Heritage trail

SITE 2 A PLACE TO MEAT

1he MeaI Rall or MeaI lish and kabbiI SecIion as iI is oIhcially
known is Ihe oldesI building on Ihe Queen vicIoria MarkeI
siIe and was originally used as a wholesale meaI markeI. 8uilI
in 86n, iI preceded Ihe oIhcial opening oI Queen vicIoria
MarkeI by n years.
1he MeaI Rall noI only housed buIchers, buI also hshmongers
and rabbiI sellers (or rabbiIos as Ihey were known). 1he ChiIIy
Iamily sIarIed Iheir rabbiI business in Ihe early noos in Ihe days
when rabbiI was cheap and readily available; and Ihey regularly
sold 6,ooo rabbiIs a week. 1he release oI Ihe calici virus Io conIrol
Ihe wild rabbiI populaIion in Ihe nnos meanI IhaI rabbiI was
no longer plenIiIul and Ihe rabbiI business Iailed. 1he ChiIIy
Iamily wenI on Io sell seaIood and conIinue as hshmongers
in Ihe MeaI Rall Ioday.
QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET
HERITAGE TRAIL
1he Queen vicIoria MarkeI, esIablished in 8)8 is Ihe largesI
markeI in AusIralia and one oI Ihe largesI in Ihe world.
Many oI Ihe buildings are sIill used in Irade Ioday. Covering
) hecIares oI land wiIhin Ihe CiIy oI Melbourne, Ihe MarkeI
remains essenIially inIacI Io iIs daIe oI consIrucIion.
Walk Ihe'ReriIage 1rail' Io explore Ihe MarkeI's hisIorical
signihcance Ihrough iIs unique sculpIures, rooIIops and Iacades.
Discover Ihe buildings, evenIs and people who helped shape iI.
A map oI Ihe Queen vicIoria MarkeI is locaIed on Ihe lasI page
oI Ihis brochure Ior your reIerence.
SITE 1 ENGAGING THE SENSES
AI Ihe Iime oI Luropean seIIlemenI, Ihe area now occupied by
Queen vicIoria MarkeI was parI oI Ihe esIaIe oI Ihe aboriginal
Wurnd|eri-willam clan oI Ihe woi wurrung language group, or
Iribe. 1his language group was parI oI Ihe Kulin NaIion.
Melbourne 1own Council was Iormed in December 8iz
Io run Ihe ciIy's many markeIs including Ihe LasIern and
WesIern MarkeIs and Ihen laIer, Ihe Lower and Upper
Queen vicIoria MarkeI.
lniIially, only Ihe Upper MarkeI was called Queen vicIoria
MarkeI; wiIh Ihe lower alloImenI known simply as Ihe MeaI
MarkeI. AlIhough noI oIhcially opened unIil zo March 8)8,
parIs oI Queen vicIoria MarkeI had been used Ior markeI
purposes Ior years prior Io Ihe MarkeI's oIhcial opening.
1he Lower MarkeI, Ihe irregular alloImenI bounded by Queen,
vicIoria, LlizabeIh and 1herry SIreeIs was granIed Io Ihe 1own
Council Ior use as a markeI in March 8<n and Ienced oII and
used as a livesIock and hay markeI Irom 86<. 1he currenI MeaI
Rall is Ihe only sIrucIure remaining on Ihe siIe Irom Ihis earlier
period wiIh R & l Sheds and A-L Sheds daIing Irom 8)8.
1oday Queen vicIoria MarkeI remains a world renowned IourisI
aIIracIion and conIinues Io play a cenIral parI in Melbourne's
culIural, business and social liIe.
SITE 3 MORE THAN A FAADE
AI Ihe same Iime Ihe Iwo sIorey LlizabeIh SIreeIs shops were
builI, Ihe meaI hall Iacade was replaced wiIh Ihe currenI cemenI
rendered Iacade and Ihe Iarm animal Irieze on Ihe building's
pedimenI was compleIed by sculpIor !ohn Simpson McKennal.
1he Iacades are oI archiIecIural signihcance as are Ihe iron gaIes
