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Published: January 16th 2007
Victoria State Library
In years past, people were not allowed to be on the grass but now this is a nice place to kick back and enjoy the day for many.I'm really sorry that it has taken me soo long to post another blog. I keep wanting to sit down and write about all the things I'm doing but can never seem to find a good chunk of time to get it done. I've made quite a few friends in Melbourne during my extended stay here and they are always asking me to go somewhere to which I can never say no as most of you know that I'm a social butterfly of a sort. Anyways, hopefully in the next week I can fully catch up since I've finally set a date to leave Melboune and head to Tasmania and I don't want to stay behind the 8 ball for the whole trip!! So hopefully you can expect a few blogs in the days to come.
Victoria State Library
The Victoria State Library was first opened in Feb. 1856, when Melbourne was only 20 years old and still mainly a frontier settlement. As the collection of books increased, the original building was expanded and the amazing domed reading room (now know as the La Trobe Reading Room) was constructed in 1913 and in 1951 a new wing was
La Trobe Reading Room
If the Waterloo Library had a reading room like this, I just might have done some school work!
The seating pinwheels out from the center of the room where there is a seat for the "Shush" person who kept the noise down since sounds echo throughout the room fairly easily. added to the library. When entering the new wing, you can still see the original buildings outside wall which was incorporated into the foyer.
The library contains many exibitions from some of the first printed books from the early 1400's to Ned Kelly who was Australias most notorious bushranger or outlaw. They have hit armor on display as well as pictures from the day he was captured and even a bust of his head when he was hanged. His armor was made from part of a plow which must have weighed quite a bit but made him bulletproof...the cops shot him in the legs to get him down and arrest him in the end. There was also a room with some of the ealry paintings from Victoria and a temporary exhibition on comic books. The library is also one of the only places where you can find free internet in the city.
City Museaum & Old Treasury Building
The Old Treasury Building is regarded as one of teh finest public buildings in Australia and was built during the 1850's gold rush which brought great weath to the area and allowed the city to develop quite
Old Treasury Building
Built during the gold rush to handle the overflow from the banks. rapidly. The building was designed by JJ Clark who was only 19 at the time! Kind of makes you fell like your life started a little late for all you working professional out there huh! 😊 The treasury was built to handle the overflow of gold from the banks and also provided offices for the leaders of the young colony. The Governor, the Premier, the Treasurer and the Auditor General all had offices within the Old Treasury. The building today is now the Melbourne City Museum, which opened in 2005, but the Old Treasury continues to play a role in the governance of the affairs of state since there are still weekly meetings held in the Executive Council Chamber to sign off legislation.
The exterior of the building is finished in Bacchus Marsh sandstone and the floor above the barrel-vaulted basement is a metre thick. When the Treasurer and his officers moved to the State Government Offices 1878, the building was renamed the ‘Old Treasury’. The building was restored in the early 1990's and still houses the office of the Governor who is the buildings only original tenant.
Within the museum, they have "Making Melbourne" which depicts the
The Vaults
Downstairs in the treasury building was 9 vaults for storing the gold. evolution of the city of Melbourne from being a white settlement in 1835 to present day. Heading down into the vaults, they have various presentations withing the 8 vaults themselves that try and show what life was like for various people who came during the gold rush. Everything from people getting swindled to those doing the swindling. It follows the path of the gold from those who dug it, through the gold buyers, to the escort troopers and sometimes bushrangers until it left the colony bound for the northern hemisphere. the exhibition also shows how the new-found riches shaped Melbourne as a city and allowed for many of the buildings and streets to be made.
They also have a couple rooms down in the vault where Maynard family use to live. John Maynard was the caretaker for the treasury and lived down in the vaults from 1916 to 1928 with his wife and 8 children. For 10 people, there wasn't much space at all down there and probably lived in 3 rooms equivalent to the size of most of your living rooms!
