After working as a tour gude in the Melbourne CBD, I became the EXPERT on Melbourne fun facts. I learned plenty of interesting facts about Melbourne while training for the job, and I piled on more and more fun facts each week when I’d go new places or research a question someone asked me.
I must say this city has some of the MOST fun facts I’ve ever heard. It’s got a fascinating history, some really fun traditions, and even some interesting landmarks that have more of a story than meets the eye. Here are some of my FAVORITE Melbourne fun facts.
More Introductory Melbourne Content You May Like:
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The Yarra River is One of the Cleanest Rivers, But it’s ‘Upside Down.’
It might look brown and dirty, but don’t let it fool you – the Yarra River is actually one of the cleanest city center rivers in Australia/the world!
Waterfalls and obstacles were cleared from the river back in the 1800s to make room for boats to sail in. While it was being cleared, seawater actually flowed from the sea UP the river instead of the river flowing out into the sea.
Nowadays, the Yarra River in central Melbourne is actually 90% saltwater. the top 10% freshwater layer is less dense than the saltwater, so it sits on top. This freshwater layer is also where all the silt and dirt settle, so the top 10% of the river looks the dirtiest when in reality, it is not!
The Flinders Street Station Clocks Used to be Changed Manually
Flinders Street Train Station is an iconic Melbourne site. It’s got a yellow and red brick facade, a metal dome on top, tall clock tower, and a row of circular clocks out in front.
One of my favorite Melbourne fun facts is that the times on these clocks used to have to be changed NINE HUNDRED times a day, yes, 900, and before the digital age this had to be done manually with a long steel rod.
It was actually a very demanding and specific job to be a clock time-changer. You might hear Melburnians saying ‘meet me under the clocks’ when meeting someone at Flinders Street Train Station.
Melbourne’s First Name was Batmania
In the mid 1830s, a man named John Batman claimed to be the founding father of Melbourne and decided to name the settlement after himself.
The growing city was known as Batmania for only 2-3 years, until 1837 when someone in their right mind decided it would better be named after the prime minister of Britain at the time, Lord Melbourne.
The Melbourne Laneways Used to be Dumping Streets, But are Now the BEST Parts of the City.
You’ll notice that the Melbourne CBD is a PERFECT grid comprised of large, wide streets switched off with tiny, one-lane streets called laneways. This is because the large streets were made to be the ‘front’ or businesses while the laneways would be the ‘back alleys’ where you’d dump trash and other gross things.
However, during the CBD boom of the early 90’s, Melbourne businesses began to make use of the laneways in a way that had never been done before. Now the laneways are truly the beating heart of Melbourne, with tiny tucked-away cafes, hidden bars, restaurants, and shops.
It’s the only city I would encourage you to wander down dark laneways as you will probably find something amazing!
The Bourke Street H&M is Inside the Old Historic Post Office
The Melbourne H&M is one of a few historically significant H&M’s in the world. The Old Melbourne Post Office was in service from the Gold Rush all the way up to 1992. You can still see some old plaques and photos inside if you know where to look.
You can’t miss this massive Victorian building with a huge clock tower jutting out on the most central corner of Melbourne’s CBD. Go inside the H&M and marvel at the architecture, original archways, and glass ceiling, and picture what it used to look like with dozens of men working to sort mail.
Melbourne Central Station was Built Around Coop’s Shot Tower
If you venture inside Melbourne Central Station, which is also part of the largest mall in the Melbourne CBD, you might notice something unexpected. Amongst the glass ceiling/windows and flashy shop windows you’ll see a tall old brick tower right in the center of the mall. This is Coop’s Shot Tower.
Coop’s shot tower was built in the 1880’s and was in use as a shot tower, or a place where lead bullets were made by pouring liquid lead from the top and having it land in sand at the bottom, until the 1960’s. At 50m tall, it was actually the tallest building in the CBD until the 1940’s. It’s now a small museum you should check out!
Melbourne Has One of the Oldest Chinatowns in the Western World.
Melbourne Chinatown has been inhabited since the Gold Rush in 1851. Ot holds the title of one of the longest continuously running Chinatowns in the World and THE oldest Chinatown in the West.
Melbourne’s Chinatown is a must-see. From tiny dingy little dumpling houses to some of Melbourne’s best hidden bars, this is a center for culture in so many ways.
Melbourne’s Coffee Culture Stemmed from Immigration + It has More Cafes Per Capita than ANY CITY in the world!
That’s right – during the Gold Rush, the huge influx of immigration from Europe and other places helped shape the food + drink culture of Melbourne today – especially coffee. Different traditions such as coffee drinking arrived in the mid-1800s and have been slowly evolving and changing with Australian society until today – now giving them an entirely new, Australian cultural meaning.
Melbourne just might be the best coffee city in the world today. In fact, it has over 1000 cafes in the CBD alone (think about it) and has MORE CAFES per capita than ANY OTHER CITY in the world. Make sure you try a flat white – this is the Australian coffee drink that has evolved from its Italian roots.
Until 1966, Bars in Melbourne had to Close at 6pm – Giving Way to the ‘6 o’clock Swill.’
During the Gold Rush, bars had to close at 6pm as a preventative measure for drunk and disorderly conduct. But of course people still wanted to drink. When people got off work/mining at 5pm, they had ONE HOUR to get as drunk as possible. So come 5pm, people would RUN to the bars and have a one-hour chugging session known as the ‘6 o’clock swill.’
