Melbourne Walk opens, bringing a touch of Manhattan to Bourke Street Mall

Melbourne’s retail heart has a bold new centrepiece, with the long-awaited Melbourne Walk officially opening – the first major development in Bourke Street Mall in more than 50 years and a striking new gateway between Bourke St and Little Collins Street.

Knitting together several historic buildings across a 3600-square-metre site, the new precinct brings together 6295sqm of retail and the InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) first dual-branded hotel in Australia: Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn, which together house 452 rooms above a three-level retail podium.

Designed by global architecture firm Buchan, Melbourne Walk’s restored façades, reimagined arcades and vibrant signage – complete with a soaring neon “Melbourne Walk” sign reminiscent of Manhattan – have already begun transforming the character of Bourke Street Mall.

The precinct occupies the site formerly known as The Walk Arcade, stretching between Bourke St, Little Collins St, The Causeway and Union Lane. Buchan senior associate Hayden Djakic said the project reimagined the area’s famous pedestrian “ant trail” with a contemporary twist that blends Melbourne’s grit and glamour.

“Melbourne Walk is a celebration of the city’s unique identity,” Mr Djakic said. “It merges the retail elegance of the Bourke Street Mall with the laneway culture that defines Melbourne, creating a new destination where locals and visitors can explore, shop, dine and stay.”

Four heritage façades – including the Diamond House and Public Benefit Bootery on Bourke St, and the Allans and York buildings on Little Collins St – have been carefully restored. Between them, new façades take cues from their historic neighbours, reinterpreting materials, geometry and lighting to create a cohesive city block that still feels layered and organic.

Inside, a nine-metre-high arcade lit by gold-tinted skylights connects Bourke St to Little Collins St, echoing the rhythm and grandeur of the Royal Arcade and Block Arcade. Brass, marble and textured stone frame the shopfronts, while warm lighting and reflections bring a cinematic quality to the experience – giving the precinct the cosmopolitan energy of midtown Manhattan with a distinctly Melbourne soul.

Union Lane, one of Melbourne’s most photographed graffiti spots, remains a gritty counterpoint, while The Causeway has been reactivated with new food and beverage frontages. A rooftop bar overlooking Bourke St will open later this summer.

“The design retains the sense of a collection of buildings, allowing light to filter deep into the site and maintaining Melbourne’s laneway intimacy,” Mr Djakic said.

Above the retail, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn each offer a distinct character. Hotel Indigo celebrates Melbourne’s eccentric history through playful interiors inspired by the site’s past – from E.W. Cole’s “emporium of everything” to the former Turkish baths once located here — while the Holiday Inn embraces a natural, calming palette that evokes a home-away-from-home feel.

Together, the hotels are expected to draw more than 900 daily guests to the precinct, providing a boost for city retailers and restaurants and injecting fresh life into the mall.