under Ihe Produce Arch and beIween Ihe shops and Ihe MeaI
Rall on LlizabeIh SIreeI. 1hese gaIes, along wiIh veranda lace
work display Ihe CiIy oI Melbourne coaI oI arms, which branded
Ihe MarkeI as municipal buildings.
CenIral Io Ihe coaI oI arms is Ihe silver shield wiIh Ihe cross
oI SainI George represenIing Melbourne's links Io Lngland
and Ihe Iour escuIcheons oI a eece, a bull, a ship and a whale;
represenI Ihe Iour ma|or acIiviIies on which Melbourne's
economy was Iounded - livesIock (rusIling), wool (Iellmongering),
shipping and whaling.
SITE 4 DELI DELIGHTS
1he Dairy Rall is a wonderIul inIacI example oI an arI deco
building. ln a Iime beIore modern reIrigeraIion, marble was used
Ior Ihe counIer Iops because oI iIs naIural Ihermal properIies and
Ihe building's unique design incorporaIed a special underground
venIilaIion sysIem designed Io help keep Ihe hall and iIs highly
perishable dairy producIs cool. 1he decoraIive brass plaIe in Ihe
cenIre oI each shop IronI is one oI Ihe Iew visible elemenIs oI
IhaI now redundanI sysIem.
1he unusual rooI line wiIh louvers assisIs venIilaIion and
skylighIs allow plenIy oI naIural lighI Ior improved producI
display. 1he marble comes Irom Ihe 8uchan area in vicIoria
and Ihe wooden window Irames are acIually covered wiIh
a layer oI whiIe meIal IhaI conIains nickel giving Ihe Irame
iIs special "whiIe" colour.
Heritage trail
SITE 5 PRODUCE AND PIONEERS
1he real hisIory oI Ihe MarkeI sIarIs here wiIh R & l Sheds
along wiIh A & 8 Sheds used as an ouIleI Ior Melbourne's
MarkeI gardens.
lrom Ihe 8<os Melbourne experienced a mass inux oI people
Irom around Ihe globe, including many Irom souIhern China,
chasing Ihe dream oI sIriking iI rich on Ihe gold held. 8y Ihe
8)os Ihe heady days oI Ihe gold rush had passed and many
unsuccessIul "diggers" reIurning Irom Ihe gold helds Iurned
Iheir hand Io markeI gardening. 1he Chinese were parIicularly
adepI aI markeI gardening, many oI which had sprung up along
Merri creek, wiIh abouI o% oI Ihe Chinese migranI populaIion
working in vicIoria's markeI gardens by noo. Gradually
Ihese were Iaken over by Ihe Greek and lIalian communiIies,
parIicularly aIIer World War ll.
1oday l Shed has an array oI producIs and is also Ihe siIe Ior Ihe
popular organics secIion hrsI oIIered in nn, Ihe earliesI organic
reIail cenIre in Melbourne.
SITE 6 MELBOURNES MARVELLOUS
MEAT HALL
ln 88i a new IronI Io Ihe MeaI MarkeI was added. 1he MeaI Rall
is boIh oI archiIecIural and social signihcance Ior iIs rariIy as one
oI a Iew purpose builI markeI buildings in exisIence in AusIralia.
AI Ihe Iime, iIs single span rooI was only Ihe second oI iIs Iype
in Ihe colony.
SITE 7 WHOLESALE TO RETAIL
8y Ihe n6os, Ihe Queen vicIoria MarkeI was over crowded and a
new soluIion needed Io be Iound. 1he massive demand Ior reIail
goods, could only be Iulhlled once Ihe pre-dawn wholesale Irade
had been saIished.
DespiIe Ihe many ob|ecIions Irom merchanIs, wholesalers
and growers, Ihe decision was made Io relocaIe Ihe markeI's
wholesale acIiviIies Io looIscray. Once Ihe wholesaling markeI
acIiviIies moved Io looIscray in n6n, A and 8 Sheds were purely
Ior Ihe reIail Irade oI IruiI and vegeIables.
SITE 7 MARKET FOOTBALL
8y Ihe nzos, a sIrong sporIing and social culIure had developed
among Ihe sIallholders and merchanIs aI Queen vicIoria MarkeI.
looIball, crickeI, bowls and golI clubs were Iormed wiIh maIches
held IhroughouI Ihe nzos and nos beIween ciIy Irading and
business associaIions.
1he"MarkeI" IooIball Ieam, as Ihe Queen vicIoria MarkeI Ieam
was known, |oined Ihe Wednesday looIball League wiIh games
being held every Wednesday aIIernoon during Ihe IooIball
season. MarkeI compeIed againsI Ieams drawn Irom local and
civic organisaIions including Ihe lire 8rigade, Police, PosI and
1elegraph, Press, 1elephone Lxchange, ellow Cabs
and WaIerside Workers.
Heritage trail
SITE 8 VICTORIA ST SHOPS
1he Queen vicIoria MarkeI visiIor CenIre and Ihe Cooking School
now occupy parI oI Ihis building. Like LlizabeIh SIreeI, Ihe
vicIoria SIreeI shops were consIrucIed as shops aI ground
level wiIh living quarIers Io Ihe rear and above Ior Ihe
reIailers and Iheir Iamilies.
6n vicIoria SIreeI (now Ihe visiIors CenIre) was Ihe childhood
home oI Mary Realy, who was born aI home on o December
8n. 1he Realy Iamily was a Iamily oI Iailors and operaIed a shop
on Ihe ground oor oI Ihe building. 8y noi Ihey had relocaIed
Iheir business Io |usI around Ihe corner aI < LlizabeIh SIreeI.
SITE 8 INSTANT AND DELICIOUS
8y Ihe n<os, Iood vans became a popular hxIure aI Ihe MarkeI.
1o saIisIy Ihe IasIes oI American servicemen sIaIioned in
Melbourne during World War ll, caI menus were expanded Io
include Ihe likes oI cola, hamburgers and coIIee and sIreeI sIalls
selling hoIdogs and doughnuIs soon Iollowed.
1he American DoughnuI KiIchen hrsI appeared on Queen
SIreeI in Ihe n<os and is sIill operaIed Ioday by Ihe Iamily
oI Ihe original owner.
SITE 8
QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET TIMELINE
1842
1he Melbcurne Citv Ccunril
estcblisheJ tc mcncqe the
Citv's mcnv mcrlets, cne
c[ whirh wculJ bercme the
Queen virtcric Mcrlet.
March 1859
Melbcurne 1cwn lcll qrcnteJ
the Mect Mcrlet cllctment
[cr use cs c mcrlet.
20 March 1878
1he Queen virtcric Mcrlet
c[hricllv cpeneJ.
1917
Melbcurne Genercl Mcrlet
lcnJs Art pcsseJ encblinq
Mcrlet tc be expcnJeJ cn
OlJ Cemeterv lcnJ.
1 December 1969
Whclescle lruit cnJ veqetcble
Mcrlet cpeneJ in lcctsrrcv
cnJ whclescle relcrcteJ [rcm
Queen virtcric Mcrlet.
25 March 1979
5unJcv Mcrlet trcJinq beqcn.
25 November 1998
Ccclinq srhccl cpeneJ cnJ
Niqht Mcrlet beqcn trcJinq.
2000
1he entire Mcrlet cnJ
OlJ Melbcurne Cemeterv
were rlcssiheJ bv the
Ncticncl 1rust.
Heritage trail
SITE 8 TOMBSTONE TERRITORY
ln Ihe laIe n<os, claims abouI corrupI merchanIs and unIair
pracIices aI Ihe wholesale IruiI and vegeIable markeI led Io
a n6o koyal Commission Io examine Ihe exisIence oI carIels.
1he claims were unproven, yeI Ihe ill Ieelings conIinued and
culminaIed in Ihe April n6 shooIing oI an O shed markeI
gardener. 8y !anuary n6i, anoIher man, also an O shed Irader,
had been killed and Iwo more seriously wounded. Soon O shed
