Wailing Wall (Melbourne) facts for kids
The Wailing Wall is a special brick wall in Melbourne, Australia. It's on the Flinders Street Extension. This wall became famous because it was a meeting spot for wharf workers. These workers would gather there, hoping to get a job for the day.
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What is the Wailing Wall?
This wall is about 220 meters long, which is like two football fields! In the middle, it stands about 5.5 meters tall. It's topped with strong bluestone. Today, you can see a stairway cut into it. There's also a glass walkway bridge that crosses over it. This bridge connects to the Melbourne World Trade Centre. The bridge was first built when Melbourne had a temporary casino. Part of the wall on the western side was shortened to make way for Wurundjeri Way.
How the Wall Was Built
The Flinders Street Extension, and with it the Wailing Wall, was built in 1890. This was part of a big project to make railway, road, and wharf facilities better in western Melbourne. The wall is made of colorful bricks, including red, brown, and yellow bricks from Hawthorn. It gently rises from the Flinders Street Viaduct near Spencer Street. It reaches its highest point where Batman's Hill used to be. Then, it slopes down again to the west. Batman's Hill was mostly removed between 1863 and 1865 to build Spencer Street railway station. The rest of the hill was removed in 1892.
A Place for Workers to Gather
From around 1900 to the 1940s, getting work on the wharves was very different. Workers had to show up twice a day at offices on Flinders Street. They would compete against each other for jobs. This system meant workers were chosen based on their strength or how well they followed orders.
If workers didn't get picked for a job, they weren't allowed to just hang around. Sometimes, the police would even move them along. So, workers started gathering on the other side of the road, leaning against this wall. It became a place where they could wait, hope for work, or just be together after missing out. A similar system existed in Sydney in an area known as The Hungry Mile.
In 1917, waterside workers went on strike. They wanted a single, central place to be picked up for work. They also wanted to be paid for the time it took to travel to their ships. However, the strike ended when other workers were brought in, and the idea of a central pick-up point was dropped. The Flinders Street Extension was built to connect the river wharves. The wall was created where the road cut through what was left of Batman's Hill. This area is important to Melbourne's history.
What's Around the Wall Today?
On the wall, there is a special plaque. It remembers the spot where John Batman and Eliza Batman's house was built in 1835. John Batman was one of Melbourne's founders. The Premier, Rupert Hamer, unveiled this plaque in 1977. Across from the wall, you can see the Mission to Seamen building. You can also see the first Melbourne World Trade Centre. In 2000, the Flinders Street tram line was extended along the Extension. This connected it to the tram lines in the Docklands area.
See also
- Port of Melbourne
- History of Melbourne Docklands
