South Melbourne, Victoria

South Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne Town Hall with the colours of the Swans Australian Football League club are draped from the tower with respect to the former South Melbourne team competing in the 2006 AFL Grand Final.
Population:	8790 (2006)[1]
Established:	1840s
Postcode:	3205
Area:	2.5 km² (1.0 sq mi)
Property Value:	AUD $600,000 [2]
Location:	3 km (2 mi) from Melbourne
LGA:	City of Port Phillip / City of Melbourne
State District:	Albert Park
Federal Division:	Melbourne Ports
Suburbs around South Melbourne: Docklands Southbank Southbank Port Melbourne South Melbourne Melbourne Albert Park Albert Park Melbourne

South Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, South Melbourne had a population of 8790.

The suburb is notable as it was one of the first of Melbourne's suburbs to adopt full municipal status and is, along with Fitzroy, one of Melbourne's oldest suburbs. Historically, it was known as Emerald Hill.

History

St Vincent Gardens in 1878. Rochester Terrace is in the background

South Melbourne Town Hall in 1880.

Before European settlement, the area now called South Melbourne featured a single hill (where the Town Hall now stands) surrounded by swamps. The Hill was a traditional social and ceremonial meeting place for Aboriginal tribes.

The area was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s and became known as Emerald Hill. During the Victorian Gold Rush of 1851 a tent city, known as Canvas Town was established. Land sales began in 1852 and independence from Melbourne was granted when Emerald Hill was proclaimed a borough on 26 May 1855^[3].

The new municipality developed rapidly, and by 1872 Emerald Hill was proclaimed a town. The South Melbourne Town Hall was built during this time, and designed in suitable grandeur to evoke the city's booming status. In 1883 Emerald Hill became a city, changing its official name to South Melbourne.

South Melbourne experienced a decline in the 1950s as Melbourne sprawled outwards. Like many other Melbourne inner city suburbs, during the 1960s the Housing Commission of Victoria stepped in and erected several high-rise public housing towers, the tallest and largest of which, Park Towers (c.1969) is in South Melbourne. 'Emerald Hill Court' is the other housing commission building located in South Melbourne (c.1962). The result was an injection of migrants adding to the multicultural flavour of the area.

In the 1980s, South Melbourne experienced one of Melbourne's biggest waves of gentrification.^{[citation needed]} Many of the terrace homes were restored and renovated and a new middle class moved in. As a result of the development of Southbank in the 1990s, Clarendon Street has become one of the highest rental yielding commercial streets^{[citation needed]} in the entire city of Melbourne, attracting many of the residents from the apartment buildings to shop.

Recently, there has been some new developments within South Melbourne and at the Southbank end of Clarendon Street, including Australia's largest hotel.^[4]

Features

The main commercial district is centred around Clarendon Street, and includes the vibrant South Melbourne market. Along Clarendon Street there are many retailers, cafes and eateries.

Like Melbourne CBD, there are many small laneways in South Melbourne.

The town hall precinct is home to some of Melbourne's best examples of Victorian architecture.

In recent years, South Melbourne has seen an increase in population density due to apartment development in nearby Southbank, Victoria, where development has spilled over from the Melbourne CBD. To the east, towards St Kilda Road complex are many high rise office buildings.

The South Melbourne market is bordered by Cecil Street, York Street, and Coventry Street.

South Melbourne features some television production studios owned by the Seven Network and Global Television, in the south of the suburb, but Seven's news programs are bradcast from the Melbourne Docklands's Digital Broadcast Centre. The studios are serviced by Channel Seven shows like Wheel Of Fortune, Deal Or No Deal, Dancing With The Stars and It Takes Two

There are many galleries in South Melbourne, most of which are located in the streets off Clarendon Street.

Seeyup Temple (c.1856) is located in South Melbourne.^[5]

Sport

Old Lake Oval grandstand, adjacent to today's Bob Jane Stadium

It was once home to the South Melbourne Swans team which played in the Victorian Football League (VFL/AFL), which played out of the Lake Oval (now Bob Jane Stadium) in nearby Albert Park before relocating to Sydney in 1982 in a radical move which eventually spawned the national Australian Football League.

South Melbourne FC is regarded as one of Australia's most successful football (soccer) club with four national titles to their name. They currently play in the Victorian Premier League at Bob Jane Stadium, a rectangular stadium built on Lake Oval, the former home ground of the South Melbourne Swans. Historically, they have been known as South Melbourne Hellas, a tribute to the migrant Greek founders of the club, and traditionally played at Middle Park.

Gallery

Victorian terrace houses in Cecil Street	Finn Barr, a landmark Victorian terrace in Cecil Street built in 1885 to the design of Frederick De Garis in the Free Classical style	Victorian terrace houses in Finley Street	Victorian terrace houses in Layfield Street
See Yup Temple off Raglan Street

Famous former residents

• Dally Messenger
• Gentleman Jack McGowan
• William John Wills

See also

• City of South Melbourne - the former local government area of the same name.

References

External links

• South Melbourne, Victoria is at coordinates 37°50′06″S 144°57′36″E / 37.835°S 144.960°E / -37.835; 144.960Coordinates: 37°50′06″S 144°57′36″E / 37.835°S 144.960°E / -37.835; 144.960
• SouthMelbourne.com Business directory and travel information