CenTRE INFO
Melbourne VIC 3000
December 25th - Closed
December 26th - 11am - 5pm
January 1st - 11am - 5pm
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History
Long before the sleek façades of Collins Arcade, this site played host to a captivating succession of Melbourne landmarks, each woven into the city’s evolving identity.
It began in the late 19th century with Gunsler’s Café, established in 1879, which grew into one of the city's most fashionable social venues. By 1890, it had transformed into the elegant Vienna Café, a refined hub where Melbourne’s society came to see and be seen.
In 1916, the site reopened as the celebrated Café Australia, redesigned by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Its bold geometric interiors and atmospheric lighting marked it as one of Melbourne’s most significant modernist spaces.
It began in the late 19th century with Gunsler’s Café, established in 1879, which grew into one of the city's most fashionable social venues. By 1890, it had transformed into the elegant Vienna Café, a refined hub where Melbourne’s society came to see and be seen.
In 1916, the site reopened as the celebrated Café Australia, redesigned by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Its bold geometric interiors and atmospheric lighting marked it as one of Melbourne’s most significant modernist spaces.
Collins Arcade
The revitalised arcade blends a range of expericnes, introducing co-working spaces, entertainment, health and wellness, and boutique retail in a way that complements and strengthens the surrounding Collins Street and Little Collins retail precincts.
Set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s retail revival and the arrival of the nearby Town Hall Metro Station, Collins Arcade builds on more than a century of transformation — adding new energy and depth to one of the city’s most iconic blocks.
