Editing Prahran

{{For|the station|Prahran railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| name                     = Prahran
| image                    = Pran-central-shopping-centre-01.jpg
| caption                  = [[Pran Central]] on the corner of [[Chapel Street, Melbourne|Chapel Street]] and Commercial Road
| state                    = vic
| type                     = suburb
| lga                      = City of Stonnington
| alternative_location_map = Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne
| coordinates              = {{coord|37.852|S|144.998|E|display=inline,title}}
| elevation                = 21
| area                     = 2.1
| city                     = Melbourne
| est                      = 1837
| postcode                 = 3181
| pop                      = 12,203
| pop_year                 = {{CensusAU|2021}}
| pop_footnotes            = <ref name="abs">{{Census 2021 AUS | id = SAL22118 | name = Prahran (Suburbs and Localities) | access-date = 17 July 2022 | quick = on}}</ref>
| fedgov                   = [[Division of Kooyong|Kooyong]]
| fedgov2                  = [[Division of Melbourne|Melbourne]]
| stategov                 = [[Electoral district of Prahran|Prahran]]
| near-nw                  = [[Melbourne city centre|Melbourne]]
| near-n                   = [[South Yarra]]
| near-ne                  = [[Toorak, Victoria|Toorak]]
| near-w                   = [[Melbourne central business district|Melbourne CBD]]
| near-e                   = [[Armadale, Victoria|Armadale]]
| near-sw                  = [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]]
| near-s                   = [[Windsor, Victoria|Windsor]]
| near-se                  = [[St Kilda East]]
| dist1                    = 5 
| location1                = [[Melbourne central business district|Melbourne]]
| local_map                = yes
| zoom                     = 13
}}

'''Prahran''' ({{IPAc-en|p|r|ə|ˈ|r|æ|n}} {{respell|prə|RAN}}, also colloquially {{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|r|æ|n}} {{respell|pə|RAN}} or {{IPAc-en|p|r|æ|n}} {{respell|PRAN}}), is an inner suburb in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]], 5 km south-east of Melbourne's [[Melbourne central business district|Central Business District]], located within the [[City of Stonnington]] [[Local government areas of Victoria|local government area]]. Prahran recorded a population of 12,203 at the [[2021 Australian census|2021 census]].<ref name=abs/>

Prahran is a part of Greater Melbourne, with many shops, restaurants and cafes. [[Chapel Street, Melbourne|Chapel Street]] is a mix of upscale fashion boutiques and cafes. Greville Street, once the centre of Melbourne's hippie community, has many cafés, bars, restaurants, bookstores, clothing shops and music shops.

Prahran takes its name from Pur-ra-ran, a [[Boonwurrung]] word which was thought to mean "land partially surrounded by water".<ref name=AP>{{cite web|title=Prahran, Victoria |work=Australian Places |publisher=Monash University |url=http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/prahran.html |access-date=25 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821090944/http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/prahran.html |archive-date=21 August 2006 }}</ref> When naming began the suburbs spelling was intended to be Praharan and pronounced Pur-ra-ran, but a spelling mistake on a government form lead to the name Prahran. More recently the word Pur-ra-ran has been identified as a transcription of "Birrarung", the name for the [[Yarra River]], or a specific point of it.<ref name=ABC>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-10/the-aboriginal-names-for-ten-melbourne-suburbs/9960092|title=The forgotten Aboriginal names for 10 of Melbourne's suburbs|date=9 July 2018|access-date=25 November 2021|website=Abc.net.au}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Chapel street prahran in 1889.jpg|thumb|left|[[Chapel Street, Melbourne|Chapel Street]] scene in 1889]]
[[File:The Prahran Telegraph.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Prahran Telegraph]]'' front page from April 1918]]
[[File:SouthYarra---Prahran-Market.jpg|thumb|[[Prahran Market]]]]
[[File:Prahran town hall.jpg|thumb|right|[[Prahran Town Hall]]]]
[[File:Prahran city hall and police station.jpg|thumb|right|Prahran City Hall]]

