City Secrets with Peter Maddison
Rediscovering the city through hospitality, restaurant design, food and wine, with some architectural history tidbits. Shining new light and insights into the design elements of much-loved spaces that contribute to the public life and vibrancy of Melbourne.
Approximate distance: 4km (or 3km with a tram ride part of the way)
Approximate duration: 90 minutes
This tour will take you on a loop beginning at Evan Walker Bridge (Southbank), through Federation Square and up to the ‘Paris end’ of the city through back laneways. From Spring St, head West or take a brief tram ride alighting at Bourke Street Mall. Then, back to Birrarung (Yarra River) via some historic arcades: Royal Arcade, the Block Arcade and the walkway underneath Flinders Street Railway Station. There are plenty of opportunities for coffee, food and wine pit stops along this tour. Some parts of this tour are indoors (eg. Chocolate Buddha, Royal Arcade), with limited or restricted access but there’s still plenty to listen to from outdoors.
About your tour guide
Peter Maddison is an architect, former host of Grand Designs Australia and a champion of good design. He is the founder and director of Maddison Architects — a practice renowned for its award-winning hospitality projects. Peter Maddison is Open House Melbourne’s ambassador, and generously dedicates so much time to raising the profile of our organisation for which we’re very grateful.
Peter Maddison’s tour begins on the South side of Evan Walker Bridge. Previously known as the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge, renamed in 2015 in honour of former planning minister Professor Evan Walker who was instrumental in developing the Southbank precinct.
One of the oldest river crossings in Melbourne. Peter ties this “really significant location” to the history of Victoria. He points out various 19th Century design elements, including the faultless Harcourt granite. Peter also directs our attention to the current site of Federation Square (the next stop on the tour); click through to this 1996 image to see the Gas and Fuel buildings that were demolished in 1997 to make way for Federation Square.
Princes Bridge is another crossover with Jill Garner and Hamish Lyon’s tour.
Peter provides some background about the design of Federation Square, which was completed in 2002 and designed by Lab Architects. Peter describes Paul Carter’s artwork Nearamnew, comprised of sandstone tiles that form the ground of the square; and, the underground concrete “labyrinth” which provides air circulation and a natural heating and cooling system for the indoor Atrium space (which you’ll visit at one of the upcoming tour stops).
Jill Garner also visited Federation Square on her Stroll The City tour with Hamish Lyon.
Maddison Architects updated the fitout of Chocolate Buddha in 2019. Peter takes us inside the restaurant to point out key parts of the interior design.
Note: Our indoor tour of the restaurant was prearranged. You might choose to listen to this audio while having a meal at the restaurant (check their website for opening hours), or you can listen from outside while wandering Federation Square. You can see photos and videos from inside the restaurant on the Maddison Architects website.
This freestanding structure is one of the few new pieces of infrastructure that have been installed in Federation Square since its opening. The canopy was designed to let sun in during winter, and exclude sun during summer. It doesn’t touch any surrounding walls or structures, and Maddison Architects designed the Cloud Canopy to be able to be removed easily.
Peter says The Atrium is one of his favourite spaces in the city.
Peter talks about Hosier Lane’s vibrant street art, and the connections between Melbourne’s laneways and the hospitality industry. You’re encouraged to listen to this audio while walking from Flinders Street through to Flinders Lane. Take a detour down Rutledge Lane on your way through.
The “hospitality hotspot of Melbourne”. Peter cites some examples of the restaurants in Flinders Lane, such as Cecconi’s, Cumulus, Kisume and Chin Chin. Looking west from this location, you can see the Adelphi Hotel and its above-ground swimming pool.
This part of the tour was recorded in the foyer entrance to Gimlet, a restaurant and bar in Cavendish House. Check Gimlet’s website for opening hours if you’d like to have a drink or meal while you listen to this audio, or you can stroll outside the building and look up at the large “Chicago-esque” windows designed in the 1920s as a department store display.
The interior fitout of Gimlet was designed by Acme & Co. You can see photos of the space on their website.
If it’s safe for you to do so, we recommend listening to this audio from the northeast corner of Flinders Lane and Exhibition Street, or from the traffic island (halfway across the pedestrian crossing between the west and east sides of the street — which is where the map location for this stop of the tour is set to). That way, you’ll be able to look up to view the facade of “41X” or 41 Exhibition Street, designed by Lyons Architects and housing the Australian Institute of Architects.
100 Collins Street was designed to be finished in time for the 1956 Olympic Games. Peter says this building was considered the “bee’s knees”; its non-load bearing curtain wall glass facade is an example of midcentury architecture enabled by post-WWII advances in reinforced concrete and steel manufactory technologies.
Peter also looks southward across the road to 101 Collins Street. This 57-storey building designed by Denton Corker Marshall features a “frivolity” of four granite columns that don’t touch the front of the building.
