The Chinatown of Melbourne lies within the Melbourne Central Business District and centers on the eastern end of Little Bourke Street . It extends between the corners of Swanston and Exhibition Streets . Melbourne 's Chinatown originated during the Victorian gold rush in 1851 , and is notable as the oldest Chinatown in Australia . It has also been claimed to be the longest continuously running Chinese community outside of Asia , but only because the 1906 San Francisco earthquake all but destroyed the Chinatown in San Francisco in California
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Chinatown