Bourke Street

Bourke Street

Bourke Street Mall, between Swanston Street and Elizabeth Street looking west, June 2007
Map
Bourke Street is located in Melbourne
Bourke Street
Bourke Street
Coordinates
General information
TypeStreet
Length3 km (1.9 mi)
Major junctions
West endCollins Street
Docklands, Melbourne
 
East endSpring Street
Melbourne CBD
Location(s)
LGA(s)City of Melbourne
Suburb(s)Docklands, Melbourne CBD
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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 tram thoroughfare.

During the Marvellous Melbourne era, Bourke Street was the location of many of the city's theatres and cinemas. Today it continues as a major retail shopping precinct with the Bourke Street Mall running between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, numerous offices to the west end and restaurants to the east.[1] Its liveliness and activity has often been contrasted with the sobering formality of nearby Collins Street.[1] For this reason, "Busier than Bourke Street" is a popular colloquialism denoting a crowded or busy environment.

Bourke Street is named for Irish-born British Army officer Sir Richard Bourke, who served as the Governor of New South Wales from 1831 and 1837 during the drafting of the Hoddle Grid.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Bourke Street". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Melbourne's Streets & Lanes" (PDF). The Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.