Melbourne City Drive, 1984~1988

There are some people that will never understand the feeling of missing Melbourne even though I still live here. Each time I go the city I instantly feel heartbroken and a deep sadness. I do not even recognise it! The part in this footage where the City Square once stood brought me to tears and I’m not exaggerating 😭. Every time it was school holidays my brother, friends and I would spend our time there. It was so beautiful to look at, then behind the fountain there it was the amazing Central Station- hours spent there looking at vinyl imports, pop magazines and adults, teenagers and children dressed in their finest clothes and we watched people breakdance or just having fun there. A huge sigh 😢. Swanston Street, Bourke Street looked beautiful with quality stores - now most of it is destroyed, cheap and tacky stores there now and I can go on and on. I truly miss that Melbourne.

Ah, to be 18 again. Not sure what I loved and will miss more - W Class trams, the Datsuns 180B and 120Y, rego stickers on the windscreen, the hole that became Melbourne Central, the Gas and Fuel towers or a free-flowing Westgate Freeway. You brought a tear to my eye - thank you!

Ow wow I’d forgotten about the fountains at the city square. So nice to see them again after all these years!

Awesome mate ! My life as an 80's teenager

Pure class!!! And just how I used see it as a kid!! So much vision and wonder, how I loved going down there...You could feel that sense of wonder and zeal, still can from this classy footage! I used to wag primary school just to come down here and hang out in MYER! It was that good and that worth it!! Now after some 30+ years, I don't want to be down there any longer than I need to be which can't be any longer than an hour max!! It's just a matter of convenience nothing else when I'm there now. In and out, wham bam and thank you mam!!! But regardless my heart will always always burn the old 1980's CBD Melbourne! Even though this magic is now kinda gone. Fantastic stuff!

I arrived in 1986 and oh this brings back memories.

This was grouse. Took me back a few decades. Thank yous.

As an Indian migrant (born in the year 2000) who grew up in Melbourne from 2011 onwards, whilst the Melbourne back then may not have been as multicultural as it is today, I envy the people who had the opportunity to live in the city back then. Clean, less congestion, affordable housing, loyal and patriotic leaders who genuinely cared about the nations prosperity as opposed to their own selfish interests. I know it may not have been perfect, but I have no doubt that the Melbourne back then was a better place to live. Thanks for uploading this video. May it serve as an important resource for future generations to preserve and showcase the lives of Melbournians during this time period(era).

Ive lived over 50 yrs now in Melb and like others, have already said, this brought back so many memories. Thankyou for adding street names because I recognised so many but wouldnt know exactly where they were. Its amazing that ur video of capturing nothing that exciting is so awesome some 40 yrs later. Ive tried to explain to people what the Docklands/Southgate/PortMelb areas were like back then but not a lot of photos or videos are available. Mostly people capture an important thing, but totally love how you were capturing the moment regardless. As a primary school student I remember having excursions in the city then having our packed lunch near the water fountains in the city square. Still shudder when I think of the person who fell in and was trapped in an underground tunnel. Amazing there werent more cases. Tx again and also enjoying all ur other videos - please keep sharing

Loved the Melbourne City Square Fountain. Great times; sadly gone now. And for what? Just money followed by indentured corruption. Thanks though; it brought back some really great memories. I used to work in the CBD in my 20's 😊

This is how I remember Melbourne as a kid. The Rialto was THE skyscraper in the city. So imposing and so grand. Even though it's still attractive and has aged well, it's amazing how it's been overshadowed nowadays

A wonderful walk down memory lane. Thank you! I moved to Melbourne in 1984 and left in 1990 after the Pyramid Building Society crash and after the company I worked for, Health Australia, was bought out by Medibank Private. Those 6 years truly were the best in my life and I treasure the memories and photos of them.

I can't believe how much Melbourne has changed over time. Thankyou so much for this very nostalgic trip down memory lane! 🤍✨💫

The extended instrumentation intros to 80s songs as the soundtrack to this rocked. Haha. Oh the hair, the jumpers, the potential and dreams... what a time. It's sad watching this to think that many of the people captured in this are dead now (anyone we saw over 45 anyway). A bit frightening when I remember it so well as a kid, going to the city on the train.

The thing I find sad now is back then you could interact with people anywhere without mobile phones getting in the way. I worked in a factory in adelaide for 7 years and recently left, the number of times I approached other workers and they were busy on calls or messaging was disheartening. I really miss my younger days in Melbourne at work where people were approachable and always had time for you. Anyone who doesn't appreciate Melbourne in the 80s obviously wasn't there back then.

The place I grew up in - In 80s Melbourne is a place I don't even recognise now. Melbourne had such a vibe and beauty about it. City Square (sigh) ... Demolishing the City Square is THE greatest crime of the city of Melbourne!!!! - My heart has sinked watching the City Square footage :-( You could smell the City Square water from Flinders Street station. Central Station Records behind City Square was THE place to be, I bought so many records from there and I still have some of them .... Love Spandau Ballet and ABC playing over the top !!!!!! Individuality, Nightclubs galore and not the kind of "culture' that has taken over Melbourne now. R.I.P. Melbourne - You were so beautiful to grow up in :-(

I remember how they built over the Museum station and shot tower. The massive Japanese department store took up loads of floors called "Daimaru"

Awesome footage to see! I think the most fascinating was the shot tower, unbelievable how much has changed around it now. I lived in student accommodation diagonal to the state library all of last year so the differences are night and day.

Great footage. And the music added an even better nostalgic theme to the period it was filmed, helping to take me back to those days. Only wished you had caught a few seconds of the Myer's windows, though. Or q brisk walk down the Bourke St Mall. Thank you so much. Mehmet, for sharing this with us.

Almost made me homesick.