Melbourne tram route 72
Melbourne tram route 72 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Melbourne University to Camberwell. The 16.8 kilometre route is operated by Z and D class trams from Malvern depot.
History
Route 72 was first allocated to the line between Camberwell and the City on 1 November 1970. Prior to that, the line to Camberwell was serviced by Route 7. The change was at first due to operations of the Camberwell line being shifted from Malvern Depot to Camberwell Depot. Even though the route was subsequently returned to Malvern in 1979, the number 72 was kept. Before 1970, Route 72 was a short-working of the Wattle Park line, for trams that terminated at Riversdale instead of Wattle Park. Trams traditionally terminated at the Victoria St terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry St crossover. Due to congestion during peak hours at the crossover, some trams continued north to Melbourne University. Finally on 17 January 1996, a permanent shunt was built at Melbourne University. From then on, Route 72 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University.The origins of route 72 lie in separate tram lines. The section of track between Queensberry Street and Commercial Road is the oldest section of this route, dating back to the Brighton Road cable tram which opened on 11 October 1888 by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company. This cable tram line was electrified in stages by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board. The section between Domain Interchange and Commercial Road was electrified on 27 December 1925. The section between Queensberry Street and City Road was electrified on the same day. The line between City Road and Domain Interchange was electrified on 24 January 1926. The Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust constructed the Malvern Road line between St Kilda Road and Gardiner on 8 April 1915. This line was extended to Camberwell Railway Station on 6 December 1917, and then to Cotham Road on 7 March 1918.
In response to the State Government's Melbourne 2030 planning policy, the Public Transport Users Association lobbied to extend route 72 north to Doncaster Road and Ivanhoe station, and south to Caulfield.
| Dates | Route | Notes |
| 9 December 1934 - 31 October 1970 | Riversdale to City | |
| 1 November 1970 - 14 April 1991 | Camberwell to City | via Malvern/Burke Roads |
| 15 April 1991 - 16 January 1996 | Camberwell to City | via Malvern/Burke Roads |
| 17 January 1996 - onwards | Camberwell to Melbourne University | via Malvern/Burke Roads |