From Federation Square to the lemon tree-lined streets of Oakleigh, the mark of Greek heritage runs deep in Melbourne. Whether in geometry, mythology, or post-war migration design, Greek influence has shaped the city’s architecture, public spaces, and cultural identity in visible and invisible ways. It’s a story of ancient wisdom reimagined in a modern metropolis—where columns, labyrinths, and the spirit of the polis continue to leave their imprint.
Melbourne’s Federation Square sits opposite Flinders Street Station. Built in 2002, it’s the city’s first official public square, and where Melbourne tour guide Meyer likes to take school groups when teaching them about Ancient Greece.
“There are 15 thousand Pythagoras triangles used to build the structure of Fed Square,” he tells them.
Then, he shares another fun fact. Beneath the precinct, lies another nod to Greek innovation; one point six kilometre labyrinth. It’s a thermal mass labyrinth, which means it acts as a heating and cooling system for the precinct.
“Every day cold air rises from the river, 20 metres below Fed Square, and moves into the labyrinth,” Meyer tells Neos Kosmos.
“Then it’s released through slats in the atrium. It’s cooling the building by evaporation, meaning the Fed Square needs to use 90 per centless power. It’s the only carbon neutral precinct in Melbourne.”
Towards the other end of the city is Melbourne’s former General Post Office, now a shopping complex home to a multi-story H&M. The building offers public access to an impressive four-storey spiral staircase. Tour guide Meyer recommends walking upstairs from the side entrance to have a look.
One of the earliest surviving examples of a spiral staircase was found in Selinunte, a Greek city-state in Sicily. Temple F contains remnants of a stone spiral staircase dating back to the fifth or sixth century BCE. A later reference is the Tower of the Winds in Athens which also features spiral elements.
To travel even further back in time, mythological Greek influence can be found in Melbourne’s Royal Arcade which has a statue of Kronos, the Titan god of time and father of Zeus on one end of the arcade. On the other end are Gog and Magog statues, whose origin has many interpretations including Greek medieval mythology.
Present-day Greek-Australian connections have shaped the city too. The Greek Quarter in Melbourne sits between Swanston and Lonsdale streets, where the Thessaloniki Stele monument stands. She represents and celebrates the 40-year-long sister city partnership between Melbourne and Thessaloniki.
Further east towards Docklands is The Eureka Tower, which was for a long time the city’s tallest building. It was designed by renowned Greek-Australian architect Nonda Katsalidis of the firm Fender Katsalidis. His portfolio also includes the Ian Potter Museum of Art and the acclaimed Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart.
It’s also the post-war Greek migrants who marked Australian suburbs with their architectural tastes; Associate Professor Mirjana Lozanovska from Deakin University researches this in her book Migrant Housing: Architecture, Dwelling, Migration.
She notes distinctive markers of Southern European influence on homes include faux marble pillars and balusters, grand front staircases, large front terraces and lemon trees in the front yard.
Mirjana says the visual changes to suburbs by post-war migrants sparked broader conversation about multiculturalism and ethnicity that perhaps would have otherwise not been discussed.
Another Mediterranean detail is the blending of indoor and outdoor living. Greek-Australian architect Chris Rak told Neos Kosmos he’s influenced by ancient Greek practices through playing with proportion and light.
“The Greeks walked this path. Think of columns that allow for the control of light, and as you move, the light changes,” he explained.
For a recent home design by his studio Robson Rak, Chris’ challenge was in making a large home feel smaller and more domestic.
“You know, we always had the formal room in classic Greek houses,” Chris recalls, but in this home he wanted to modernise that idea. “We tried to create family spaces where everyone can be in different corners of the house … but you’ve still got visual access to one another. So you can see who’s in the kitchen, who’s in the family room.”
Whether it’s in the lemon trees in Oakleigh’s front yards or Pythagoras leaving his mark in Melbourne’s primary precinct, there’s no doubt Greek influence and excellence has woven itself into the fabric of this city.
