, East Melbourne (1861) Joseph Reed architect File:Three storey terraces in east melbourne.jpg, Three storey terraces 1870s File:"Mosspennoch", East Melbourne, Australia (4526569575).jpg, "Mosspennoch" (1881) File:VICTORIAN ERA EAST MELBOURNE ARCHITECTURE.jpg, 1880s terrace houses File:Queens_Bess.jpg, Queens Bess Row, East Melbourne (1886) Tappin Gilbert and Dennehy File:Eastcourt, East Melbourne Australia (4528241976).jpg, Eastcourt (1889-1890) File:Federation Romanesque Terrace-Pair, Clarendon St, East Melbourne 2.jpg, Terrace pair (1908)

Schools

is located in the former Parade College building. Historically, East Melbourne was the original home to a number of prominent Melbourne's schools including: Scotch College, St Patrick's College, Cathedral College, St Kevin's College, Catholic Ladies College, Presbyterian Ladies' College, and Parade College.

Parks and public spaces

East Melbourne has many impressive Victorian era gardens with well-established plantings, the largest of which are the Treasury Gardens and the Fitzroy Gardens.

in Jolimont is used for picnicking and, controversially, car parking for the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...

. Parliament Gardens, a small square with a fountain adjacent to Parliament House, was granted public space by the City of Melbourne in 1934 and a modern fountain feature was later constructed. Approximately 41% of East Melbourne is public parkland.

Demolished buildings

The Dallas Brooks Hall, one of Australia's finest examples of the "stripped classical" style, was completed in 1969 and has served as a major events venue for many years. The building caused controversy after 2001 when it owners,

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Victoria announced that it was to be sold and demolished to make way for multi-purpose commercial development. Despite the building's architectural and cultural significance, its heritage protection status remains unknown. The building has since been demolished and is home to the Eastbourne Apartments. The three-storey brick building known as Somerset House was constructed by A.B. Brook in 1914 at 92 (originally 495) Victoria Parade, opposite St Vincent's Hospital. It was funded by nurse Ethel Ragg (later Mrs Ethel M. Tymms) to be used as a hospital, initially known as Nurse (or Miss) Ragg's Private Hospital and owned by her until her death in 1936. In 1922 another nurse, Grace Wilson, took over as manager, and it became known as Somerset House until 1934, when it was renamed Gloucester Private Hospital in honour of the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

who visited the city in 1934. After being offered for auction in April 1937, and passing in after it failed to achieve its reserve price, it was sold to the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

, and it was converted into a

maternity hospital A maternity hospital specializes in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth. It also provides care for newborn infants, and may act as a centre for clinical training in midwifery and obstetrics. Formerly known as lying-in hospitals, most ...

, called St Vincent's Maternity Hospital. It was reportedly demolished in 1975; however, there are a number of births reported in

The Australian Jewish News ''The Australian Jewish News'' (''AJN'') is a newspaper published in Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Since 2019, it has been a local partner of ''The Times of Israel''. History The ''AJN'' is descended from ''The Hebrew Stan ...

after that date, up to at least September 1980.

Transport

East Melbourne is served by major

tramlines The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in Sheffield, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a pan ...

on Wellington Parade and Victoria Parade, both connecting with the CBD in the western edge of the suburb. East Melbourne is also served by rail, with two main stations, Parliament underground station on Spring Street (part of the

City Loop The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a piece of rapid transit, underground commuter rail infrastructure in the Melbourne central business district, central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Vict ...

that runs underneath Melbourne) and Jolimont, on the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines, which is used primarily by patrons attending events at the MCG. Punt Road and Hoddle Street, both on the suburb's eastern boundary, is a major road for bus routes in the area.

Health

Due to its proximity to a number of hospitals, many medical practitioners also have their rooms in East Melbourne. These hospitals include the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH), the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Freemasons' Hospital. In addition, St Vincent's Hospital and St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne are located in adjacent Fitzroy, after relocating from their original sites in East Melbourne.

Localities within East Melbourne

Jolimont is a locality within the suburb of East Melbourne. Jolimont only covers a very small area. Most of it is occupied by the Melbourne Cricket Ground and surrounding Yarra Park and has its own railway station. The remainder of Jolimont is made up by a single block of housing, consisting of many

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

terrace houses and office buildings. The first superintendent of the

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

District, and later lieutenant-governor, Charles La Trobe, lived in Jolimont with his family in a pre-fabricated cottage. The La Trobe's Cottage was moved in 1963 to the

Kings Domain Kings Domain is an area of parklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It surrounds Government House Reserve, the home of the governors of Victoria, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and the Shrine Reserve incorporating the Shrine of Remembrance ...

, where it is open to the public. Other notable people who have lived in Jolimont include William Guilfoyle.

Notable residents

* Emma Carney, World Champion, Sport Australia Hall of Fame Inductee, Athlete Member * Brian McGuire, racing driver * Jade Melbourne, WNBA guard * Jemima Montag, Olympic racewalker * Ernest O'Ferrall, journalist and writer * Ada Plante, artist * Robert Ramsay, lawyer and politician * Frederick Romberg, architect * William John Young, biochemist, died in East Melbourne in 1942

References

External links

The Johnston Collection: a Fine and Decorative Arts MuseumMelbourne Cricket Ground
{{City of Melbourne suburbs Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Melbourne (LGA)