We’re at Melbourne’s Flinders Street railway station to bring you an important announcement. “The venue now arriving at platform 11 is the Arbory Bar & Eatery. A full range of refreshments are available with this service. Please mind the gap, and don’t go falling into the Yarra…”
Railway stations often suffer from sections of unsightly, disused scrubland, and the area between the outermost platform and the river here at Flinders Lane was one of those. Cue a redevelopment, inspired by recent urban rail renewals such as New York’s The High Line. Here in Melbourne, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects have built over a defunct section of the Sandridge line; a raised wooden platform runs for 150 metres above the old track and along a landmark line of trees — on top of the decking sits a bespoke container housing two bars, a kitchen and bathroom facilities. The container is reminiscent of the now-ubiquitous re-purposed shipping containers, although this one is made from a lighter polycarbonate material with a less industrial feel that glows in the evening courtesy of LED lighting. With a great mix of indoor and outdoor space in response to the city’s changeable climate, and a morning-till-night range of food and drink options, Arbory seems to be just the ticket.
