Fitzroy Street, Melbourne facts for kids
Fitzroy Street is a major road in St Kilda, a popular beachside suburb in Melbourne, Australia. This street has changed a lot over time. It went from being a place for wealthy families to a fun entertainment area for everyone. Like St Kilda itself, Fitzroy Street has had its ups and downs, but it remains a key part of the suburb.
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Fitzroy Street: A Famous Melbourne Road
Fitzroy Street got its name from Charles Augustus FitzRoy. He was the Governor of New South Wales in 1842. At that time, Victoria was part of New South Wales. St Kilda was first divided into blocks for building homes in 1842.
What Makes Fitzroy Street Special?
This street is very wide and goes downhill towards the beach. It is the most direct way to get from the Melbourne City Centre to the popular St Kilda beach. Because it's so wide, it has plenty of space for wide footpaths. It also has a special area just for trams. The two sides of the street look quite different from each other. Sometimes, Fitzroy Street is closed to cars for big events. These events include the St Kilda Festival, the Melbourne Marathon, and the Melbourne Pride March.
Exploring Fitzroy Street's Sections
The eastern part of Fitzroy Street runs from St Kilda Junction to Grey Street. On the south side, you'll see medium-sized apartment buildings. These buildings look out over Albert Park and Lake and the Junction Oval. On the north side, the corner of Grey Street is home to The George. This building was once a very large hotel. Now, it has apartments and places for dining and events.
From Grey Street down to The Esplanade, the south side of Fitzroy Street is full of shops. Many of these shops have apartments or hotels above them. One of the most famous eateries here is Leo's Spaghetti Bar. It was one of the first Italian restaurants and ice cream shops. It opened during the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne.
Trams and Trains on Fitzroy Street
Across from The George building, you can find the old St Kilda railway station. This station first opened in 1857. In 1987, the train line changed. It became part of tram route 96. This tram line continues into Fitzroy Street. Here, it connects with tram route 16. Other tram routes, like route 3 and route 16, also travel along Fitzroy Street.
How Fitzroy Street Has Changed
In the mid-to-late 1800s, Fitzroy Street was a place for wealthy people. It had grand houses, terraced homes, and hotels. During the years between World War I and World War II, many of these big houses changed. They became smaller flats or private hotels. Shops were built in their front gardens. Other old buildings were replaced by new flats with shops on the ground floor. For example, the famous Art Deco Prince of Wales Hotel was built in 1937. It replaced an older Victorian-era hotel of the same name. This building trend continued into the mid-1900s. This created a long row of shops along the street.
In March 2017, the Gatwick Private Hotel was bought by the Nine Network. They used it for filming the 2018 season of the TV show The Block.
