Queen Victoria Village facts for kids
QV Melbourne, also called Queen Victoria Village, is a lively area in the heart of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It covers a whole city block, surrounded by Lonsdale, Little Lonsdale, Swanston, and Russell Streets. Right across from the State Library of Victoria and Melbourne Central, QV is home to a big shopping centre, a central open space, a food court, Melbourne's first full-size supermarket, and apartment buildings.
QV gets its name from the Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne, which used to be on this very spot.
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History of the QV Site
The land where QV Melbourne now stands has a long history. It was first home to the Melbourne Hospital, built between the 1840s and 1860s. These buildings looked like old English Tudor style homes.
Later, from 1910 to 1916, the hospital was completely rebuilt. It became much bigger, with several tall buildings (5-6 stories high) designed in the Edwardian style. These buildings had open balconies where patients could get fresh air. In 1935, the hospital changed its name to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital moved to a new location in 1944. After that, the old buildings became the Queen Victoria Hospital. This hospital was special because it was created "by women for women" in 1896.
In 1986, the hospital was planning to move again, and the site was set to be redeveloped. There was a competition to design new buildings, with the idea of keeping three of the old hospital towers. However, most of the old hospital buildings were torn down in the years that followed. Even two towers that were supposed to be saved were demolished in 1994.
For a while, the site was used for different things, like a skatepark and a mini golf course. It even became a simple carpark. The land was sold several times. At one point, it was empty and unused in the middle of the city. This made some people, like the Premier of Victoria at the time, Jeff Kennett, very unhappy.
Finally, in 1999, the Melbourne City Council took over the site. They decided to create a new "urban village" there. A company called Grocon was chosen to build this big project. The one remaining old hospital building was saved and became the Queen Victoria Women's Centre.
Building the QV Village
The "urban village" of QV is a busy area with shops, offices, and homes all in one place. Different architects worked together to design its various parts.
The QV site is divided into four main sections, called QV1 through QV4. Two of these are tall skyscrapers, while others are lower buildings along Swanston Street. The spaces between the buildings were designed as special shopping laneways. These new laneways are named after famous people in medicine, like Jane Bell Lane and Albert Coates Lane. In the very center of QV, there's an open-air public square, located behind the historic Women's Centre.
QV started opening in late 2003 and is now fully complete.
Queen Victoria Women's Centre
The Queen Victoria Women's Centre is located in the last remaining building of the old hospital. It officially opened in 1997 and was updated in 2005. This centre offers beautiful spaces for events, workshops, and meetings. It is also home to many non-profit groups that help and support women. Each of these groups runs on its own.
QV Offices
Many companies have their offices at QV. For example, the tall building at the corner of Lonsdale and Russell Streets has offices for Telstra, GHD, Accenture, and Australia Post.
Another company, Sensis, also has its offices at QV. Their buildings are connected by two bridges that cross Albert Coates Lane.
QV Shops and Fun
QV has a wide variety of shops and places for entertainment. Some of the main stores you can find there include:
- Woolworths - a large supermarket
- Big W - a discount department store
- Harvey Norman/Domayne - stores selling furniture and electronics
- Officeworks - a store for office products
- Dan Murphy's - a liquor store
- Fitness First - a gym
Besides shops, QV also has many restaurants, bars, and even a bowling alley for fun. One unique entertainment option is Flight Experience. It's a flight simulator where you can pretend to fly a Boeing 737-800 airplane!
QV Apartments
People also live at QV! The apartments are located in two buildings along Little Lonsdale Street. One of these is a tall, thin skyscraper at the Russell Street corner. The other is a shorter building at the Swanston Street corner. This building is kept low so that people can still easily see the famous dome of the State Library of Victoria.
