1905c Bourke Street
MI_1054
$18.00
A photograph of Bourke Street from the 1905 period. The horse and cart have just crossed Russell Street and are heading east.
On the far left of the photo we see the Austral Hotel (181 Bourke Street), and heading down Bourke Street at 185 is the Interstate Outfitting Company (run by Beaconsfield & Co. who also had another store, the Federal Supply Stores, further down Bourke Street), then Francis Longmore & Co. Chemists at 187, then Sheppard's Queensland Hotel (now the Carlton Hotel) at 195. A few doors down at 205 Bourke Street G. Mountford was selling shoes and boots in 1907 in the same building where Mountfords still sell fine shoes today. Further down Bourke Street at 249 we can see the building with the large ball on top; this was Harry Rickard's Opera House, which also housed the Prince Of Wales Hotel. The New Opera House, as some called it, was completed in 1901 following the demolition of the previous Opera House. The new building was designed by the imaginative William Pitt, who also gave us the magnificent Princess Theatre, as well as many other architectural treasures. In 1914 the Opera House was reborn as the Tivoli Theatre, and gave delight to many of Melbourne's citizens.
On the right of the photo we see two well-dressed ladies passing Richardson's Hotel at 174 Bourke Street located on the north-east corner of Russell Street.
The automobile had not reached Melbourne at this stage, so the city sounds must have been quite different to today's cacophony. You could probably hear people talking from across the street, with the loudest sounds coming from the clip-clop of horses' hooves, or the rumblings of the cable car.
All text © HotPress
Photograph attributed to John Henry Harvey.
The notes from the State Library tell us that this image "Includes Austral Hotel and Interstate Outfitting Stores, both on left side of street."
This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the State Library of Victoria. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.
Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove blemishes and artifacts such as stains, mould, scratches and damage caused by the handling of the original. We strive to provide authentic representations of the original work that are suitable for enlargements that retain the tones and character of the original.
