HANDOUTS (we provide all these to you):
Identities: These are fun new characters given out to each client to discuss or play a role if they choose.
Freddo Frogs: Chocolate was a favourite food of fashionable Collins Street. Melbourne’s Willy Wonka was MacPherson Robertson who invented the Freddo Frog in 1930.
Mini-me: Miniature street art figures from Mini-me, a Melbourne miniature street artist . Clients put them up in the lanes and take photos. Then the clients keep them as souvenirs, ie take them away.
Lemon gum leaves: Distribute a gum leaf to client. Ask them to crush and smell. These leaves are used to ‘smoke’ the parliament. annually as a purifying Indigenous ceremony. ‘‘We acknowledge the traditional owners of the Kulin Nation, whose lands we walk across today, and pay respects to their elders past and present.”
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GRAND HYATT CITY DISCOVERY TOUR
8.30am-10.30am, Wednesday July 16, 2025, Grand Hyatt Hotel (Not Park Hyatt). Entrances on 123 Collins Street Melbourne and Russell Street.
“Our Hyatt Melbourne City Discovery tour explores the cultural, social and historical places that have helped shape Melbourne today. They include heritage architecture of Collins Street, iconic contemporary buildings, nearby lanes and arcades including world renowned street art sites.”
Dear Guides
Thanks for participating as a guide on our City Discovery tours on Wed 16 July 2025 @ 8.30am. This is a large event! On the day we will have 21 walk guides leading tours simultaneously for approximately 400 clients in the Marvellous Melbourne precincts around Flinders, Collins, Spring, Bourke and Flinders Streets.
Who are your clients? Your clients are family adults accompanying the U.S.A National Children’s Chorus who are doing a free public performance with the Australian Children’s Choir at the Edge at Federation Square later that evening at 7.00-8.30pm. These are two of the world’s premier youth choral organisations. ( National Children’s Chorus – Fed Square, Melbourne Australia )
ITINERARY
8.30am Arrive at the reception lobby of the Grand Hyatt (Not the Park Hyatt). Entrance from either 123 Collins Street or Russell Street main entrance. Please be on time. We will allocate you to your group 1-21. We will also give you some freebies to give out to the walkers.
8.45am We take the escalator up one floor to the dining room to meet the clients who have finished breakfast. They will be at tables numbered 1-21. Simply find the group with your number (below) e.g. if you are guide 8, then go to table 8.
9.00am – 10.30am Head out on your tour. Given the large number of people, we ask you to keep the groups as separated as possible.
ROUTE
There are many iconic Marvellous Melbourne sites within easy walking distance of the Hyatt. I’m sure you all know many. The local area includes Collins Street (eg churches, Melbourne Club, Town Hall), Flinders Lane (eg Street art Duckboard, Higson, ACDC), Spring Street (eg Parliament, Treasury, Windsor), Bourke Street (eg Salvos, Princess Theatre, Chinatown).
You can choose your own favourite sites but we would like everyone to visit at least one street art location eg Beaney, Hosier, Higson, ACDC etc.
The biggest challenge is we can’t have hundreds of people occupying the same spaces obviously. Please try to avoid other guide groups whenever you can! So we will send the guides and groups in different directions. We suggest:
GROUP 1-5 Head east up Collins Street on different sides then choose Spring, Bourke, Russell, Flinders Lane.
Guides: Michelle group one, Isabel group two, Yuni group three, Dee group four, Joe group five.
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GROUP 6-10 head north up Russell, then Bourke, Spring, Collins, Flinders Lane approx.
Guides: Fiona group six, Catherine group seven, Junaita group eight, Simon group nine, Christine group ten, Brenda group eleven.
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GROUP 11- 15: Head south down Russell’s, Flinders, ACDC, Duckboard, Spring, Bourke, Collins,
Guides: Bronwyn group twelve, Leanne group thirteen, Rick group fourteen, Lenny group fifteen.
*****
GROUP 16-21: Head west down Collins via BHP, Regent, Melbourne Town Hall, then Swanston Flinders Lane, ACDC, Spring, Bourke, Collins.
