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Bunda Street

Australian Capital Territory
Bunda Street in July 2020
Coordinates
General information
TypeStreet
Length800 m (0.5 mi)[1]
Opened1953
Major junctions
West endRudd Street
Civic, Australian Capital Territory
  Northbourne Avenue
East endBinara Street
Civic, Australian Capital Territory
Location(s)
Suburb(s)Civic (CBD)

Bunda Street is a shared traffic zone in Canberra, Australia. Linking Northbourne Avenue and Glebe Park, Bunda Street is one of the main shopping and retail streets within the Civic area. The street is lined by many cafes and nightclubs, and passes underneath the Canberra Centre.[2] Bunda Street forms part of a corridor known as the City Cycle Loop that forms a connection between the Sullivans Creek shared path and the commuter cycling networks to the south of the city.[3] The name Bunda is believed to be an aboriginal word for "kangaroo".[4]

The street has a strong association with the cultural development of Canberra. It is the location of several heritage sites that were significant to the growth of cultural activities in the young city.[5][6] It remains a focal point for community events, including as a major venue during the annual National Multicultural Festival, which sees the street closed to vehicular traffic for several days.[7][8]

While most businesses along Bunda Street are involved in retail trade, there is some office and residential development along short sections that were not converted to a shared zone in the mid-2010s. At the northern end, the street connects directly to the Civic bus interchange at a junction with Mort Street a short distance from Northbourne Avenue. At this corner, the lobby of ActewAGL House, the corporate headquarters of ActewAGL, prominently featured an art installation called The Journey by Robert Foster from 2010 until 2022.[9] This installation consisted of a 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft) array of illuminated plexiglass cones that reacted to the time of day and passing pedestrians.[10] At the southern end, the regional headquarters of Cisco is a major tenant of the 224 Bunda Street office tower[11] and the 16-story Manhattan on the Park apartment building sits opposite Glebe Park.[12]

History

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Following gazettal of the name in October 1952,[13] earthworks were completed for a new city block extending off London Circuit in 1953. Bunda Street was one of four new streets developed to support the proposed Brisbane Buildings retail development.[14] Leases for the first shop sites were auctioned off in March of that year.[15] From its inception, Bunda Street was a focal point for entertainment in the city, with an existing cinema complex modified and its lease amended to allow for an entrance from the new street.[16]

The Monaro Mall (now part of the Canberra Centre) opened in 1963 with retail frontage on Bunda Street. It was Australia's first fully-enclosed, multi-story, air-conditioned shopping center.[17][18]

Constructed in 1965 opening in 1966, the Cinema Center at 50 Bunda Street featured an architecturally significant cinema constructed in the basement beneath an office building, which was unique in Australia at the time.[19] The building, designed by architect Enrico Taglietti originally included an art gallery space at street level and four floors of retail and office space above the cinema. It was heritage-listed in 2021.[6]

In 1970, Gus Petersilka, proprietor of Gus's, a Viennese-style café on Bunda Street, introduced al fresco dining to Canberra. Despite objections by government authorities over the placement of awnings and furniture on the footpath, Petersilka was able to have regulations amended to allow this idea to spread throughout the city.[20] Gus's cafe became a Canberra icon, with the sidewalk space outside the former cafe subject to protections under an ACT Heritage listing.[5] A brass plaque was installed in the pavement of Bunda Street in 1998 to commemorate Petersilka and his contributions to establishing Canberra's vibrant dining scene.[20][5]

An explosion in the underground cinema on 10 February 1977 killed one man and seriously injured another.[21] The explosion was caused by a build up of hydrocarbons seeping into groundwater from a Mobil petrol station on the opposite side of Bunda Street. The two men were plumbers, who had been working to repair pumps in the underground complex when sparks from a welder ignited fumes.[22] Rescue efforts were hampered by clouds of smoke and toxic fumes that spilled onto the street outside the complex. The operators of the cinema had been given assurances by Mobil engineers and government authorities that the fumes were not from petroleum products and were not explosive just weeks before.[21][22]

The extension of Bunda Street from Akuna Street through Glebe Park was approved by the Commonwealth in 1980. This extension, along with the yet to be named Binara Street, would form a link to Constitution Avenue and formalise the park boundary.[23] At the Canberra premiere of Phar Lap in August 1983, the Canberra Racing Club staged a parade of period costumes, racehorses, jockeys and 1930s vehicles along Bunda Street.[24]

