Melbourne, Australia's Chinatown is located within the Melbourne city centre and is centred at the eastern end of Little Bourke St. It extends between the corners of Swanston and Spring Streets. It is notable for being the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World and one of the oldest Chinatowns in the Southern Hemisphere.Since its inception in 1854 and the arrival of Chinese immigrants to Melbourne, the city Chinatown has played an important role in establishing the history and culture of the ethnic Chinese immigrants in Australia. An increasing interest in an ethnic variety of food and culture peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinatown fuelled the growth of many restaurants, cafes, businesses and places of worship. Today, Melbourne's Chinatown is a major tourist attraction.