This 1980 Ad For Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall Is Amazing
If you visit Melbourne’s CBD today, especially during the lunch break rush hour, you’d struggle to understand how the packed Bourke St Mall would ever require more foot traffic. Thirty-years-ago, however, was a pretty different time. Time Out Melbourne have unearthed a 1980 TV ad to spruik Bourke St Mall, back when it was called ‘The Walk’ and seemed to be populated by a bunch of people with perms dancing incessantly to disco lite.
The concept of ‘The Walk’ is faithfully illustrated by many close-up shots of legs doing things (walking, dancing, stepping out of cars, literally spelling out the words ‘The Walk’) as a dapper voiceover touts the “international shopping scene” with a “touch of Paris” a “flavour of Italy” and a pretty un-PC reference to “a flash of the Orient”.
In there, you’ll also spy the familiar logos of Myer, Sussan, Portmans and Just Jeans.
Bonus points for managing to include an iconic Melbourne tram shot within the first three seconds, too. Nice to see that even in 36 years, some things never change.
(h/t: Time Out Melbourne)