The 6 o’clock swill gave rise to drinks like ‘boilermakers’ which is when you order a shot of whisky and a beer at the same time (more efficient, of course). Bartenders used to line drinks up on the bar in preparation for this huge one-hour rush.
Melbourne has DOZENS of Hidden Bars.
Did you know Melbourne is famous for hidden and full-on secret bars tucked amongst the laneways of the CBD and beyond? This city is home to more secret bars than any other city I know about and I’d place bets it has more than most cities in the world.
From rooftop bars to undisclosed back alleyway doors to shipping container bars to bars where yo enter through a fridge, bookcase, or wardrobe, Melbourne has a bit of everything. Check out my comprehensive guide to Melbourne hidden bars here.
The Old Melbourne Gaol is an 1800’s Jail Where over 100 Criminals Were Hung – and It’s Now Part of a College Campus
The Old Melbourne Gaol (which is how ‘jail’ used to be spelled) is an 1800’s jail right in the city center! This creepy old jail is now part of a college campus, even with some classrooms and offices inside of jail buildings (which seems like the most hilarious thing ever – going to school in a jail).
The buildings of the gaol that have not been converted into classrooms are now an interesting museum. The main quarters of the jail and all the cells have been preserved, and you can go inside to learn about what criminals were jailed there, what they did wrong, how crime was managed through history in Melbourne, the cells they were kept in, and even what the rules were for hanging them.
Cook’s Cottage in Fitzroy Gardens was Shipped from England
One of the lesser-known attractions in Melbourne is Cook’s cottage in Fitzroy Gardens next to the CBD. Cook’s Cottage ACTUALLY IS the cottage of the famous explorer captain Cook, who was the first English explorer to reach Australia (Sydney) in the 1770’s.
This historical building was located in Yorkshire originally, but was brought all the way to Australia in the 1930’s and rebuilt in Fitzroy Gardens. It was reconstructed in the same exact way – even with original cuttings of ivy that grew up the walls.
Melbourne is One Of the Best Cities in the World for Theatre
It might not be obvious, but one of the coolest Melbourne fun facts is that it’s one of the best cities in the world for theater. Some huge plays start on Broadway in New York, head to London, and then end up in Melbourne at one of the city’s 10+ theatres.
They had a famous Harry Potter show going for a few years at the Princess Theater, the State Theater is one of the best-known in the country, and there are also historical theatres such as the Regent and Forum.
The Eureka Skydeck is the the second tallest building in Australia and the fourth tallest in the southern hemisphere!
And, the Eureka Skydeck is the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere! The Eureka Skydeckm is on the 88th floor of the building and has a bird’s eye view over Melbourne.
Australia might not be able to crack as many records for the WHOLE world, but they can surely crack records for the southern hemisphere. Learn about more things to do in Southbank.
Polly Woodside is an 1885 Irish Iron-Hulled Cargo Vessel Now in the Melbourne Maritime Museum of Southbank
Afte walking down the Southbank Promenade, you’ll eventually see something slightly different among the nice restaurants on the riverside: an old wooden barque ship! This unique boat is part of the maritime museum.
They believe that Polly Woodside has traveled over 1.5 MILLION miles around the world from when it was constructed. It used to make oyages between Europe and South America before it started going to Australia. Check out more of its fascinating history here.
The Melbourne Botanic Gardens Have Been There Since 1846 – Over 175 Years
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne have been there since a few years BEFORE the Gold Rush, in 1847. Today they encompass nearly 100 acres of land in the city center with plant species from all over the world. There are over 50,000 plants in the gardens and 8500 different species of plants.
The Melbourne CBD is One of the Rare Places You’ll See Hook Turns
If you’re wandering around the CBD and notice that cars are pulling over to the left to make a right turn, don’t be alarmed. This is called a ‘hook turn’ and happens so that cars waiting to turn don;t block the flow of trams in the city center.
They wait neatly on the other side of the road and then they may turn right when the light turns yellow. Three cars can make a hook turn per light.
Melbourne has the Largest Tram System in the World
Ding ding! This is a noise you’ll near all throughout Melbourne as the famous Melbourne trams whizz by carrying people all over the city. The tram system here is actually the LARGEST in the wold, with 250km of double track. You can take trams from the city center to nearly all of the metropolitan area.
The CBD encompasses a ‘free tram zone’ where you don;t have to pay for trams, which is one of my favorite Melbournbe fun facts. LEArn more about Yarra Trams and their incredibly functional and efficient system here.
Melbourne won “Most Livable City in the World” for 7 years in a Row
That’s right – when you officially break down all the different things that make a city livable, Melbourne wins over and over again… or at least it did for 7 years. Melbourne truly has a wonderful balance of all things you’d want in a home city.
Did you enjoy these Melbourne fun facts? Did you learn something new? Let me know in the comments below!
Read More about Melbourne:
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- Best Breakfast and Bruch in Melbourne CBD
- Melbourne Weekend Getaways
- Melbourne 2 Day Itinerary
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Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.
Liz
Monday 7th of February 2022
Melbourne was known more so as Bearbrass before it was officially named Melbourne. There were other proposed names such as Batmania but finding any documents using it would be difficult, whereas Bearbrass is documented.