Apple to Open New Flagship Store in Melbourne, Australia

Apple is planning to open a new flagship retail location in Melbourne, Australia, at Federation Square, a shopping center, public square, and mixed-use space located in the heart of the city.

The Federation Square website says the new location will be an "Apple Global Flagship Store" that will open up in 2020. It will be Apple's most significant store in the Southern Hemisphere, with workshops, classes, and live music events.

federationsquare1
Apple's Melbourne store will create 500 square meters of new public space, connecting Federation Square with the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr. Apple will construct a new building to replace an existing Yarra building, and based on renderings shared by Federation Square, the store will have multiple levels with glass walls and a viewing deck that overlooks the Yarra River.

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts told The Australian that the store will feature a "bespoke design concept" and "extensive landscaping."

"Apple Federation Square respects the original vision for the plaza, with a bespoke design concept and extensive landscaping bringing increased opportunities for the community to enjoy this renowned cultural hub."

"We're thrilled to move forward in the planning process for our new home in Melbourne's Federation Square and would be honoured to call the world-class galleries and museums of Melbourne our neighbours," Ms Ahrendts said.

Construction on the new store, which will "enhance Federation Square's world renowned architecture," will start in mid-2019.

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Crease-Free iPhone Fold on Track for 2026 Launch as Development Advances

Monday November 24, 2025 10:25 am PST by
Apple is making progress on the development of the book-style foldable iPhone expected in 2026, according to a report from Chinese site UDN. The device has reportedly entered the engineering validation stage, and Apple is gearing up for mass production. Citing supply chain sources, UDN says that Apple has solved "the crease problem" that has plagued most foldable smartphones, and the...

Top Rated Comments

Tea-Aholic Avatar
104 months ago
Pffft Melbourne. Always trying to one up SYDNEY
Salty much?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ErikGrim Avatar
104 months ago
Ugh rather shoot myself than that store/public area. It looks overcrowded and too hot.
Don’t worry. In five minutes it will be storming and 7º.
[doublepost=1513742607][/doublepost]
Unfortunately this will be replacing the Yarra Building which houses the Koorie Heritage Trust - a building that promotes and exhibits Aboriginal culture of South-Eastern Australia. I'm a Apple fan, but this sucks.
They had already outgrown the space and were already moving to a larger and more accessible space in the Alfred Deakin building within the square.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peeetski Avatar
104 months ago

MyMac across the street will have some serious thinking to do. At least they 2 years notice...
They might have to become friendly and helpful :eek:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smacrumon Avatar
104 months ago
They will just relocate! I think Apple paid very well for the building!
[doublepost=1513784063][/doublepost]

Because theres people there. And its a store that will add to the landscaping
The new Apple store adds nothing to Federation Square in Melbourne. In fact, many would argue, this Apple store would completely degrade the area entirely.

The Yarra Building at Federation Square houses the Koorie Heritage Trust which provides a unique range of programs and services to promote, support and celebrate the indigenous Aboriginal culture of South-Eastern Australia.

The location is completely wrong. It's a public cultural space, not a commercial multinational retail space. Whether or not Apple payed for it is irrelevant. In fact, Apple won't disclose the arrangement of the transaction.

Apple can not just come along and demolish a publicly funded building in a public area. There has ben ZERO consolation according to the reports.

Its seems the people there are ready to fight this and stop the current building being demolished and stop Apple constructing the new building in that area.
[doublepost=1513785708][/doublepost]
Melbourne is what Sydney used to be.
I've visited both cities and both are actually equally really nice in their own unique way, they are quite different in my opinion. I know the Federation Square area well, and an Apple store there would really rubbish the area completely. The space is not retail or corporate, it's a public community space. Someone at Apple has not done due diligence on the area when planning this.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BlueParadox Avatar
104 months ago
Pffft Melbourne. Always trying to one up SYDNEY
Not at all. But by all means, keep telling yourself that ;)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sparkie7 Avatar
104 months ago
Great, means I don't have to travel all the way to chaddy or Doncaster to check out the latest apple bling
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)