Pitt Street Mall facts for kids
Pitt Street Mall is a super busy shopping street in the heart of Sydney, Australia. It's a special part of Pitt Street where only people can walk, no cars allowed! This famous mall is about 200 metres long, stretching between Market Street and King Street.
Even though it's not very big, Pitt Street Mall is one of Australia's busiest and most exciting shopping areas. Many big, well-known stores have their main shops here, along with over 400 smaller, unique stores. It's also a key spot for Sydney Fashion Week, which happens every May. It's a really expensive place for shops to rent space, making it one of the priciest shopping streets in the world!
History of Pitt Street Mall
Long ago, Pitt Street was a regular street with cars and trucks. But in the 1990s, it was closed off to traffic and became a special street just for people walking. Many cities in Australia did this to encourage more people to visit shops on foot.
Famous Australian businesses like Sportsgirl and Angus & Robertson used to have their main stores here. In the mid-2000s, there were plans to make the mall even more pedestrian-friendly. This meant moving all delivery vans and trucks underground, so the street above could be completely free for shoppers.
Big Upgrade in 2010–2011
Pitt Street Mall got a big makeover between 2010 and 2011. This upgrade cost about A$10 million! They added new places to sit, new paving on the ground, and a cool new lighting system hanging above the street. All these changes made the shopping area even nicer for everyone.
Shopping Centres and Arcades
You'll find five main shopping centres and arcades right on Pitt Street Mall:
- Westfield Sydney: This is a large, fancy shopping centre that opened in stages from late 2010 to early 2011. It's the biggest shopping centre in Sydney's city centre.
- MidCity: This building has four levels of shops and offices. It opened in 2010.
- The Strand Arcade: This beautiful arcade opened way back in 1891! It's the last old shopping arcade from the Victorian era left in Sydney's city centre.
- Glasshouse: This building has offices and shops. It's located at the end of Pitt Street Mall, near King Street. It first opened in 1990 and was updated in 2015.
- Sydney Arcade: The original Sydney Arcade was built in 1882 but was taken down in 1954. Today, there's a smaller arcade behind a historic building at the northern end of Pitt Street Mall.
Gallery
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Uniqlo and MidCity
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Entrance to Westfield Sydney
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Zara flagship Sydney store
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Corner of Market Street and Pitt Street
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Entrance to Sydney Central Plaza and Myer
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Looking south on Pitt Street Mall in 2016
