Detail of a hand-coloured lithograph of a birds-eye view of the city C.1906
The streets of Melbourne were laid out by Robert Hoddle in 1837. At that time, the fledgling settlement was around 500 strong and both the Eastern Markets (corner Bourke and Stephen [Exhibition] Streets) and those who resided as far north as Lonsdale Street were perceived as being located in the bush. In March 1837, Governor Bourke arrived to help Hoddle plan the growing city. Hoddle recorded in his journal that “Sir Richard Bourke came early one morning into my tent, and gave me a list of the names of the streets.”
Streets running East to West:
Flinders Street: named after Matthew Flinders, navigator of Port Phillip Bay.
Collins Street: Lieutenant Colonel David Collins, Commandant of the first convict settlement established on Port Phillip in 1803. Named Hobart Camp, it was located in the area now known as Sorrento.
Bourke Street: named by Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of NSW from 1831-1837, after himself.
Lonsdale Street: Captain William Lonsdale, the first police magistrate in the Port Phillip settlement.
Latrobe Street: named by Charles Latrobe, first superintendent and Governor of Port Phillip, after himself when he arrived in the settlement in 1839.
Streets running North to South:
Spencer Street: Earl Spencer (Lord Althorp), leader of the Whigs in the House of Commons.
King Street: Governor Phillip King of NSW, who was Bourke’s predecessor: however, some primary sources record it as being named after the reigning monarch of the time.
William Street: the then reigning monarch: King William IV.
Market Street: site of the Western Markets. Another addition was made during Latrobe’s administration.
Queen Street: consort of King William IV, Queen Adelaide.
Elizabeth Street: Governor Bourke’s wife Elizabeth, died at Parramatta five years prior to Melbourne being planned: however, some primary sources record it as being named after Queen Elizabeth I.
Swanston Street: Captain Charles Swanston, a Hobart Town banker, and pioneer who was chairman of the Batman Association.
Russell Street: Lord John Russell, who succeeded Earl Spencer in the House of Commons.
Exhibition Street: originally named Stephen Street after James Stephen, the Under Secretary of the Colonies in 1831. By the late 1800s, Stephen Street had allegedly acquired a reputation for being an area of ill repute. Stephen changed to Exhibition after Melbourne hosted the International Exhibition of 1880.
Spring Street: Thomas Spring-Rice (Lord Mounteagle), Chancellor of the Exchequer and friend and political patron of Bourke: however; some primary sources record it being named after the profusion of white and black wattles that thrived in the area.