8 Quirky Facts About Melbourne

8 Quirky Facts About Melbourne

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Posted 2012-08-12 by Joyfollow


Melbourne has long been hailed the most liveable city in the world and one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. Melbourne is famous for many things like beautiful beaches, being "Fox Capital" of the western world with a population of 6 to 23 foxes every square kilometres in the metropolitan area, being the only city in the world that was founded by Batman (not entirely accurate) and so on.

But there are so many other unique things which make Melbourne truly awesome. This article is an endeavour to bring to you my top picks of some quirky facts about Melbourne.

1. The Tunnel City
Melbourne is a city of tunnels. More than 50 tunnels criss cross the undergrounds of Melbourne. Dating back to the World War II, there are reportedly tunnels between every major site in Melbourne from the Victoria Barracks to the Shrine of Remembrance, from the St Paul's Anglican Cathedral under Swanston Street to the Young & Jackson's Hotel (surprised? So am I), from the Flinders Street Station to the State Library, and so on. So next time you are on the streets of Melbourne, don't forget to let your mind wonder about whether any tunnel lies hidden away underneath your footsteps.



2. Eight Hour Day
On the glorious day of 21 April 1856, history was made when an eight hour day was introduced into the building trades in Melbourne after a lengthy struggle between building tradesmen and contractors. This unparalleled triumph established the 8 hour working day, for the first time anywhere in the world. This achievement formed Australia's reputation as a 'workingman's paradise'. A 888 monument was erected at the corner of Russell and Victoria Streets opposite the Trades Hall to pay homage to this landmark victory. The intertwined numbers '888', at the top of the monument, represent the ideal of "8 Hours Work, 8 Hours Recreation, 8 Hours Rest".

%%In this Victoria, our dear land,
The first that dared be free,
To show the world what freedom meant
In new lands 'cross the sea%%
- Ode to the Eight Hours' Pioneers
Hamilton Mackinnon
April 21, 1896



3. The Tram Network
The tramway system of Melbourne is actually the largest outside the European continent and the fourth largest in the entire world. It stretches along 244 kilometres (152 miles) of track and has 450 trams. Besides reducing our carbon print and making travel easier for all, these trams also add to the exquisiteness of Melbourne.



4. Sister Cities Of Melbourne
Melbourne has seven sister cities spread around the globe. Introduced in 1978, the Sister Cities program is intended to enhance Melbourne's international profile, supporting and facilitating exchanges in business, tourism, education, culture and sport while fostering productive and friendly relationships. Our sister cities include Osaka in Japan, Tianjin in the People's Republic of China, Thessaloniki in Greece, Boston in the USA, Saint Petersburg in Russia, Milan in Italy and Galle in Sri Lanka.

5. 6 O'Clock Swill
Anyone familiar with Melbourne's night scene will squeal when told that there was a time when Melbourne pubs closed at 6pm. In order to restrict uncontrolled alcohol consumption, the Victorian Parliament passed the Temporary Restriction of Hours Bill during the World War I which essentially dictated that public houses had to stop selling alcohol at six o'clock. Hence, all the pubs in Melbourne shut their doors at 6 pm. This ban resulted in city workers scurrying for last minute purchases of alcoholic beverages before the hotels closed. This famously became known as the 6 O'clock Swill.

In 1966, this ban was abolished.

6. Melbourne was once called Illegal
It may be unfathomable for some but Melbourne was once called an illegal settlement. John Batman, as a leader for a syndicate of Tasmanian sheep farmers, signed a treaty with the traditional owners of the land that came to be known as Melbourne. New South Wales Governor Richard Bourke proclaimed this treaty to be illegal and labelled the settlers as trespassers thus negating a claim to a legal settlement. However, within a matter of 2 years, more than 350 people and 55,000 sheep called Melbourne home hence making Melbourne a legally accepted settlement.



7. Seat For Federal Parliament
For 26 long years, Melbourne was the seat for the Commonwealth parliament. Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens was the location for the opening of the federal parliament in the year 1901. After the opening day, the federal parliament met in Spring Street and the Victorian State parliament was held in the Exhibition building. This arrangement was in place until the federal parliament decided to call Canberra its home, in 1927.



8. Haunted Princess Theatre
Melbourne's famous Princess Theatre has long been haunted by a solitary ghost. Singer, Federici, met with untimely death as he got down from the stage in March 1988 after playing the role of Mephistopheles in the opera Faust. The following night, the cast of the opera Faust swore that they witnessed two Mephistopheles proceeding to take their bows. Federici's replacement, Ernest St Clair made the claim that every time he attempted to pick up his bow a pair of invisible hands pushed him away. Since that day, there have been numerous sightings and over time a sighting of the ghost came to be considered as a sign of good luck.

As a gesture of goodwill, on every opening night Princess theatre leaves a seat vacant in the balcony for the ghost of Federici. More reason to visit the Princess theatre, especially on opening nights!



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174445 - 2023-06-15 13:57:48

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