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All Australia Melbourne Raising the Rattler Pole

Raising the Rattler Pole

Not the result of an accident, hurricane, or aliens, this is an eye-popping tribute to the Melbourne tram.

Melbourne, Australia

Added By
James T. Bartlett
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Weighs 6 tons and is 26 feet high.   Bidgee
Weighs 6 tons and is 26 feet high.   Bidgee
Art tribute to the Melbourne tram.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
Constructed of wood, polystyrene and polymer.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
W-class Melbourne tram.   Dysprosia
Raising the Rattler Pole   Bidgee
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Just outside the hotel at the corner of Flinders Street and Spencer Street is a 6-ton, 26-foot tram that appears to be flipped on its side, its rear sticking straight up toward the sky. No accident occurred here, however. Rather, this sculpture is an ode to Melbourne's last W-class "rattler" tram.

The installation, by artist David Bell,  is titled "Raising the Rattler Pole—The Last of the Connie's." It is painted black, rather than the familiar yellow and white trams you’ll see today, though the windows seem to eerily light up at night.

Melbourne has a long association with trams and railways. The city's Flinders Street Station was the first in all Australia, built in 1910, and the city is home to the only teams that play trugo, a bizarre backwards mallet-and-ring game invented by railway workers in the 1920s.

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Sculptures Art Trains Transportation Statues

Know Before You Go

Melbourne has an extensive tram network, and the vintage red No. 35s that circle the CBD are free to ride.

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jbartlett2000

Edited By

mattpeterturner, Meg, Collector of Experiences

  • mattpeterturner
  • Meg
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

May 23, 2018

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Raising the Rattler Pole
11 State Route 50
163 Spring St
Melbourne, 3004
Australia
-37.820935, 144.954794
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Photo of Melbourne

Melbourne

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Places 54
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Polly Woodside

South Wharf, Australia

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Melbourne, Australia

miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Melbourne

Melbourne

Australia

Places 54
Stories 4

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