Overview
- Features: Open plaza with cultural venues, restaurants and bars
- Opening Times: 24 hours
- Best Time to Visit: Weekends
- Duration: 2 to 3 hours
- Transport Options: Train, tram
- Cost: FREE
- Address: Flinders & Swanston Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Type: Plaza
Author Ratings
[usrlist Attraction:3 “Uniqueness:3.5″ Value:4 avg=”true”]Summary
One of Melbourne’s newest public spaces, Federation Square with its bold, abstract-style was designed to be Melbourne’s official meeting place, with a variety of attractions and restaurants within it.
Interesting Facts About Federation Square | Melbourne
The square incorporates the second branch of the National Gallery of Victoria (Ian Potter Centre), which exhibits only Australian art, as well as the Australian Centre for Moving Image; the Deakin Edge amphitheatre, a contemporary music and theatre performance venue; and the Melbourne Visitor Centre. Lots of events happen in the square’s 450-seat amphitheatre, including theatrical performances and free concerts.
Where is Federation Square located?
Federation Square is located on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets right in the heart of the Melbourne central business district. It is situated opposite the Flinders Street station.
When was Federation Square built?
Federation Square was built in 26 October 2002 to commemorate the centenary of the federation of the Australian states.
Federation Square History
Over the last two hundred years the site on which Federation Square was built had been home to the city morgue, a fish market, corporate offices and rail yards. Before Federation Square was built there was no public space for Melburnians to meet in the Melbourne central business district. In 1996 the Victorian Government held an international, two-stage design competition to redevelop the precinct as the city’s new civic square, opening up the space for public use.
Construction of Federation Square began in 1998. The total cost of the development was $450 million which was provided by the Victorian State Government, City of Melbourne, the Commonwealth Government and the private sector.
When Federation Square was first built, it received a lot of criticism for its modern design and architecture which was not in keeping with the design around it. In the years to follow, Melburnians warmed to the idea of Federation Square and since then it has been embraced by locals and visitors alike, receiving more than 9 million visitors and hosting up to 2,000 events each year.
Federation Square Architect
Of the five plans shortlisted, London-based Lab architecture studio in partnership with Bates Smart, one of Melbourne’s most prominent architecture firms was chosen to design the Federation Square.
Federation Square Architecture
Federation Square occupies a prominent city block (covering 3.8 hectares) and is built on top of a working railway. The bold, abstract-style landmark was designed to be Melbourne’s official meeting place, with a variety of attractions and restaurants within it. The new civic square is capable of accommodating up to 15,000 people in an open-air amphitheatre. Lots of events happen in the square’s amphitheatre, including theatrical performances and free concerts. It’s worth visiting Fed Square just to see the architecture.
Unlike the traditional public spaces of Venice’s San Marco or New York’s Rockefeller Centre, Federation Square is centred on a large open piazza-style cobbled area surrounded by a series of interlocking and cascading spaces. Built to commemorate the centenary of the federation of the Australian states, the design was heavily influenced by the idea of ‘Federation’, of bringing disparate parts together to form a coherent whole. Each of the individual buildings within Fed Square differs from each other yet they maintain an overall coherence at the same time.
Fractal Façade
Federation Square’s distinctive façade is made up of geometrical designs with a glass atrium. Three cladding materials: sandstone, zinc (perforated and solid) and glass have been used within a triangular pinwheel grid. This modular system uses five single triangles (all of the same size and proportion) to make up a larger triangular ‘panel’. Following the same geometrical logic, five panels are joined together to create a larger triangular ‘mega panel’, which is then mounted onto the structural frame to form the visible façade.
The Deck
Built above the city’s major transport hub – Jolimont Railway Yards, the deck beneath Federation Square is one of the largest expanses of railway decking ever built in Australia. It took twelve months to complete, with structural work only possible during breaks in the train timetable in the early hours of the morning. The deck is supported by over 3,000 tonnes of steel beams, 1.4 kilometres of concrete ‘crash walls’ and over 4,000 vibration-absorbing spring coils and rubber padding. It is designed to support some of the most sensitive uses imaginable – galleries, cinemas, and radio and television studios – and it needed to isolate them from vibration and noise.
