Market Street Park: a thoughtful fusion of history and contemporary design

The Market Street Park project was the first new public park in Melbourne’s CBD in more than 30 years when it was completed in 2021, and it offers more than just expansive lawns and wide bluestone paths.

Behind its open spaces lie subtle, carefully thought-out elements that give the park a unique character and historical significance.

Among the park’s standout features is its watercourse, which symbolically reflects Melbourne’s pre-colonial landscape.

“With this park, we thought it was important to still have an element of truth-telling. So, we looked at the original course of the river, and we tried to interpret that as a non-channelised watercourse,” associate director at OCULUS, the design studio behind the park, Claire Martin said.

The idea was that we had a mechanism for kids to play with to control the waters, as a nod to the colonisation of Melbourne and the changing of the system of the river.

There are also various brass elements embedded throughout the space. These objects include a brass boot and small weights and scales, referencing the market history of the site, which was once home to the Western Market.

“We deliberately sourced brass objects from England, because we wanted them to feel like they weren’t from here,” Ms Martin told CBD News.

The banksia fountain in the park also serves both an aesthetic and ecological function.

“The Banksia Whetstone is about having that sort of continuous water cycle where it gives some evaporative cooling benefit. You often see birds having a little drink too,” Ms Martin said.

The park was designed with multiple zones to cater to different activities, from intimate pockets for relaxation to larger spaces for public events.

The variety of spaces encourages diverse uses of the park, making it accessible to a wide range of people.

Reflecting on the park’s success, Ms Martin shared her satisfaction at seeing the space filled with life.

“There are different ways to kind of prop and lean and sit and lie,” she said.

“It’s always the best bit to see how people use the space – in a way that you thought they’d use it as well as ways that you didn’t anticipate.”

Market Street Park is not only a space for relaxation and recreation, but also a place that carries hidden stories – blending history and thoughtful design that invites visitors to engage with both the past and present. •