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Under the Clocks

The steps of Flinders Street Station beneath the railway clocks are a traditional meeting place at the south-west corner of Swanston and Flinders streets. Train departure dials had been located from the early 1890s at the station entrance to the south of the old Fish Market before its demolition in 1900. Indicator clocks were then moved to the corner, and at least by 1906 'Under the Clocks' was an established point of rendezvous. Thirteen new clocks were installed in 1910 above the booking hall entry of the new station buildings. A station official with a long pole could be seen changing the departure times manually over 900 times a day until 1981, when the clocks ceased operation and were threatened with replacement by video screens. A plan to restore and electrify the clocks was proposed in 1997.

Andrew May