Collins Street

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  • Address
    btwn Spring & Swanston Sts, city centre
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Lonely Planet review

The top end of Collins St has long been associated with that most romantic of European cities, Paris. Lined with plane trees, grand buildings and Euro-flash boutiques (such as Hermes and Chanel) the 'Paris end' of Collins St twinkles with grace.

Straddling Russell St are two of Melbourne's historic churches. Scots church (www.scotschurch.com; 140 Collins St), the first Presbyterian church in Victoria, was built in the decorative Gothic style (1873); opposite is St Michael's Uniting Church (www.stmichaels.org.au; 120 Collins St), the first church in Victoria built in the Lombardic Romanesque style (1866).

The Athenaeum Theatre (188 Collins St), dating back to 1886, has undergone many a facelift. The Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, sits atop the facade, imbuing the theatre with templelike qualities. Across the road, the opulent Regent Theatre (191 Collins St) was considered one of the most lavish theatres of its kind when it was built in 1929 with the advent of the talkies. Destroyed by fire and then restored in 1945, the Regent had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s. After a major refurbishment it reopened in late 1996 and is now used mainly for blockbuster stage shows.