Thank You
Thank you for taking a moment to look a little deeper.
Every photograph on display has its own story. Some were carefully planned and patiently waited for, while others appeared unexpectedly and lasted only a fleeting moment. Together they represent places that moved me, moments that caught my eye, and pieces of Melbourne and beyond that I felt were worth sharing.
Rather than simply displaying the finished photograph, I wanted to share the story behind it. I hope that by reading these stories you'll experience each image a little differently, just as I experienced the moment when I created it.
Thank you for coming on the journey with me.
— David Pleydell
Melbourne in Silence
Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne
The Story
When Melbourne went into lockdown for the first time, I couldn't stop thinking about one photograph.
Not just empty streets...
...streets that whispered something was missing.
People.
Almost immediately I began planning a series of photographs to document Melbourne during one of the most extraordinary periods in our city's history. Of all the images I imagined, Bourke Street Mall was the one I kept coming back to.
As an essential worker, I continued working throughout Melbourne's lockdowns. From the first days of restrictions, I found myself checking the weather forecast each day, waiting for the right combination of conditions. I wasn't simply looking for an empty city—I was waiting for overnight rain to leave reflections across the streets and for the soft light before sunrise to create the mood I'd been imagining.
Finally, the forecast showed exactly what I'd been waiting for: overnight rain into the early hours of Sunday morning. This was my chance. Being a Sunday, there was an even better chance of finding the city at its quietest, giving me the best opportunity to create the photograph I'd been visualising for weeks.
Long before sunrise I was already driving into Melbourne with a list of locations I'd carefully planned. Bourke Street Mall was always at the top of that list, but experience has taught me that you can't force a photograph. When I arrived, I knew the conditions weren't quite right, so I continued on to photograph Hosier Lane, Russell Street Mall, Flinders Street Station and Collins Street. All the while I kept a close eye on the changing light, knowing that when the moment felt right, I'd return to Bourke Street Mall.
Walking through the city that morning was unlike anything I'd ever experienced.
Empty.
Yes, there were one or two people here and there, but there should have been hundreds... even on a Sunday morning. One thing that has always stayed with me was seeing trams still running, completely empty. Melbourne was still functioning, but it felt like its heartbeat had slowed.
Returning to Bourke Street Mall, I stood on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets.
No crowds.
No street performers.
No movement.
The city was still breathing, but it felt strangely silent.
I walked a little further along Bourke Street until the composition felt right, using the intersection in the foreground to lead the eye into the empty mall beyond.
The photograph I'd carried in my mind for weeks was finally in front of me.
This is the image you are looking at.
People often talk about lucky photographs.
For me, this wasn't one of them.
This image began as an idea during the very first days of lockdown. It took weeks of watching weather forecasts, planning locations, waiting for the right conditions, and getting up long before sunrise. Everything simply came together for a brief moment.
When I look at this photograph today, I don't simply see an empty Bourke Street Mall.
I remember the planning.
The waiting.
The strange silence that morning.
More than anything, I see a moment in Melbourne's history that I hope is never repeated.
Thank you for taking the time not only to look at this photograph, but also to read the story behind it.
Thank you for helping keep that moment alive.