Melbourne in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, is a busy, busy place. Normally.
But these aren’t normal times because the last time an Australian border was closed was 100 years ago, way back in 1919 with the outbreak of the Spanish flu.
So Melbourne, today, is not looking like its usual self.
It is not busy, it is not bustling. The screech of trams can still be heard but there’s no more jostling for space to get on board. There is no one hanging about at Fed Square and nobody is busking on Bourke Street.
Some of us, however, do need to get to work. And those armed with a permit to work are allowed to venture to places the rest of us cannot. One such man is Paul Ebbage who decided to capture the Melbourne he had never before seen in his thirty years working in the city. We’re glad that he did.
Scroll through for some of our favourites or to see the full range of photos, check out Paul’s article and gallery at the bottom.
1. The Flinders Street Station steps with only one person standing on them
2. Melbourne’s meeting place with nobody to meet
3. Degraves Street, a now uncongested thoroughfare
4. School’s out
5. No soup for anybody
6. No announcements are heard for ‘Please clear the stairs’
Keen to see more of Melbourne in its current state? Watch This Stunning Visual Poem as it records and reflects on the impact the pandemic has had on our city.
(Featured image: Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash)