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Duckboard Place

Located between Russell and Exhibition streets, Duckboard Place extends south from Flinders Lane and doglegs to connect with adjacent ACDC Lane. It was named in 1953, although the right-of-way had been created prior to 1915. Adjacent at 91 Flinders Lane is Duckboard House, after whom the lane was named. It was built in the interwar period and served as a World War II entertainment venue for the troops. The term 'duckboard' was first used during World War I and described a slatted timber path that was laid down on wet or muddy ground in the trenches or in camps. In 2008, the property housed the Duckboard Club, a branch of the Melbourne RSL Club, and was concurrently being re-fitted for a tavern and restaurant.

Biheng Zhang

References
'Duckboard Place, Melbourne City: H7822-1924', in Victorian Heritage Register On-Line, 2000, http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/hvolr.nsf. Details
Bate, Weston, Essential but unplanned: The story of Melbourne's lanes, State Library of Victoria and the City of Melbourne, Melbourne, 1994. Details