The pretty 170-year-old train station that was once the busiest in the world with rooftop running track & ‘lovers clock’
THE oldest train station in one of the world’s biggest countries has a unique history, including an old ballroom, a rooftop running track and even a ghost named George.
Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia, was the first station ever to be built in the country when it first opened on September 12, 1854.
It would go on to become the busiest train station in the world by the 1920s, when it had even more visitors than the likes of Grand Central Station in New York and Liverpool Street Station in London.
According to The Argus, as many as 200,000 passengers passed through its doors in just one day back in 1922.
Since then, it’s become less important in terms of global transport, but has plenty of unique features that aren’t seen at other stations elsewhere in the world.
Included in that is an abandoned ballroom, which sits on the third floor.
The facility used to host dance classes, concerts and ballroom competitions, with the capacity to seat 400 people.
However, for more than 40 years now, it has remained closed off to the public and has fallen into ruin.
It was a popular venue for dance enthusiasts, particularly during the war years when it hosted events for soldiers and those in the services.
Culture Trip explained: “During WWII, dances were held for Allied servicemen and in the 50s and 60s, it was one of the most popular dance halls in Melbourne.
“The last dance was held on September 10th 1983 and it has since been closed off to the public.
The ballroom isn’t the only abandoned leisure facility at the station, with a disused gymnasium found next door.
The station’s male employees used to make use of the gym, which was said to have housed both a boxing ring and billiards room.
In addition to the gym, a running track was built across the building’s flat roof and employees could often be seen making the most of it, jogging back and forth across the top of the station.
Melbourne Curious described the station as the city’s “most iconic landmark” because of its unique redbrick and mustard coloured facade.
However, it’s also the people that make the station a popular attraction, including one who is said to have haunted Flinders Street for years.
Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
George the fisherman is actually believed to be the ghost of a man named Ernest, who died in a boating accident on the nearby Yarra River.
He has been seen by staff and commuters like in the nighttime on platform 10, staring out at the water, perhaps hoping to get out to make one last catch.
Show Me Melbourne said: “If you’re there late at night perhaps you’ll be able to see the ghostly figure of a fisherman, holding a fishing rod and gazing out over the river.
“Nick-named George by station employees, the ghost is believed to be the spirit of Ernest Leahy who drowned in a boating accident in 1902.
“Ernest was boating with friends on the Yarra when their boat hit a snag and started to sink. Three of the party were rescued, but Ernest and a young woman both drowned.”
Ghosts and ballrooms aside, one of the main reasons people like the station is because of its striking aesthetics.
One traveller wrote of Flinders Street on TripAdvisor: “For generations, lovers have met “under the clocks” at Flinders St.”
Another added: “This beautiful domed structure at one of the busiest intersections in Melbourne is definitely worth a photograph.”
Meanwhile, this is what it’s like inside the largest train station in the world.
And this UK train station featured in Mission Impossible and has secret tunnels and a mechanical bull.