In 1837 George Langhorne named the area Pur-ra-ran, which was thought to be a compound of two Aboriginal words, meaning "land partially surrounded by water".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://stonnington.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/ARCENQ?RNI=1563367 |title=A commemoration by the City of Stonnington of the 150th Anniversary of the first meeting of the Prahran Council |date=27 February 2006 |publisher=City of Stonnington |pages=3}}</ref> The word has more recently been identified as a transcription of "Birrarung", the name for the [[Yarra River]] or a specific point of it.<ref name=ABC/> When Langhorne informed the Surveyor-General [[Robert Hoddle]] of the name, it was written as "Prahran".<ref name="Coopers">{{Cite book |last=Cooper |first=John Butler |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofprahran00coop/mode/2up |title=The history of Prahran: from its first settlement to a city |publisher=Prahran Council |year=1912 |edition=1st |pages=8}}</ref>

Prahran Post Office opened on 1 April 1853.<ref name="PostOffice">{{Cite web | last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | access-date = 11 April 2008}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}}

Describing Prahran, as it was in the mid 1850s, F. R. Chapman remembered:
{{cquote|In the very early times Chapel-street had many vacant spaces. On the west side, about the middle, a man could be seen ploughing his farm... and on the same side was a small brick church, or more probably a school-room used as a church, which was known as Mr Gregory's.<ref>{{cite journal | title = South Suburban Melbourne: 1854–1864. | journal = Victorian Historical Journal | date = 1917 | volume = 5 | issue = 20 | pages = 183| url = http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/117657 | access-date = 25 September 2013}}</ref>}}

[[File:Chapel street prahran 1906.jpg|thumb|[[Chapel Street, Melbourne|Chapel Street]] scene c1915. The large building second from the right between Read's Store and the Love & Lewis building was the [[Charles Moore and Co.]] department store (built 1903-1906 prior to the construction of Read's Emporium)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242048695 |title=Romance of Business |newspaper=[[The Herald (Melbourne)|The Herald]] |issue=10,392 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=9 February 1909 |accessdate=25 January 2024 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> which was demolished in the 1960s to make way for single storey carpark.]]

The '''Prahran Brotherhood''' (1910–1919) was a men-only pressure group aiming at raising the status of the district.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119783647 |title=Packerism |newspaper=[[Melbourne Truth]] |issue=605 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=18 July 1914 |accessdate=23 February 2025 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Ostensibly non-sectarian but closely associated with the Congregational Church, it opposed gambling, wine bars opening on Sundays, and preference to unionists.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11620768 |title="Reign of Terror" |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=20,341 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=2 October 1911 |accessdate=23 February 2025 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Between the 1890s and 1930s Prahran built up a huge shopping centre, which by the 1920s had rivalled the Melbourne Central Business District. Large emporiums (department stores) sprang up along Chapel Street. Prahran also became a major entertainment area. The Lyric theatre (also known as the fleahouse), built on the corner of Victoria Street in 1911, burnt down in the 1940s. The Royal was the second old theatre built. The Empress (also known as the flea palace), another popular theatre on Chapel Street, was destroyed by fire in 1971.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xWIQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p5ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5764,20437&dq=the+empress+flea+%7C+palace+%7C+fire+%7C+1971+chapel-street&hl=en]{{dead link|date=September 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110665378 |title=Theatre fire third in 10 years |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=45 |issue=12,851 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=1 July 1971 |accessdate=26 July 2024 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref> The site was operated by the cut-price clothes and homewares chain Waltons for the next decade and was later developed into the Chapel Street Bazaar.

In the 1960s, in an effort to boost the slowly growing local population and inject new life into the suburb, the [[Government of Victoria (Australia)|Victorian Government]] opened the Prahran [[Housing Commission of Victoria|Housing Commission]] estate, just off Chapel Street, together with a larger estate, located just north in [[South Yarra]]. Further complementing the high rise developments was a low density development between Bangs and Bendigo Streets.

In the 1970s, the suburb began to [[gentrification|gentrify]], with much of the remaining old housing stock being renovated and restored. The area had a substantial Greek population and many took advantage of the rise in property values during the 1980s, paving the way for further development and a subsequent shift in demographics.

During the 1990s, the population increased markedly, with demand for inner-city living fuelling a [[medium-density housing]] boom, which continues in the area, as part of the [[Melbourne 2030]] planning policy. It was during the 1990s that solidification of the area's gay community occurred, with many gay and gay-friendly businesses, the last of these {{which|date=February 2025}} closing around 2012.

