Melbourne Central Business District Article Index for
Melbourne Central
Website Links For
Melbourne
 

Information About

Melbourne Central Business District




The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the Streets in the ''' Central Business District ''' of Melbourne , Australia .

Named after its designer, Robert Hoddle , the Grid was laid out in 1837 . All major streets are one and half Chain s in width, while all blocks are exactly 10 chains square. It is one Mile long by half a mile wide, and oriented with its long axis rotated 28 degrees counterclockwise of the east-west direction, to align better with the course of the Yarra River .

While the survey plan has proved, in time, to be far sighted for public utility, at the time Hoddle's instructions from Governor Gipps were more prosaic. Land allotments for sale at public auction were to be produced as quickly as possible to deliver to the market. Gipps also insisted that all towns laid out during his term of office should have no public squares included within their boundaries being convinced that they only encouraged democracy.

In the 1960s, surveys extended the district, incorporating the region of similarly laid out streets bounded by Victoria Street, Dudley Street and the Queen Victoria Market.


EAST-WEST STREETS

Parallel to the Yarra River :


1 One-way westbound, except two-way between Market and Spencer Streets

2 One-way westbound, except two-way between King and Spencer Streets

3 One-way westbound

4 One-way eastbound

5 Runs only between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets

6 Runs only between Exhibition and Russell Streets

7 Runs only between Swanston and William Streets




NORTH-SOUTH STREETS

Perpendicular to the Yarra River:


1 Runs only between Flinders and Collins Streets, and is the single major deviation from the Grid.



SURROUNDING LOCALITIES


  LGA City Of Melbourne
  Northwest West Melbourne North= North Melbourne , Carlton Northeast= Fitzroy
  West Melbourne Docklands Here= Melbourne CBD East= East Melbourne
  Southwest Albert Park , Port Melbourne South= Southbank , Melbourne<br/>(St Kilda Road area) Southeast= South Yarra