Spencer Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is named for John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer, Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Spencer Street was the site of the first permanent buildings in the settlement now called Melbourne. The home of John Batman was built on nearby Batman's Hill where he lived until his death and the early camps of Captain William Lonsdale and Charles La Trobe were located along the street. Important buildings on Spencer Street include Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station), the offices of The Age newspaper, the former Mail Exchange, Grand Hotel (former Victorian Railways administration offices), the former Sir Charles Hotham Hotel and the HM Melbourne Assessment Prison. For many years, Spencer Street was also the location of Melbourne's General Post Office.