==Demographics==

In the [[2021 Australian census|2021 census]], there were 12,203 people in Prahran. 63.5% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.6%, New Zealand (3.2%), Greece (2.7%), China (1.5%) and India (1.4%). 75.5% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek (4.9%), Mandarin (1.9%), Spanish (1.5%), Italian (0.9%) and French (0.8%). The most common responses for religion were No Religion (52.3%) and Catholic (14.7%).<ref name="abs"></ref>

==Local landmarks==
===Non-residential architecture===
[[File:Prahran rechabite hall.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Prahran Rechabite Hall, part of the [[University of Melbourne]]]]
Prahran is home to a large collection of architecturally significant commercial buildings, with many on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]].

The Chapel Street section of Prahran is notable for its collection of turn of the century [[Marketplace|emporium]]s and large buildings, which include:

* ''[[Prahran Arcade]]'' – Built in 1890 on Chapel Street, is a richly detailed building both externally and internally. Retains the original arcade, but the mansard roof was removed in the 1950s. Once known locally as "Birdland" due to pigeons which once bred in the recessed balconies of the building and the large eagles which adorn the facade. Was a [[Dan Murphy's]]  for many years, then a [[JB Hi-Fi|JB HiFi]] store from c2000 to 2025. Heritage listed.<ref>{{cite web | title=Prahran Arcade | url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/3556 | access-date=26 July 2024 | website=Victorian Heritage Register | publisher=Heritage Council of Victoria}}</ref>
* ''Read's Stores'' – Built in 1914 on the corner of Chapel Street and Commercial Road by architectural firm Sydney Smith & Ogg. The heritage-listed building is a prominent example of large department stores which once lined the west side of Chapel Street up to High Street.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Reads store |url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/66486#timeline-title |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Victorian Heritage Register|publisher=Heritage Council of Victoria}}</ref> Its twin beacons, which sit atop large [[copper]] clad domes, were once visible like lighthouses for miles around, but no longer operate. During the 1970s, the site traded as a department store under the name ''Moore's'' before the lower stories were converted into shops in the 1980s and named [[Pran Central]]. The upper stories were restored and converted into fashionable apartments in 2005.
* ''Big Store'' – Built in 1902 and closed in 1968 on Chapel Street. A second store, almost as large as the main store, once stood in the carpark to the west, beyond Cato Street, linked by cross-over walkways. This large Edwardian building is currently used by [[Coles Supermarkets]].
* ''Maples Corner'' – Built in 1910 on the corner of Chapel and High Streets. Converted into offices in the 1980s and many deteriorating decorative features were replaced with post modern elements.
* ''Love & Lewis'' – Built in 1913 on Chapel Street and converted into a mix of offices, retail and apartments in 2004. Now heritage registered.

Other significant Prahran emporiums include Conway's Buildings (1914) and the large Colosseum building (1897), which was lost to fire in 1914.

Other heritage buildings include the former [[Prahran Town Hall]] (now vacant), the adjacent former City Hall (1888) (now unused), the neighbouring police station (1887) and court house (1887) and Rechabite Hall (1888), in the [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]] style. The Prahran Fire Tower (1889) is on Macquarie Street. State School number 2855, formerly Prahran Primary School (1888), on High Street was converted into apartments in 2005. St Matthew's Church, a large bluestone church on High Street built in the 1880s, was partly converted into offices in the 1980s.

===Residential architecture===
[[File:Gates to princes gardens prahran.jpg|thumb|Gates to Princes Gardens]]
Residential Prahran consists of mostly single storey Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses, with some larger double storey terraces closer to the main shopping strips.

===Public space===
Prahran features many small, typically hidden gardens scattered throughout the suburb. The former Prahran Gardens, now "Grattan Gardens", are on the corner of Greville Street and Grattan Street and feature a playground and heritage bandstand. The Princes Gardens on Malvern Road, are a small garden, which features [[Chapel Off Chapel]], an old church converted into a theatre, as well as the Prahran skate park. Victoria Gardens, on High Street, is a Victorian-era garden designed by landscape designer [[William Sangster]] in 1885.<ref>Foster, John H. (1989) Victorian Picturesque: The Colonial Gardens of William Sangster. University of Melbourne History Dept. p. 73</ref> It features a sunken oval surrounded by [[London plane]] trees and a Victory bronze statue. The Orrong Romanis Reserve is the largest park in Prahran, although the Cato Street carpark has been converted into an urban square named Prahran Square.

