Originally known as "City Square" (1968), Melbourne's first public square was considered to have been a failure. The seven acre space between the Central Business District and the Yarra River previously had been home to a fish market, the City Morgue, corporate offices, and rail yards. In 1997, the City Council sponsored an intense design competition intended to make this area more appealing. The U-shaped result became known as "Federation Square", and is bordered by the Flinders Street Rail Station, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Yarra River. Its anchor buildings include the Australian Center for Moving Images (ACMI) - which includes the SBS television station-, the National Gallery, the Yarra Building, a Jumbotron screen/stage area for major public events, and (more importantly for us) the Melbourne Visitor Center( where we were able to explore various walking tours of the city). Reminding us of the debacle surrounding Boston's "Big Dig", the final costs of constructing Federation Square ran more than four times the original estimate. According to Melbourne's own statistics, more than 80 million visitors per year pass through this square. Recently, Melbourne authorities revealed that they had stopped a coordinated terror attack on Federation Square, planned for Christmas Day. This news was partly responsible for our posting about the Square at this time.
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