The Labyrinth
One of the most fascinating aspects of Federation Square is completely hidden: the Labyrinth. So called because of its maze of zig-zag surface corrugated concrete walls, the Labyrinth is a unique passive cooling system designed to cool the Atrium, Deakin Edge and some public areas during summer and to supplement heating during winter. Almost 40 x 40 metres and 1.4km in length, the Labyrinth is located beneath the Square but above the actual deck over the railway.
Fed Square’s architectural highlight is the geometric design of the Atrium building, a covered public space. There are many outstanding attractions within Federation Square. See below for details.
Federation Square Attractions
Within Fed Square are cultural heavyweights like the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (NGVA) and the Australian Centre for Moving Image (ACMI)…but mostly it’s a place to meet, eat, drink and watch massive sports events on massive screens.
ACMI Federation Square
The Australian Centre for Moving Image (ACMI) celebrates images on multimedia and film. Across four floors of the Alfred Deakin Building, the ACMI has two state-of-the-art multi-format cinemas and the world’s largest screen gallery as well as large areas where visitors can view movies, videos, and digital media. ACMI also have a function room, retail space and café.
ACMI is accessible from the Federation Square plaza entrance or the Flinders Street entrance.
Entry to ACMI is free. Admission prices to cinema programs, ticketed exhibitions and other events are listed on the ACMI website.
Open daily, 10am to 5pm (Closed Christmas Day).
For current exhibitions, talks and performance on at ACMI, visit the official website.
NGV Federation Square
The Ian Potter Centre – NGV: Australia (NGVA), an offshoot of the National Gallery of Victoria, is the world’s first major gallery dedicated exclusively to the display of Australian art. It is a spectacular showcase comprising over 20 galleries housed within a landmark architectural complex, with 7,250m2 of gallery space.
Some 20,000 objects are stored here, but only about 800 are on display at any one time. Aboriginal art and colonial art collections are the centrepieces of the gallery, but you will find modern paintings here, too.
General entry is free
Open 10am–5pm
Closed Monday (exc. public holidays)
Open 1–5pm Anzac Day
Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day
For more details on the Ian Potter Gallery, visit the official website.
Melbourne Tourist Information centre Federation Square
At Fed Square’s edge is the subterranean Melbourne Visitor Information Centre, a jam-packed resource for travellers.
Fed Square and Melbourne city walking tours depart from here daily, except Sunday, at 11am and 2pm. Bookings are essential and can be made at the information centre gift shop.
Open 9am-6pm daily
Federation Square Restaurants
One of the reasons why visitors flock to Federation Square is to eat and drink at one of the many top-class restaurants here. Featuring some of the best restaurants in town, it’s hard to bypass Fed Square when choosing a place to dine. See below for a list of restaurants at Federation Square.
Taxi Federation Square
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Special features: City views
Category: Fine dining
Location: Transport Hotel
Opening hours: 12pm-late (Mon to Sat), 11am-late (Sun)
Pricing: $$$$ ($40 – $60)
Phone: 03 9654 8808
Email: groupbookings@taxikitchen.com.au
Website: www.taxikitchen.com.au
Arintji Federation Square
Cuisine: Modern European/Australian
Special features: Outdoor seated area
Category: Café, casual dining
Location: The Square
Opening hours: 10am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9663 9900
Email: info@arintji.com.au
Website: www.arintji.com.au
Bokchoy Tang
Cuisine: Chinese
Category: Fine dining
Location: Level 3, Crossbar Building, The Square
Opening hours: 11am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9650 8666
Email: bokchoytang@bigpond.com
Website: www.bokchoytang.com.au
Chocolate Buddha
Cuisine: Japanese
Special features: Outdoor seated area
Category: Café, casual dining
Location: The Square
Opening hours: 12pm-late, daily
Pricing: $$ ($10 – $20)
Phone: 03 9654 5688
Email: contact@chocolatebuddha.com.au
Website: www.chocolatebuddha.com.au
Il Pom Italian
Cuisine: Italian
Special features: Heated, outdoor seating area
Category: Café, casual dining
Location: The Square
Opening hours: 11am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9662 2282
Email: info@ilpomitalian.com.au
Website: www.ilpomitalian.com.au
Café Chinotto
Cuisine: Mediterranean – pizza, pastas and salads
Special features: Outdoor seating area
Category: Café, casual dining
Location: The Square
Opening hours: 9am-8pm, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9650 8666
Email: info@cafechinotto.com
Website: www.cafechinotto.com/
Time Out Café + Bar
Cuisine: International
Special features: Large outdoor seating area
Category: Café, casual dining, bar, pub
Location: St Paul’s Court
Opening hours: 8am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9671 3855
Email: info@timeoutmelbourne.com.au
Website: www.timeoutfedsquare.com.au
Federation Square Bars
Federation Square has some of trendiest bars in town. On Friday and weekend evenings, Melburnians make a beeline for one of the cool and happening bars in Fed Square to meet friends, relax and unwind. See below for a list of bars at Federation Square.
