Bridge Road, Melbourne


Bridge Road is a major shopping strip in Melbourne, Australia. It is best known for its abundance of restaurants, cafes and shopping, which makes it a popular tourist attraction.

Geography

Bridge Road runs for 2 kilometres roughly east-to-west in the suburb of Richmond. The road is positioned from its crossroads with Hoddle Street and Wellington Parade in the west to its fork into Church Street and Burwood Road in the east.
The City of Yarra town hall and Epworth Hospital are amongst the landmarks of Bridge Road. Hawthorn Bridge, which crosses the Yarra River, is also along Bridge Road.

History

Bridge Road is classified as a heritage area as its history dates back to 1837, two years after the European settlement of the colony of Victoria. The first land sales in the area took place on August 1, 1839.
Historical plaques are placed on many buildings and provide a glimpse into the development of Bridge Road.
The majority of the existing 19th-century buildings in Bridge Road are shops which date from the 1870s and 1880s. The horse-drawn omnibuses which brought shoppers to the area were replaced by cable trams in 1885, which in turn were replaced by an electrified tram service in 1916. Shortly afterwards Cinema Richmond opened in 1919 adjacent to the Town Hall.

Tram Routes

Tram routes 48 and 75 pass through Bridge Road.