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MARKET STREET
MARKET STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Inventory

On this page:

Statement of Significance
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Statement of Significance

This place is included on the Victorian Heritage Inventory, for its

potential to contain historical archaeological remains associated with

the settlement and growth of early Melbourne. Under the terms of the

Heritage Act 2017 there is protection for all historical archaeology

sites and objects in the state.

Market Street is one of the oldest formed streets in Melbourne and was a significant thoroughfare in the early years of the city. The street led arrivals to Melbourne from the first wharf to JP Fawkner’s Shakespeare Hotel on the corner of Collins Street, which was Melbourne’s first landmark building. To the west of Market Street between Collins Street and Flinders Lane was Melbourne’s first Market Reserve, subsequently Melbourne’s first general market. This market was later known as the Western Market and was the precursor to Queen Victoria Markets. The Market Reserve in the 1830s was also home to Melbourne’s punishment stocks.

Market street was heavily modified in the nineteenth century to create a high traffic roadway. The number 20 cable tram route was installed in 1888 and operated continuously until 1947, when it was decommissioned.

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