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Flinders Street Station

Landmarks ·Melbourne
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#4Landmarks in Melbourne
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About

Flinders Street Station is Melbourne’s main suburban rail hub, with its landmark entrance beside the Yarra River.

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Flinders Street Station

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Why go

  • The Edwardian entrance building has a dome, arched entrance and clock tower.
  • Opened in 1854, Flinders Street is Australia’s oldest railway station.
  • Its main platform, numbered 1 and 14, is Australia’s second longest.
  • Public opposition stopped plans to replace the historic clocks with digital displays after one day in 1983.

Don't miss

  • Departure clocksThe indicators show the next departure for each line. A railway worker once reset them about 900 times in an eight-hour shift.Above the main entrance
  • Main staircaseThese broad steps are the meeting place behind the saying “I’ll meet you on the steps.”Beneath the entrance clocks
  • Entrance stained glassStained-glass windows above the entries were restored in 1993.Above the station entries1993
  • Elizabeth Street clock towerBuilt to an English design by Melbourne clock maker F. Ziegeler.Elizabeth Street end1906–1907

Know before you go

  • Many rooms, including the former ballroom, are closed to the public.

Tips for your visit

  • The basement shop beside the main entrance has housed a hatter since 1910 and has been called City Hatters since 1933.
  • The main concourse is at the east end off Swanston Street and links directly to every platform.
  • The Degraves Street subway connects to every platform except platforms 12 and 13.

Interesting facts4

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  1. 13 platforms

    The station has 13 platforms and extends across more than two city blocks.

    Flinders Street railway station - Wikipedia
  2. 1910

    Twenty-eight clocks were installed at the new building’s four main entrances in 1910.

    Bahnhof Melbourne Flinders Street - Wikipedia

  3. Rooms built for the Victorian Railway Institute included a library, gym and lecture hall later used as a ballroom.

    Flinders Street railway station - Wikipedia

  4. The station was reputedly the world’s busiest passenger station in the 1920s.

    Flinders Street railway station - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

Princes Bridge station was absorbed into Flinders Street, and its platforms 15 and 16 were later demolished to make room for Federation Square. Plans in the 1970s to replace the station with an office building were abandoned.

  1. 1865A rail connection beneath Swanston Street joined Flinders Street with Princes Bridge station.
  2. 1882The government planned a new central passenger station to replace the existing one.
  3. 1899–1900An international competition drew 17 entries; railway employees James Fawcett and H. P. C. Ashworth won with Green Light.
  4. 1905Construction of the entrance building began.
  5. 1909The current station building was largely complete.
Show all
  1. 1910The station was officially inaugurated.
  2. 1919The first electric train service ran from the station to Essendon.
  3. 1982–1984The main concourse was tiled and extended west over the tracks; skylights and 16 shops were added.

How to get there

  • On footThe Elizabeth Street subway provides an entrance at the station’s western end.
  • TrainFlinders Link provides a paid-area interchange with Town Hall station through Campbell Arcade and the Degraves Street underpass.
  • TramThe station connects with 10 tram lines.
  • BusThe station connects with one city bus route.

Accessibility

  • Step-free access An accessible underpass serves the western end; the Elizabeth Street subway has ramps to most platforms.
  • Lifts Six lifts serve platforms 1–10 via the Degraves Street underpass.

Hidden gems nearby

  • SignalA former railway signal box was rebuilt as a youth arts centre in 2009.

Sources: Flinders Street railway station - Wikipedia · Melbourne/CBD - Wikivoyage (see) · Bahnhof Melbourne Flinders Street - Wikipedia · Gare de Flinders Street - Wikipedia · checked 2 Oct 2026

Where
Flinders St, Melbourne

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Questions and answers

Why do people say “meet you under the clocks” at Flinders Street Station?

The entrance clocks have long served as a meeting point and inspired the local phrase.

What is Campbell Arcade at Flinders Street Station?

It was created in 1954 when the Degraves Street subway was extended beneath Flinders Street.

Has Flinders Street Station’s exterior been restored?

By July 2017, it had been almost completely repainted in its original 1910 colours.

Was Flinders Street Station ever threatened with demolition?

Plans in the 1970s to replace the station with an office building were abandoned.

Is Flinders Street Station heritage-protected?

It has been on the Victorian Heritage Register since 1982.

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