Guides: Liz group sixteen, Joy group seventeen, Lynne group eighteen, Shelley group nineteen, Jim group twenty, Tess group twenty-one.
*****
PAYMENT
For payment, please email us your invoice to melbwalks@gmail.com with your bank account and BSB deposit details.
ENQUIRIES
Don’t hesitate to ring, text or email me any time if you need assistance.
Meyer Eidelson, Melbourne Walks 0408894724 melbwalks@gmail.com
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SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ON HISTORIC PLACES ON STREETS NEAR THE HYATT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I acknowledge the traditional owners of the Kulin Nation, whose lands we walk across today, and pay respects to their elders past and present.
COLLINS STREET
The east end of Collins Street around the Hyatt is know as the Paris End reflecting its history as the ‘Golden Mile’ of ‘Marvellous Melbourne’, the great commercial and fashion centre of Gold Rush Australia. Gold was discovered in 1850 in Victoria and enriched the state beyond its wildest dreams.
Number 1, Collins Street (corner of Spring Street), This 1870s mansion, (you can enter through the coffee bar) was the office of five prime ministers when Melbourne was Australia’s capitol for the first 27 years of Federation
RSL – ANZAC House, 4–6 Collins Street, Art Deco ANZAC House 1938 is the RSL’s Victorian HQ, blending modern classicism with memorial symbolism to honour Australia’s military services.
Melbourne Club 36 Collins Street Founded in 1838, this Renaissance Revival building by Leonard Terry (1858) is a bastion of colonial-era male exclusivity, reflecting Melbourne’s elite social history. You can access their amazing rear Garden wall and their neighbouring Lyceum Womens Club via 30 Collins Street walkway.
101 Collins Street is a postmodern ‘New York’ skyscraper designed by Denton Corker Marshall. It blends luxury and corporate elegance, anchoring Melbourne’s skyline with timeless granite and glass architecture. It houses elite corporate and government bodies at the Paris end. You can walk through to Flinders Lane and ACDC lane.
James Beaney’s Mansion 1866 (Louis Vuitton), Cnr Collins Street and Russell, adjacent to the Hyatt*. This colossal Renaissance home reflects the lavish lifestyle and controversial medical career of ‘Diamond Jim’ Beaney and the wealth of the Paris end of Collins Street. See Beaney Lane (street art) at rear.
The T&G Building 1929. Cnr Russell and Collins opposite Hyatt*. Great classic interwar building of the Temperance and General Insurance. Known to Melbournians as the Tooth and Gum building for its former dentists’ rooms.
St Michael’s Uniting Church (Former Independent Church), Cnr Collins Street and Russell Street, opposite Hyatt*. Built in 1866 in Lombardic Romanesque style, it pioneered polychrome brickwork and remains a progressive spiritual and architectural beacon.
Scots’ Church 1874. 156 Collins Street opposite Hyatt*. A Gothic Revival masterpiece by Reed and Barnes, featuring a soaring spire, intricate stained glass, and a rich Presbyterian history in Melbourne’s religious and architectural landscape. Dame Nelly Melba attended her, her father built the church and her funeral was here.
Collins Street Baptist Church, 174 Collins Street Established in 1843, this Greek Revival church is Victoria’s oldest Baptist congregation, symbolising simplicity and community over ornate religious tradition.
Austral Building 1891. 119 Collins Street. Fabulous Queen Victoria Revival style 1891 by Nahum Barnet. Artists’ studios, housing many famous artists including the 1890 Austral Salon for women artists.
Athenaeum Theatre 1839. 188 Collins Street. Melbourne’s oldest public institution. Originally a mechanics’ institute, it now hosts theatre, comedy, and film in a richly historic setting. Showed the first feature film in the world in 1906: The Ned Kelly Gang.
The Mayfair Building 1913 and BHP 2013, 171 Collins Street. This historic concert hall and theatre now houses the largest resource company in the world in a start six 17-storey office tower, preserving the original Romanesque Revival façade.
