Carlton is an inner north-east suburb of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1851, during the Gold Rush. Its population is 17,052 (including 7,977 in Carlton North in 1986). Its boundaries are roughly Elizabeth Street to the West, Princes Street to the North, Victoria Street to the south, and Nicholson Street to the East.

Demographics

The area is noted for its diverse population of Italians, in earlier days Jewish immigrants, and more recently, a growing Muslim population, especially those from the Horn of Africa countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Carlton also has a sizeable student population, local and international, due to its proximity to the University of Melbourne and RMIT University. The student population has indirectly transformed the skyline of stretch of Swanston Street in Carlton. Many multi-storey student apartments have been built in recent years.

Sites and Atmosphere

Carlton is home to some of Melbourne's most historically significant buildings such as Melbourne Trades Hall and the World Heritage Site of the Carlton Gardens, the Royal Exhibition Building and the ruins of the old Carlton brewery.

Lygon Street, which runs through the heart of Carlton is a centre of Italian culture and cuisine. It is popular among Melburnians and foreigners alike for its numerous restaurants, especially Italian restaurants. Lygon Street also boasts no fewer than six specialist gelaterias, and several continental cake cafes. The Bali Memorial,which commemorates the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings, is situated in Lincoln Square. It was officially opened on 12 October 2005, the third anniversary of the disaster that killed 202 innocent people, including 99 Australians.

The northern part of Argyle Square, adjacent to Lygon Street, has been redeveloped into an Italian piazza, known as Piazza Italia, in a joint project between the City of Melbourne and its twin city, Milan. A giant sundial is the main feature of the piazza.

Carlton is also home to the famous Dracula Nightclub, which is on the corner of Cardigan Street and Victoria Street.

Education

Due to Carlton's close proximity to the Parkville campus of The University of Melbourne, many university-owned buildings can be found around Carlton as a result of the university's expansion through the years. This includes the University Square redevelopment, where the state-of-the-art Law and ICT buildings and a new underground carpark is located. However, the university's continued expansion into Carlton are opposed by some residents. Two of the university's residential colleges are situated in Carlton. Medley Hall is located on Drummond Street, while Graduate House is on Leicester Street. Graduate House is a residential college for graduate students only and does not admit any undergraduate students.

Melbourne Business School and part of RMIT University's City Campus is also situated in Carlton.

Primary education is provided by two schools; Carlton Gardens Primary School and Carlton Primary School.

Public Transport

Carlton is served by many of Melbourne's tram lines, running along Swanston street and terminating at Melbourne University. The no. 8 and no. 1 trams continues through Carlton North and beyond via Lygon Street. Buses serve Carlton via Lygon, Elgin, and Rathdowne Streets. There are currently no trains to Carlton, with the closest station being Melbourne Central Station. There were talks and proposals of extending the city train loop to service Carlton, but no concrete plans have been proposed.

Health

Carlton is also very well serviced by the health sector. The Royal Women's Hospital and the new Royal Dental Hospital provide high quality health care. It is also a centre of biomedical research. The Cancer Council Victoria, Cancer Research Institute and Victorian College of Optometry all have their premises in Carlton. Carlton is the home of NETS (Victoria) which provides emergency transport of sick newborns between hospitals throughout Victoria and from Tasmania.

Culture

The famous La Mama Theatre is located in Carlton. It is noted for its energy, which is typical of the early Australian theatre scene in the 1970s. Besides that, Cinema Nova on Lygon Street shows many international arthouse films.

Religion

There are a number of churches in Carlton, which serve the spiritual needs of Carlton residents. St Jude's Anglican Church, on Lygon Street, is one of the most active and well attended Anglican churches in the Greater Melbourne area. Other churches in the area include a Romanian Orthodox Church on Queensberry Street, a Salvation Army Church, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and a Church of Christ. There is also a Catholic seminary, the Corpus Christi College, on Drummond Street which trains Catholic priests.

Sports

Carlton is the home of the Australian Rules Football club, the Carlton Blues.

Lygon Street, Grattan Street and Queensberry Street were part of the route of the marathon in the 2006 Commonwealth Games which was hosted by Melbourne.

Miscellaneous

• The Melbourne University Regiment of Australia's Defence Force is based at Grattan Street, Carlton.

See also

External links

• Carlton information
• Photos of Carlton
• Melbourne University Regiment