At around 4am on 5 February 2023, National Rugby League players Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell were arrested on allegations of fighting in Bunda Street after being asked to leave a nightclub.[25] ACT Police charged both men with fighting in a public place and ordered Wighton to leave the public area of Bunda Street, adding additional charges for ignoring an exclusion order when he did not. All charges against both men, who are cousins and were celebrating Wighton's birthday together, were dismissed in court when CCTV and police body-cams showed the events alleged by police never occurred.[26] The case attracted significant national media attention, with the exonerating video footage made public. Their lawyers claimed the incident only became violent after police used excessive force against the men.[27]

Conversion to shared zone

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In 2013, the ACT Government invited public consultation on three proposals for major redevelopment of Bunda Street. Each of the proposals focussed on creating a shared zone, reduced speed limits, and improved facilities to prioritise pedestrians and cycling.[3] By December 2014, work on the final design was completed between Mort Street and Petrie Plaza, removing line markings, reducing the speed limit to 20 km/h (12 mph) and giving pedestrians right of way.[28] During further works in 2015, an artwork depicting a flock of gang-gang cockatoos by local artist Geoffrey Filmer was installed in the pavement of the Bunda Street shared zone.[29]

Bunda Street facing approximately northwest from Akuna Street Bunda Street facing southeast with the Canberra Centre visible on left

See also

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icon Australian Roads portal

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Bunda Street" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Ridge, Lucy. "Bunda Street gets a dining upgrade with new restaurants and old favourites in new spaces". Region Canberra. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 Lisa Glenday (16 January 2013). "Ideas for new shared zone in CBD". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Canberra National Memorials Committee (Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia) (29 March 1928). "Naming of Canberra's Streets and Suburbs" (PDF). ArchivesACT. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Heritage (Decision about Provisional Registration of Gus' Cafe, Civic) Notice 2009" (PDF). Australian Capital Territory Heritage Register (Provisional Registration Details). ACT Legislation Register. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Heritage (Decision about Registration of Cinema Center, City) Notice 2021" (PDF). ACT Heritage Council. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Claire Fenwick (14 February 2023). "Major road closures commence for National Multicultural Festival". Region Canberra. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "EU Village at National Multicultural Festival in Canberra". European Union External Action. Le Service Diplomatique de l'Union européenne. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Sally Pryor (22 February 2022). "The much-loved lighting installation on the corner of Bunda Street in Civic is switching off". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Journey". artsACT. ACT Government. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Su-Lin Tan (15 July 2019). "Cisco Systems moves to Canberra CBD after signing new lease with QIC". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Manhattten Apartments on the Park" (PDF). Australian National Construction Review. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Australian Capital Territory". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (69): 3995. 9 October 1952.
  14. ↑ "Road Works Near Completion" (scan). The Canberra Times. 6 January 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via Trove. The streets on which work is being completed are Bunda Street, adiacent to the Civic Theatre, ...
  15. ↑ "31 New Shop Sites At Civic To Be Offered In March" (scan). The Canberra Times. 17 January 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via Trove. Bunda Street, Petrie Street and Garema Place are new streets and ...
  16. ↑ "Civic Theatre To Have Entrance From Bunda ST" (scan). The Canberra Times. 28 May 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via Trove.
  17. ↑ James Coleman (3 April 2023). "The Canberra Centre was an Australian-first when it opened as the 'Monaro Mall' 60 years ago". Region Canberra. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "HMSS 0173 Monaro Shopping Mall Records". ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection. ACT Government. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Jasper Lindell (17 April 2021). "Enrico Taglietti's Cinema Center on Bunda Street protected by ACT Heritage Council". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 Marg Wade (25 June 2023). "Remembering Gus Petersilka, the man who gave Canberra's café scene its soul". Region Canberra. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Fumes ignite in basement: Man dies in blast at cinema" (scan). The Canberra Times. 11 February 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026 – via Trove.
  22. 1 2 "Inquest told of tests around Center Cinema" (scan). The Canberra Times. 19 August 1977. p. 6. Retrieved 10 June 2026 – via Trove.
  23. ↑ "$1.4m changes to Canberra plan approved" (scan). The Canberra Times. 28 August 1980. p. 7. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via Trove.
  24. ↑ "Center Cinema" (scan). The Canberra Times (Supplement). 2 October 1986. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 10 June 2026 – via Trove.
  25. ↑ "NRL players Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton arrested in Canberra after nightclub incident". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Charlie McLean (1 November 2023). "NRL stars Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell embrace in court as charges of fighting in a public place are dismissed". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Ellen Ransley (6 November 2023). "Charges against Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton dismissed in ACT court". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Stage one of Canberra's Bunda Street shareway opens ahead of Christmas". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  29. ↑ Helen Musa (12 April 2015). "Gang-gangs for Bunda Street". Canberra CityNews. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
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