Flinders Street Station, Melbourne — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

"I'll meet you under the clocks" is Melbourne's most famous phrase, and the clocks in question hang above the entrance of Flinders Street Station, Australia's first city railway station. Opened on September 12, 1854, this is where Australia's first steam train made its inaugural journey, a moment that changed the nation's transport history forever. But the building most Melburnians love was completed much later: the current station was designed by James Fawcett and H.P.C. Ashworth, with construction beginning in 1901. Their vision combined French Renaissance and Romanesque styling with Art Nouveau touches, creating the distinctive domed, arched, and ochre-coloured facade that has become Melbourne's most recognizable landmark. The row of indicator clocks above the main entrance, each showing the next departure time for different lines, has been the city's favourite meeting point for over a century. Heritage-listed since 1982, Flinders Street Station handles more than 110,000 passengers daily, making it one of Australia's busiest transport hubs. The copper dome, the grand ballroom upstairs (yes, there's a ballroom in a train station), and the ornate ironwork all speak to an era when public buildings were designed to inspire civic pride. Questo's Melbourne trails begin at this beloved landmark where the phrase "under the clocks" means everyone knows exactly where to find you.