==Education==

Prahran was home to [[Prahran College]],<ref>{{Citation | author1=Buckrich, Judith Raphael | author2=Prahran Mechanics' Institute | title=Design for living : a history of 'Prahran Tech' | pages=96–99 | date=2007 | publisher=Prahran Mechanics' Institute Press | isbn=978-0-9756000-8-5 }}</ref> a secondary and tertiary technical college and trade school that originated in Chapel Street as, and continued to be associated with, the [[PMI Victorian History Library Inc.|Mechanics Institute]]. It incorporated an art school which particularly from around the 1960s produced graduates who went on to become significant Australians. From 1968 it was situated in a multi-storey building in High Street, demolished in 2017 for the construction by the [[First Andrews Ministry|Andrews government]] of a $25 million 'vertical' secondary college, next to [[Melbourne Polytechnic]] and the [[National Institute of Circus Arts]], and which opened in 2019.<ref>Henrietta Cook and Education Editor, 'Going high on High Street, Prahran with $25m vertical school to hit the heights', in ''The Age'' March 3, 2017</ref> Alumni include painters [[Howard Arkley]], [[Douglas Baulch]], [[Christopher Beaumont]], [[Peter Churcher]], [[William Dargie]], [[Robert Jacks]], [[William Kelly (artist)|William Kelly]], [[David Larwill]]; printmakers [[Basil Hadley]] and [[Merris Hillard]]; Ceramicists [[ Jennifer Brain]]; designers [[Mimmo Cozzolino]] and [[Martine Murray]]; photographers [[Robert Ashton (photographer)|Robert Ashton]], [[Andrew Chapman (photographer)|Andrew Chapman]], [[Susan Fereday]], [[Bill Henson]], [[Carol Jerrems]], [[Tony Maskill]], [[Leonie Reisberg]], [[Stephen Wickham]] and sculptor [[Stuart Devlin]].

==Transport==
[[File:Prahran Railway Station.jpg|thumb|Prahran railway station]]

Prahran is serviced by [[Prahran railway station|Prahran station]], on the [[Sandringham railway line|Sandringham line]], as well as trams routes [[Melbourne tram route 5|5]], [[Melbourne tram route 6|6]], [[Melbourne tram route 64|64]], [[Melbourne tram route 72|72]] and [[Melbourne tram route 78|78]].

