St Kilda Is Now Home to a Fabulous Rainbow Road
Jackson Street has been transformed into a giant rainbow in celebration of the local LGBTQI community.
Following in the very bright and joyful footsteps of Taylor Square in Sydney, Melbourne's St Kilda is now home to a 35-metre-long flag down Jackson Street. The colourful road and pedestrian crossing was unveiled on Monday, August 19, and will remain for at least two years.
The road is a public display of the City of Port Phillip's support for marriage equality and a celebration of the area's LGBTQI+ community, as well as a way of injecting a little colour and joy into the days of everyone who treads across it. Jackson Street makes up part of the busy Fitzroy Street precinct in St Kilda, and is considered to be highly visible to those walking, riding, tramming or driving.
It's also located also right next to the site of the proposed Victorian Pride Centre, the first of its kind in Australia, which is expected to open in 2010.
Acting Mayor Cr Dick Gross said the area's long-standing history with, and commitment to, the LGBTQI+ community makes it the perfect spot for the rainbow road. The area has hosted the annual Midsumma Pride March for 23 years.
Sydney's rainbow crossing near Oxford Street was removed in 2013 after a stoush between local council and state government – but the move spawned hundreds of DIY rainbows by locals, and the news last month that it will be reinstated this October.
If you'd like to head along to the new St Kilda rainbow road and take a photo — do watch for cars — a special Snapchat filter is accessible at the site for the next month, too.
Here's hoping this one sticks around for good — and that the colour spreads elsewhere, too.
Images: Sanjeev Singh
