Inside some of Melbourne’s finest buildings

Melbourne’s old treasury building was located within the last free section of the innercity tram route. For those interested in early European settlement and the gold rush era, the main floor contained rooms dedicated to this portion of Victoria’s past.

The length of the old treasure building basement tells just how many vaults there once were

I zigzagged through these rooms at top speed, more interested in the internal architecture of this massive 19^thcentury building. Also, rooms were packed with students bombarded with historical information. The most interesting part was the basement. The building was originally constructed to store the gold pouring into Melbourne from the gold fields of Ballarat and Bendigo. The size and number of vaults was testimony to the tonnes of gold that was discovered in the interior of Victoria.

Regent Theatre foyer

On another downtown visit, I tried to enter the Regent Theatre, but that day, the building was closed and I could only peek into the foyer through the glass doors. It was originally built in 1929 but destroyed by fire in 1945. Two years later, the theatre was restored and still stands today. Perhaps on my next visit to Melbourne, I’ll try again.

The State Library’s enticing steps

Another impressive building was Melbourne’s State Library though from the outside it didn’t stand out. I climbed the stone steps hoping I’d have luck tracing some family history and entered a huge room with a striking ceiling. (featured image) Books lined both sides of the large room and again on the open upper level. Another room to the left was where family history manuscripts were stored that I was eager to explore. Behind the main room was another where paintings lined the walls and librarians were stationed to help with queries. On the second level was a set of spiral stairs that wound up into the ceiling. They beckoned, but a wrought iron gate told the would-be explorer that no one was permitted to climb past the bottom step. Anyway, I had a lot of material to wade through in an early 1900s referendum, searching for names.

Royal Exhibition Building

I visited Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building over ten years ago and because I remembered the stunning interior, wanted to revisit the domed building. When I arrived, the building was closed in preparation for an upcoming event—but perhaps next visit.

Baldwin Spencer building, Melbourne University

Lastly, Melbourne University is ranked as the best in Australia. Just north on the outskirts of the city centre was a mixture of modern and old buildings, but it’s not Melbourne’s only university. This university was founded in 1853 and had the only operating computer in Australia when it was launched between 1956 and 1964. Before Covid, nearly 50 000 students attended the university, many coming from over 130 different countries. When I explored the site, it was clear from the multicultural atmosphere, that it would be an exciting place to study.

Botany building, Melbourne University