Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, three kilometres north of the Melbourne central business district within the city of Melbourne local government area and located on the traditional lands of the Wurrundjeri peoples. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. Prior to this, the lands were inhabited and owned by the Wurundjeri people of the Woiwurrung language group, who experienced major displacement from European colonisation. The suburb was named after Carlton House, the Westminster residence of King George IV.

In 1927, Squizzy Taylor, an Australian gangster, was wounded in a gunfight with rival, John "Snowy" Cutmore, at a house in Barkly Street, Carlton, and later died at St Vincent's Hospital.

By the 1930s, many homes in Carlton were seen as slums and leased by poor residents.

In the 1960s, the residents in some parts of the suburb were forced to move from their homes due to redevelopment by the Housing Commission of Victoria. Despite that, a number of areas in Carlton have survived intact. In the 1970s, Carlton was the site of three trade union green bans. One related to an abandoned block where a developer wanted a warehouse but local residents wanted a park, now the Hardy-Gallagher Reserve (named after Labor councillor Fred Hardy and union leader Norm Gallagher). Another allowed a vacant lot in Cardigan street to be turned into a park, and another saved a number of terraced houses from demolition.

The Carlton Magistrates' Court closed on 1 February 1985.

Urban structure

thumb|center|600px|Aerial view looking south over Carlton. The [[Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (left), Rathdowne Street (centre), Drummond Street (right) and Lygon Street (far right)]]thumb|right|Double storey terraces on Drummond street, typical of much of Carlton's residential districts

Housing

thumb|Housing commission in Carlton.

Carlton is characterized by medium- to high-density housing, with a mix of apartments and student accommodation, attached and semidetached terraces mostly from the Victorian era and mix-use buildings

In the 12-month period to January 2020, Carlton reported a median house price of A$620,000 for a two-bedroom unit.

As of 2021, apartments (80.7%) remain the most common form of housing. Carlton's apartments are low incomes, including crisis and student accommodation, with Housing Commission of Victoria towers and modern student apartment buildings. The two main housing commission estates are between Lygon and Rathdowne Streets, and between Nicholson and Canning Streets. These are configured as a mixture of 4 and 5-storey walk-up flats and 22-storey high-rise towers which are in the process of being redeveloped as mixed-tenure housing. 72.3% of Carlton's housing is rented,

Lygon Street is home to a large concentration of Italian restaurants, and is the birthplace of Melbourne's "café culture".

Although Lygon Street is most renowned for its cafes and restaurants, it is also home to some notable retail stores including Readings bookstore and Cinema Nova.

Demographics

In the 2021 census, there were 16,055 people in Carlton.

Health

Carlton is 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 Research Institute and the Australian 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. It was also the home of Cancer Council Victoria for many years before it moved to St Kilda Road.

Places of worship

thumb|Lygon Street Church of Christ built 1865

There are a number of churches in Carlton, which serve the spiritual needs of Carlton residents. St Jude's 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 the bluestone Church of All Nations (a Uniting Church) in Palmerston Street dating from 1860, a Romanian Orthodox Church on Queensberry Street, a Salvation Army Church, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Chinese Church of Christ and the Christian Chapel of the Church of Christ, built in 1865.

The Catholic seminary is located on the site of St George's Catholic Church, Carlton's oldest surviving building, dating from 1855. The Albanian Mosque, Melbourne's oldest mosque is also located on Drummond Street in neighbouring Carlton North.

Transport

thumb|right|Z3 tram near the corner of Elgin and [[Lygon Streets]]

Carlton is served by many of Melbourne's tram routes, running along Swanston Street and terminating at Melbourne University. Routes 1 and 6 continue through to 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. There were talks and proposals of extending the City Loop to service Carlton, but no concrete plans have been proposed.

Rod Eddington's East West Link Needs Assessment does mention however, that there will be subway(s) in Carlton, as a part of the proposed 17 km Metro Tunnel.

Notable people

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  • Sir Carleton Kemp Allen (1887–1966), scholar
  • Sir Thomas Malcolm Ritchie (1894–1971), electrical engineer and Liberal Party president
  • Harry Stein (1919–1994), communist and jazz enthusiast
  • Kalev Vann (1956–2011), Australian rules footballer
  • The Very Rev Alexander Yule (1830–1907), Moderator of Victoria in 1891 and of the Federal Assembly of Australia in 1901

See also

  • St Jude's Church, Carlton

References

  • Australian Places: C En
  • Melbourne University Regiment