A new exhibition at City Gallery, Postcode 3000, tells the story of Melbourne’s transformation from bleak business district to a bustling residential area.
In the early 1980s Melbourne’s central city area was largely a 9am to 5pm affair, with workers vanishing home to the suburbs each evening.
Curator of City Gallery exhibition Rob Adams was witness to the city’s transformation as Director of City Design at the City of Melbourne.
‘The councillors of the day wanted a more lively 24-hour city and to achieve this a residential population was needed,’ said Rob.
Postcode 3000 charts the dramatic changes that have occurred since a 1985 recommendation for 8000 new residential units in the central city. The breakthrough came with the recession of the early 1990s, which left many city buildings empty: the program known as Postcode 3000 used this to attract residents back into the city.
Bars, cafes, supermarkets, public art and a radically improved urban amenity followed. The city’s laneways were rediscovered and became emblematic of the new vibrant Melbourne.
‘Changing entrenched attitudes to city living was a slow process, but was assisted by the popularity of shows like Seinfeld, which promoted inner city living.’
Postcode 3000 features 3D print models of some of the landmark buildings in the city’s transformation, as well as film, a timeline that travels forward to 2023 and more.
Postcode 3000 is on from 22 August – 22 December at City Gallery, Melbourne Town Hall, Ground Floor, 110 Swanston Street.
Visit melbourne.vic.gov.au/citygallery or call 03 9658 9658 for more.
