Munro site
Detailed archaeological investigations at the
Munro site, opposite Queen Victoria Market, have unearthed some remarkable evidence of Melbourne’s early landscape and environmental history.
Under the remains of the 1913 Therry Street shops, excavations revealed evidence of a creek (water line) beneath substantial layers of introduced fill. The fill was likely used to cover the creek bed, shoring up the soft ground and creating a level site so that the shops could be constructed in 1913.
The creek is believed to be an upper branch of the historic ‘Williams Creek’, a natural water course that ran under the current Elizabeth Street, through the central city and emptied into the Yarra River. This upper branch of the creek would have likely carried water draining from the north west of the Munro site, under Queen Victoria Market.
Soil samples have been taken and wil be further analysed to establish the age of the creek bed, the historic rate of water flow, and identify any pollens and flora.