The Regent Theatre 191 Collins Street opened in 1929 as a lavish cinema. Damaged by fire in 1945, it was later restored and reopened in 1996 as a live theatre.
Melbourne Town Hall 1867 cnr Swanston and Collins Streets. Foundation stone laid by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and the building officially opened in 1870. The Town Hall remains a central venue for local governance, public gatherings and the arts including orchestras, the Comedy Festival and once the Beatles.
Manchester Unity Building 1932 Cnr Collins and Swanston. Art Deco skyscraper with Gothic detailing, iconic tower, and original elevators. Once Melbourne’s tallest building, it remains a symbol of interwar commercial ambition and design. Modelled on the Chicago Tribune.
Block Arcade 1892. 282 Collins Street. This ornate Victorian arcade dazzles with mosaic floors, glass canopies, and boutique shops. Inspired by Milan’s Galleria, it’s a jewel of Melbourne’s retail heritage.
SPRING STREET
Old Treasury Building 1862. 20 Spring Street Designed by 19-year-old JJ Clark, this Renaissance Revival building once stored gold bullion and now serves as a museum of Victoria’s colonial history.***
Hotel Windsor 1883. 111 Spring Street. This grand Victorian hotel is famed for its high tea and political guests. It’s Australia’s last surviving 19th-century grand hotel still operating as intended. The Australian Constitution was drafted in a hotel room.
Parliament House 1856. 110–160 Spring Street. This grand classical building houses Victoria’s Parliament. Once the national parliament, its colonnaded façade, opulent interiors, and civic symbolism make it a cornerstone of Melbourne’s political and architectural identity. The hill is a former Kulin Nation Ngargee of Corroboree site.
Princess Theatre 163 Spring Street A lavish 1886 theatre, perhaps melbourne’s oldest, in Second Empire style, known for its ghost stories, opulent interiors, and hosting major international productions in Melbourne’s East End theatre district.
BOURKE STREET
Crossley Building 54–62 Bourke Street Dating to the pre-gold rush era, this mixed-use building once housed butchers, tailors, and brothels. It reflects the gritty, layered social history of early Melbourne. On the corner is the famous Pellegrini, an historic Italian coffee and food destination. Crossley and adjacent Liverpool Lanes were once known as Romeo and Juliette Lane for their red-light clientele.
Meyers Place, opposite Crossley Lane is home to several of Melbourne’s famous bars including Melbourne’s oldest reputed bar, the Italian Waiters Club. In 1978 there was siege with 30 hostages in the bar by a member of the Chopper Read gang. The famous street artist Makatron has an art work here.
Salvation Army Heritage Centre 69 Bourke Street This heritage-listed site preserves the Salvation Army’s Australian history, showcasing archival materials and memorabilia. Provides hundreds of free meals a week to the homeless. In the attic is the world’s oldest film studio called Limelight Studio.
FLINDERS LANE
Flinders Lane warehouses once housed Australia’s textile industry known as the Rag or Schmatte Trade. Today they house theatres, galleries, graffiti lanes and the best of Melbourne’s Street life including bars and famous eateries such as Chin Chin (125 Flinders, cnr Higson) and Super Normal (180 Flinders).
AC/DC Lane and Duckboard Lane are connected in a U turn. Today their warehouse architecture are canvases for ever-evolving street art and bold tributes to rock legends creating a vibrant, rebellious corridor. Duckboard Lane (Duckboard House) provided recreation for the American Army in the 1940s.
Higson Lane blends gritty urban charm with vibrant creativity and warehouse apartments—narrow brick facades frame ever-evolving street art, including Lushsux’s bold celebrity murals.
Oliver Lane blends heritage warehouse architecture with sleek modern renovations, featuring exposed brick, steel-framed glass, and minimalist interiors.
Hosier Lane bursts with vibrant, ever-changing street art covering every surface—murals, stencils, graffiti—set against historic bluestone paving and gritty urban facades, making it Melbourne’s most iconic graffiti gallery.
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