This location is the site of Nauru House, designed by Perrott Lyon Timlock & Kesa (previously known as Perrott Lyon Mathieson) and opened in 1977. Its 52-storey building that was the tallest building in Melbourne at the time.
It was recently redesigned by Woods Bagot and UN Studio into a retail and dining precinct including a network of laneways that connect Collins, Exhibition and Little Collins streets.
Peter stands in the “extraordinarily close” 3-metre gap between the multiple buildings that are part of the 80 Collins Street Precinct. He says the small gap is enabled by the same private ownership of the multiple buildings, and it’s an example of street activation.
Now at the “top end” of Collins Street, Peter discusses The Melbourne Club — a “gentleman’s club” established in 1838. The club’s purpose-built building was designed by Leonard Terry in 1859 in a Renaissance Revival style. The bay-windowed dining room was added in 1885. Perhaps more significant is the outdoor garden space behind the club — to be discussed at the next tour stop.
Looking southward across Collins Street, Peter also describes Collins Place. The mixed-use development was designed by I. M. Pei in the 1970s. The two high-rise towers — 35 and 55 Collins Street — are set at a 45-degree angle to the Hoddle Grid, making way for open spaces covered by a space frame that Peter says was “as groundbreaking as the buildings themselves”.
Note: To access the next tour stop, use the walkway through 30 Collins Street (Monash University Conference Centre) which will take you through to Ridgway Place.
On a small site of 101 square metres, this building houses the Consulat de Monaco. It was designed by McBridge Charles Ryan and completed in 2007. It overlooks the Melbourne Club’s garden, including the historic plane tree — planted in the 1890s and on the National Trust’s Register of Significant Trees of Victoria. From Monaco House, look across Ridgway Place and you’ll see the large plane trees hanging over the Melbourne Club’s red brick wall.
Another significant site in Ridgway Place is the Lyceum Club, a “professional women’s club” established in 1912. The building was designed by club member Ellison Harvie and opened in 1959. Kerstin Thompson Architects added a rooftop garden room in 2018.
And before you move on to the next stop, make sure to take a seat in the smallest park in Melbourne!
Also known as the ‘Italian Waiters Club’. Peter explains some of the colourful history of this popular late-night restaurant. To its left, you’ll see a roller door. Now closed, it used to house a bar called Meyers Place — designed by Six Degrees Architects with a minimalist fitout comprised of secondhand materials recycled from other jobs. It was one of the first bars in Melbourne that “float out onto the street”, reflecting changes in liquor licensing in the 90s.
A chance for a pit stop at one of the many venues at this location: Spring Street Grocer, City Wine Shop, The European, Melbourne Supper Club and Siglo. Peter recommends these venues not only for their hospitality but also the interiors — and if you get a chance to head upstairs you’ll be rewarded with a view over the parliamentary precinct.
From here, head down Bourke Street. Stroll, roll, or you can take an 86 or 96 tram to Bourke Street Mall (Stop 5, Elizabeth St/Bourke St) to get to Royal Arcade.
Note: Check the Royal Arcade website for opening hours.
This light-filled shopping strip was designed in the 19th Century by Charles Webb. At the southern (Little Collins Street) end of the arcade, you’ll find timber statues of mythical figures Gog and Magog who guard the large Gaunt’s Clock and become animated as the clock chimes every hour. Peter witnessed Gog and Magog at midday and we recommend you time this tour stop to coincide with the clock striking the hour — which will next happen in minutes!
The Royal Arcade is part of the “Golden Mile” heritage walk, which you can experience through this Museums Victoria’s MV Tours A Walk Through History app.
Designed by architects Twentyman and Askew, the Block Arcade was named after the late-19th Century trend of “doing the block”. Here, Peter points out the ornate floor tiling and octagonal windowed roof.
Read about The Block Arcade’s history and architecture on the arcade website, and on its The National Trust page you can browse some photos of shoppers “doing the block” over the years.
Looking up to the second storey of this building, Peter points out the 1932 ceramic tile mural by Napier Waller that reads “I’ll Put A Circle Round About The Earth”.
To the right, you’ll find Emirates House (257 Collins Street). Through there, you can access the “sneaky” back entrance to Brunettis Cafe which will take you through to Flinders Lane. Then, head south on Degraves Street and cross Flinders Street to get to the final stop on Peter’s tour: the Flinders Street subway.
To the right of the ticketed station entry, head down the stairs to the subway that takes you underneath the railway tracks and through to the Yarra River — back to Evan Walker Bridge and completing the loop of this tour.
At this final stop, Peter says he loves these “lost spaces” of the city that are only used by pedestrians. He points out some of his favourite details, like the wall tiles and signage — some of which “don’t add up!”
Many thanks to Peter Maddison for hosting this tour, which was presented in partnership with Maddison Architects.