was dubbed'1ombsIone 1erriIory'. A subsequenI dawn police
raid aI Ihe MarkeI Ihe Iollowing !anuary led Io Ihe seizure oI
many deadly weapons. LvenIually Ihe Wholesale MarkeI was
relocaIed Io looIscray and Council decided Io redevelop
Queen vicIoria MarkeI.
SITE 8 THE PEOPLE PREVAIL
1he SIaIe GovernmenI Iavoured developing Ihe siIe, which was
viewed as prime developmenI land aI a Iime when Melbourne's
skyline was rapidly changing. 1he proposed redevelopmenI was
noI popular and by lebruary n)z 8,ooo signaIures opposing
Ihe developmenI had been gaIhered Irom a wide range oI
people. ln n)< Ihe Council shelved iI and commiIIed insIead
Io a subsIanIial renovaIion program. 8y n)8, when Ihe MarkeI
celebraIed iIs cenIenary, renovaIions were well under way.
SITE 9 THE OLD CEMETERY
Much oI Ihe Upper MarkeI is siIuaIed on cemeIery land. 1he
Old Melbourne CemeIery, opened in 8), was locaIed in land
bounded by lranklin, Peel and lulIon SIreeIs (where C Shed
now sIands). AlIhough closed in 8<i, some Iamilies wiIh
vaulIs and reserved alloImenIs were allowed burials up Io n).
Meanwhile Ihe Melbourne General MarkeIs AcI 8)) allowed Ior
Ihe acquisiIion oI some Old CemeIery land. Sheds A Io l were
Ihen speedily consIrucIed. l Shed was builI in 8)8 as a barrier
beIween Ihe MarkeI and Ihe remains oI Ihe old cemeIery. Shed G,
R & l were erecIed aI Ihe same Iime and Ihey Iormed Ihe newly
opened Queen vicIoria MarkeI in 8)8. lrom 8no l Shed was also
Ihe siIe oI Ihe original Irade in dairy producIs prior Io Ihe Dairy
Produce Rall's consIrucIion.
SITE 9 GRAVES AND GHOULS
As Ihe MarkeI grew, iIs adminisIraIors soughI Io obIain more
oI Ihe Old Melbourne CemeIery siIe. 1he cemeIery was unique
in IhaI iI was divided inIo secIions Io allow burials oI people
Irom diIIerenI denominaIions and religions. lsaac Selby, in his
Old Pioneers Memorial RisIory oI Melbourne, wriIIen in nzo,
describes Ihe layouI oI Ihe CemeIery, as Iollows:
1wc crres tc the lpisrcpclicns jChurrh c[ lnqlcnJ], twc crres tc
the Presbvtericns, twc crres tc the kcmcn Ccthclirs, cne crre tc
the lnJepenJents, cne crre tc the Weslevcns, cne crre tc the Iews,
hcl[ cn crre tc the Quclers, cnJ hcl[ cn crre tc the Abcriqincls.
1he rcnvirts were burieJ just cutsiJe the ncrthern enJ c[ the
Cemeterv in Nc Mcn's lcnJ.
Heritage trail
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Victoria St
market car park
1
3
8 2
6
4
7
5
9
1

corner of victoria and elizabeth streets
ENGAGING THE SENSES
2

corner of victoria and elizabeth streets
A PLACE TO MEAT
3

elizabeth street
MORE THAN A FAlADE
4

inside dairy hall
DELI DELIGHTS
5

i shed, organics aisle
PRODUCE AND PIONEERS
6

Queen st, meat hall
MELBOURNES MARVELLOUS MEAT HALL
7

victoria street
WHOLESALE TO RETAIL
MARKET FOOTBALL
8

victoria street (near peel street)
VICTORIA STREET SHOPS
INSTANT AND DELICIOUS
QUEENVICTORIA MARKET TIMELINE
TOMBSTONE TERRITORY
THE PEOPLE PREVAIL
9

peel street
THE OLD CEMETERY
GRAVES AND GHOULS
Heritage trail
For more information,
please contact
P

+
61 3 9320 5822
W

www.qvm.com.au
E

INFO
@
QVM.COM.AU