==Notable people==
* [[Graham Berry]] – (1822–1904) Colonial politician, and [[Premier of Victoria|11th Premier of Victoria]], was a grocer in Prahran in the 1850s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FJmGAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Graham+Berry%22+grocer+prahran|title=The Victorians: Making their mark|date=25 November 1984|publisher=Fairfax, Syme & Weldon Associates|isbn=9780949288035 |access-date=25 November 2021|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* [[Maurice Blackburn]] – (1880–1944) Australian lawyer and [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] politician, who died in Prahran in 1944.
* [[Raelene Boyle]] – Australian athlete, who worked for the [[City of Prahran|Prahran City Council]] as a landscape gardener.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1054633.htm |title=George Negus Tonight – Raelene Boyle |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=23 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020034419/http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1054633.htm |archive-date=20 October 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* [[Keith Campbell (motorcyclist)|Keith Campbell]], first Australian to win a [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing]] world championship in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/profiles/Keith+Campbell |title=Keith Campbell career statistics |publisher=motogp.com |access-date=24 November 2015 |archive-date=30 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130151301/http://www.motogp.com/en/riders/keith+campbell |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Barlow Carkeek]] – (1878–1937)  Victorian and Australian cricketer died in Prahran in 1937.
* [[Walter Joseph Cawthorn]] – [[Soldier]], [[diplomat]] and a former head of the [[Australian Secret Intelligence Service]] (ASIS) was born in Prahran in 1896.
* [[Percy Cerutty]] – Eccentric [[Track and field athletics|athletics]] coach of [[Herb Elliott]] was born in Prahran in 1895.
* [[Arthur Henry Cobby]] – Leading air ace in the [[Australian Flying Corps]] during World War I was born in Prahran.
* [[Paul Cox (director)|Paul Cox]] – film director who lived in Prahran and taught at Prahran College 1967–1980.
* [[Jack Edwards (cricketer, born 1860)|John "Jack" Edwards]] – [[Test cricket|Test]] [[cricket]]er, was born in Prahran in 1860.
* [[Mark Evans (musician)]] – Bass guitarist with [[AC/DC]] from 1975 to 1977.
* [[Tony Gaze]] – WW2 fighter ace and first Australian racing driver to compete in an overseas Grand Prix, born in Prahran in 1920.
* [[Lisa Gerrard]] – Australian musician and singer, part of the music group [[Dead Can Dance]], lived in Prahran.
* [[John Gorton]] − 19th [[Prime Minister of Australia]]
* [[Lachy Hulme]] – Australian actor and screenwriter, lives in Prahran.
* [[Herbert Hyland]] – (1884–1970) Investor and [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]] politician, was born on 15 March 1884 in Prahran.
* [[Sammy J]] – Musical Comedian
* [[Gertrude Johnson]] – (1894–1973) [[Soprano]] and founder of the [[National Theatre, Melbourne|National Theatre]], born in Prahran in 1894.
* [[Enid Joske]] established the city's children's library<ref>{{Citation |last=Patrick |first=Alison |title=Enid Joske (1890–1973) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/joske-enid-10648 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-11-05 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Chris Judd]] – Former [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] captain, has a luxury home in Prahran.
* [[George Hodges Knox]] – Australian politician, after whom the [[City of Knox]] is named, was born in Prahran in 1885.
* [[Sam Loxton]] – Australian Test cricketer, played for Prahran in [[Victorian Premier Cricket]], later represented the area in the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly]].
* [[Rebecca Maddern]] – ex Seven News presenter and now AFL Footy show co host.
* [[John Marden|Dr. John Marden]] – (1855–1924)  [[Headmaster]], pioneer of women's education, and [[Presbyterian]] [[Elder (Christianity)|elder]], was born in Prahran in 1855.
* [[Gillon McLachlan]] – Chief Executive Officer of [[Australian Football League]].
* [[Paul Medhurst]] – [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] footballer, currently living in Prahran.
* [[John Safran]] – Documentarian and media personality.
* [[Lee Schraner]] - the 2019 lawn bowls World Singles Champion was born in Prahran in 1982
* [[Daryl Somers]] – television personality
* [[John Spicer (Australian politician)|Sir John Armstrong Spicer]] –(1899–1978)  [[Attorney-General of Australia|Attorney-General]] in the [[Fourth Menzies Ministry|Menzies government]], was born in Prahran in 1899.
* [[Henry Tate (poet)|Henry Tate]] – Poet and musician, was born in Prahran in 1873.
* [[Brian Taylor (Australian footballer)|Brian Taylor]] – Former [[Australian rules football]]er and coach of Prahran Football Club in the [[Victorian Football Association|VFA]], present-day television commentator for [[Seven Network]]
* [[Eliza Taylor]] – Actress
* [[George Tolhurst]] – (1827–1877) English Australian Composer. Composed the first oratorio ''Ruth'', in the Colony of Victoria and first performed in 1864 in Prahan.
* [[Keith Truscott|Keith William "Bluey" Truscott]] – World War II ace [[fighter pilot]] and [[Australian rules football]]er, was born in Prahran in 1916.
* [[Fred Whitlam|Harry Frederick Ernest "Fred" Whitlam]] – [[Australian Government Solicitor|Crown Solicitor]] and father of [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Gough Whitlam]] was born in Prahran in 1884.

==See also==
* [[City of Prahran]] – Prahran was previously within this former local government area.
* [[Electoral district of Prahran]]
* [[Prahran College]] (1864–1992), a late-secondary and tertiary institution with a trade school, business school, and a multi-disciplinary art school.
* ''[[Prahran Telegraph]]'', local newspaper from 1860–1930s

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{City of Stonnington suburbs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Suburbs of Melbourne]]
[[Category:Gay villages in Australia]]
[[Category:LGBTQ culture in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Suburbs of the City of Stonnington]]