Concepts for a Bourke Street Mall were drawn up as early as 1964 by Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg[4] however the ambitious multi-platform design which separated cars from pedestrians was never realised. Plans were eventually scaled down with pedestrians sharing space with a grade level tramline. Vehicular traffic was removed from the section on 13 February 1978. The pedestrian mall was officially opened in 1983 by Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.
The mall received a major facelift in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and elevated tram super-stops were later installed.