West Melbourne
Our suburb is bounded by Peel St to the east, Victoria St to the north, La Trobe St to the south, and by the railway lines to the west. It is a suburb of the City of Melbourne, and falls within the state and federal seats of Melbourne.
Distinctive features of West Melbourne include the magnificent Flagstaff Gardens opposite our building, the many 19th century buildings (from tiny cottages to the vast St Mary of the Sea Catholic church at the top of William St), the number of heritage trees in the gardens and streets, and the number of small parks dotted through the suburb. We also have the oldest church in Melbourne, St James Old Cathedral (1839), from which one can hear the bell ringers practising often on Friday evenings. Of course the other great local amenity is the Queen Victoria Market, which technically lies within the Central Business District.
The City of Melbourne’s plan for the ongoing development of West Melbourne can be found here. Our neighbourhood, in the north-east part of West Melbourne, has been designated the “Historic Hilltop” area because of the number of heritage buildings.
Note that West Melbourne does not have its own shopping centre. The nearest shopping centres are in Errol St (North Melbourne) or at the Queen Victoria Market (closed on Mondays and Wednesdays). However, all the shops in the CBD are easily reached by free tram travel or by walking..
Public Transport
We are blessed with terrific public transport choices. Myki cards are needed for all types of public transport, unless you are travelling by tram within the Free Zone.
- Trains: Flagstaff is the closest railway station, although Southern Cross Station and Central Station are each within 15 minutes’ walking distance.
- Trams: the local route 58 tram stop (for trams between West Coburg and Toorak) falls within Melbourne’s free CBD tram zone – if you are travelling within the CBD. But we are within five minute’s walk to the route 57 tram stop (at William and Victoria Sts) and ten minutes’ walk to the route 59 and 19 trams in Elizabeth St, at the Queen Victoria Market tramstop. And the free City Circle tram has a stop at the corner of William and La Trobe Streets.
- Buses: bus stops for route 220 (Sunshine to Gardenvale) are very close. The west-bound buses stop at a bus stop directly opposite our building; the east-bound buses stop at a less visible bus stop in Peel St, close to the intersection with Franklin St. Note: this bus can take you directly to the Melbourne Recital Centre in about 14 minutes.
- Airport buses: SkyBus buses to the airport leave from the bus terminus next to Southern Cross Railway Station in Spencer Street, between Bourke St and Lonsdale St.
Doctors, chemists and other health professionals
The closest GP practice is Premier Health Partners, at the corner of King St and Rosslyn St.
There are two chemists in Errol St: Wood Pharmacy and Chemist Warehouse. Also, the Victoria Market Pharmacy is located at 523 Elizabeth St, close to the Queen Victoria Market’s entrance on that street.
The closest police station …
… is at 226 Flinders Lane, on the west side of Swanston St. However you may find that the Melbourne North Police Station at 36 Wreckyn St, North Melbourne (phone 8379 0800) is more accessible; we are told that the police staff there are less snowed under in dealing with the public.
Australia Post
The local postbox is opposite our building in William St, close to Dudley St. Our nearest post office is at 277 William St. It’s open 8.30 am to 5 pm on weekdays, and from 9 am to 12 noon on Saturdays.
Our parcels are delivered (and can be collected) at the North Melbourne post office, at the corner of Errol and Queensberry Streets. It is open 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays, and between 10 am and 12.30 pm on Saturdays.
Local library
Our local (free) library is the North Melbourne branch of the City of Melbourne’s Library Service. It is situated next to the North Melbourne post office, in Errol St. Its open hours can be found here.
Local residents’ association, and the local history group
If you are interested in joining other local residents in discussing and lobbying for improvements to our suburb, you are encouraged to join the North and West Melbourne Association.
And if you are interested in the history of West Melbourne and North Melbourne, join the Hotham History Project. Hotham was the original name for the municipality covering the areas of North and West Melbourne.
Some photos of our neighbourhood
Above: the changing face of Melbourne – as seen from the corner of Victoria St and Errol St [photo: Peter Gerrand].
Above: perhaps the most beautiful building in West Melbourne – the presbytery in Howard Street (1872-81) [photo: Peter Gerrand].
Above: north-east corner of Flagstaff Gardens, with CBD behind, taken from the roof of Flagstaff Views [photo: Peter Gerrand]