Transport Bar Federation Square
Features: Bar & pub with live music & DJ
Special features: Food menu available
Location: Transport Hotel
Opening hours: 11am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9923 2099
Email: rena@sovhotels.com
Website: www.transportpublicbar.com.au
Transit Rooftop Bar
Features: Smooth jazz and classy cocktails
Special features: City views, casual tapas menu
Location: Transport Hotel
Opening hours: 3pm-late (Wed-Sun)
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9654 8808
Email: functions@transitrooftopbar.com.au
Website: www.transitrooftopbar.com.au
Riverland Bar and Café
Features: Urban beer garden
Special features: Waterfront views, casual dining
Location: Federation Wharf
Opening hours: 10am-late (Weekdays), 9am-late (Weekends)
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9662 1771
Email: enquiry@riverlandbar.com
Website: www.riverlandbar.com
Pilgrim Bar
Features: Bar specialising in Australian wines and spirits
Special features: Waterfront views, drinking food
Location: Federation Wharf
Opening hours: 12pm-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9654 9575
Email: info@pilgrimbar.com.au
Website: www.pilgrimbar.com.au
Beer DeLuxe
Features: Beer garden with extensive menu – pizzas, burgers, grill
Special features: Over 150 beers, heated outdoor area
Location: The Atrium
Opening hours: 7am-late, daily
Pricing: $$$ ($20 – $40)
Phone: 03 9663 0166
Email: info@beerdeluxe.com.au
Website: www.beerdeluxe.com.au
The Atrium Federation Square
The Atrium of Federation Square is a closed public space designed for exhibitions, product displays, launches, artistic installations, showcases and markets. It is seated inside a galleria-like structure of glass and steel that provides an impressive indoor venue.
The space is home to some of Melbourne’s major galleries, cafes and specialty stores, including The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia for the biggest collection of Australian art and Kirra Galleries for beautiful hand-blown glass products. The balcony in the Atrium has an interesting display on the history of the Australian Federation. You can hire space inside the Atrium for a festival, event or exhibition.
For more details on the Atrium, visit the official website.
Federation Square Market
Every Saturday from 11am to 5pm in the Atrium of Federation Square, you’ll find Melbourne’s biggest book market, with 5,000 titles, new and second-hand. It’s a great place to browse and you’ll never know what you’ll find.
Federation Square Events and Activities
In addition to the cultural venues, restaurants and bars, Federation Square was built to be used as a public space showcasing several events and activities throughout the year. From festivals and celebrations to fitness and health classes, there’s so much going on at Federation Square every day of the year. Events take place in the plaza and along the banks of the Yarra River.
To see the calendar of events and activities at Federation Square, visit the official website.
Federation Square Parking
Federation Square has its own multi-level PAID car park which can be accessed via Russell Street or Batman Avenue (Exhibition Street extension – City Link). The Federation Square car park is open 24 hrs, seven days a week.
You can park for FREE when you dine at Fed Square from Monday to Thursday after 4pm and spend $50 or more at the following restaurants:
- Arintji
- Bokchoy Tang
- Chocolate Buddha
- Il Pom Italian
- Pilgrim Bar
- Riverland Bar
- Time Out Cafe
Show your parking ticket at the participating restaurant to receive a voucher. Promotion valid 30 June 2014 – 31 December 2015.
For more details about Federation Square parking, visit Fed Square.
If you’re visiting other areas of Federation Square, FREE parking can be found further up St Kilda Road.
Federation Square Address
Corner Swanston & Flinders Streets
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Federation Square Map
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