Sheep are herded across King Street and Bourke Street, C.1938
Few images capture the strange contrast between Melbourne’s urban and rural identities as vividly as sheep being herded across King Street at Bourke Street in November 1938. Seeing a flock of sheep moving through the heart of the central city is unimaginable today, but scenes like this reflected Melbourne’s close relationship with the surrounding agricultural economy. Victoria’s wool and livestock industries were enormously important, and the movement of animals through the city occasionally brought rural life directly into the urban landscape. The busy commercial streets, historic buildings and wandering sheep create an unforgettable snapshot of pre-war Melbourne. It also demonstrates how different the city’s traffic and street management were before modern regulations transformed the CBD. King Street was already an important commercial thoroughfare, making the sight particularly striking.