Melbourne, A City Built of Gold - Part 2

September 1, 2013 
Melbourne CBD

Back to blogging about my Australian trip. :P

The Victorian Gold Rush between 1851 and the late 1860s transformed Melbourne into a major boomtown. The gold wealth caused a great many lavish architectures to be built around the city center, transforming Melbourne into a world-class city.

Before I stepped foot in Melbourne, I simply imagined it to be a plain city with many modern glass and stream-lined buildings, nothing more. So it is fair to say that I was simply awed by the many elegant and luxurious heritage buildings in the city center. As I walked around, I was dazzled by the gold buildings, their color reminiscent of their wealthy origins. 

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Railway Station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets is the oldest station in Australia. The main station building, completed in 1909, is a cultural icon of Melbourne, with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks", refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is diagonally opposite Flinders Street Station. The location for St Paul's Cathedral marks the location of the first Christian service held in Melbourne in 1835.A distinguished English architect, William Butterfield, designed the cathedral, in the architectural style of Gothic transitional. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and, on 22 January 1891, the cathedral was consecrated.

Princess Theater

The Princess Theatre is a 1488-seat theater. It was first erected in 1854 by actor-manager George Coppin, who would create Melbourne's theatre land. Many world-famous shows have opened there, including Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera.

Hotel Windsor

The Hotel Windsor is a luxury hotel in Melbourne. The Windsor is notable for being Australia's only surviving grand 19th century city hotel and only official "grand" 5-star Victorian-era hotel. The Windsor is situated on Bourke Hill in the Parliament Precinct on Spring Street.

Now this is another elegant building which I don't know, but it is situated near the Stanford Fountain. Most of the heritage buildings are pretty well-preserved, maybe partly due to the favourable weather. There are also many statues of famous people and early pioneers erected around the city center.

The horse carriages also add a touch of old-world charm to this beautiful city.