Spencer Street is a major street and thoroughfare in the
Melbourne central business district
The Melbourne central business district (colloquially known as "the City" or "the CBD", and gazetted simply as Melbourne) is the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of the 2021 census, the CBD had a population of 54,941, and is ...
,
Victoria, Australia
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
. The street was gazetted in 1837 as the westernmost boundary of the
Hoddle Grid.
Spencer Street is named for
John Spencer, former
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
in the United Kingdom. As the 3rd Earl of Spencer, he was the 2nd great uncle of The Princess of Wales, Diana Spencer. John's younger brother, Frederick, became the 4th Earl of Spencer on his brother's death. Frederick was Diana's 2nd great grandfather. On the 15th of April 1983, the Prince and Princess of Wales on their royal tour, departed Spencer Street Station for Ballarat, returning later that afternoon.
Location
Running roughly north–south, Spencer Street forms the western edge of the original
Hoddle Grid. To the north Spencer Street becomes Dynon Road, whilst to the south it becomes Clarendon Street after crossing the
Spencer Street Bridge over 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 ...
.
Spencer Street denotes the boundary between Melbourne and
Docklands to the west,
West Melbourne in the north and
Southbank in the south, near
Batman Park.
History
Spencer Street was the site of the first permanent buildings in the settlement now called Melbourne. The home of
John Batman
John Batman (21 January 18016 May 1839) was an Australian Pastoral farming, grazier, entrepreneur and explorer, who had a prominent role in the foundation of Melbourne, founding of Melbourne. He also was involved in many attacks against Indigen ...
was built on nearby
Batman's Hill
Batman's Hill in Melbourne, Australia was named for the Vandemonian adventurer and grazier John Batman. Now removed, the hill was located to the south of today's Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins Street and Southern Cross railway station, and i ...
where he lived until his death and the early camps of
Captain William Lonsdale and
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 ...
were located along the street.
With the creation of
Docklands in 2000, the rebuilding of
Southern Cross railway station
Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Victoria, Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins and La Trobe Street, La Tr ...
in 2006 and the addition of a
shopping centre
A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
, the area has undergone significant urban renewal.
Notable buildings
Many buildings and structures on Spencer Street are listed 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. ...
and/or classified by the
National Trust of Australia
The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
. Others are more modern and significant for their current or future function. These include:
Heritage Listed
*
Grand Hotel and Grand Central Apartments (the former
Victorian Railway head office)
* Former
Mail Exchange
* Overhead Water Tank (part of the former
Spencer Street Power Station, demolished 2008)
*
History of Transport Mural by artist Harold Freeman (at
Southern Cross railway station
Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Victoria, Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins and La Trobe Street, La Tr ...
)
*
Sands and McDougall's Warehouse
Other Buildings
*
Southern Cross station
* Former
Charles Hotham hotel
*
HM Melbourne Assessment Prison
Under Construction
Several apartment buildings and hotels are currently under construction, including the
Ritz-Carlton which will be Australia's tallest hotel when completed.
Victoria's largest police station, the City West Police Centre, is located on Spencer Street. The Victoria Police Centre is set to open adjacent to it on Spencer Street as the new headquarters for
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victor ...
in 2020.
Transport
Spencer Street is served primarily by the
Southern Cross railway station
Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Victoria, Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins and La Trobe Street, La Tr ...
and is both a major terminus for
V/Line
V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
regional passenger trains and a major stop for
metropolitan trains. The street is served by tram routes
11,
12,
35,
96 and
109 at its southern end and
30,
75 and
86 towards the north.
Ghost sightings
There have been reports of supposed sightings of the ghost of
John Spencer roaming around the corner of Francis Street and Spencer Street. This local attraction has brought ghost hunters from around Australia to investigate the phenomena, and is a common stop for local ghost tours.
See also
References
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Streets in Melbourne City Centre