Parliament Building
The Parliament House is one of Melbourne's best known landmarks. The building
Inside the vault
Use to store gold, now has informative narrations. is along the western edge of the CBD and uses its architecture of sweeping steps, eligant lamps and grand colonade are meant to demonstrate solidity and strength. Though the Parliament House appears to be complete, the building was never actually fully constructed from the original plans and was basically done in stages on the fly.
With Victoria's first legislative council, 1851-1856, three decisions were made that influenced the course of conduct of parliament and democracy in Victoria. It drafted a constitution, introduced a secret ballot and began construction of the Parliament House. The last proved to be quite difficult since a proper site could not be agreed upon and ended up taking 3 years to resolve. In order to determine the architecture of the building, a design competition was held in 1853 between Peter Kerr and John George Knight who were both architects in the same office under Charles Pasley. Both entries were judged to be inadequate and in the end went with an ordinary design done by Pasley. Kerr was then charged with adapting and improving the design, which he did on and off for the next 40 years, while Knight managed the actual site construction. This ended
Parliament Building
Home of the Victoria State parliament. In the center was originally planned a tower which was later changed to a 20 story dome but neither was built due to lack of funds. up producing one of the most dramatic nineteenth century building in Melbourne and was constructed in stages.
While Kerr was still working on the drawings for the building, work began on constructing the legislative chambers. In 1856, after only 10 months, the Legislative Council (Upper House) and Legislative Assembly (Lower House) were sufficiently complete to allow for Parliament to meet there. Given what kind of building practices they had back then, 10 months is quite extraordinary! To the colonial Victorians of that era, the chambers would have looked like two free standing, bluestone buildings, which were unconnected and rising three stories high on the highest point of Melbourne. Inside they were equally impressive since everything was accentuated with gold leaf since this was built right in the gold rush. The Upper House contains burgundy and the Lower a forest green carpet which is to duplicate the Westminster colours since they were a British colony and modeled their system off of the British one too.
In 1858, as soon as work on the Chambers was completed fully, work began on the library which forms the eastern wing of the building. Work was completed in 1860 and made the Parliament
Queen's Hall
This room is between the lower and upper houses and contains portraits of all the Prime Ministers no longer in office. building into a "U" shape. Once the library was complete, people were able to get an idea what the actualy theme of the outside of the building would be but no further construction on the Parliament Building took place for another 18 years while Knight severed his contract and Kerr went on to design other buildings around Melbourne.
In 1876, a Parliament Select Committee recommended that work recommence on the Parliament House, that Kerr be appointed the architect in charge, and that the design be altered from a prjected tower to a large dome. In 1877-1879 the Grand Hall and Vestibule was built to fill in the space between the Chambers and the Library. The Hall was later renamed the Queen's Hall in 1887 after Queen Victoria. Queen's Hall was used for parliamentary receptions and baquets while the Vestibule gave the building a formal entry.
The fourth stage of construction was the most controversial which was to include the completion of the western facade of the building which faces the CBD as well as a 20 storey dome that would sit upon the vestibule. They had issues with the quality of stone used on the building, but were
Lower House
This is the green room where the lower house sits. I'm on the minority side. eventually approved in 1882 but it delayed the work. The next issue they faced was the altered economic situation since the gold rush has died down and this caused the contract for finishing the dome to be cancelled. The west facade and Colonnade were completed in 1888.
From 1888-92, various additions were made to the building by adding the entrance steps, lamps and the landscaping surrounding the building. In 1893 the North Wing was partially completed but given its situation on the hill, it is more of a basement level. This is how the building remain, unfinished, though during WW1, the current Prime Minister Billy Hughes (Federal Parliament occupied the House from 1901-1927) erected a tin and wood hut on top of the north wing in order to have quarters where the press couldn't find him. Once the Federal Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927, they left 50,000 pounds sterling as a gift to the Parliament of Victoria as a thank you gesture for its stay to which they built the north-east corner of the building as refreshment rooms and was the last major construction work to be done on the Parliament House.
The Royal Exhibition
Parliament Library
The library is two levels and has a nice crystal chandelier hanging in the center. The Royal Exhibition was designed by the architect Joseph Reed (who also designed the Melbourne Town Hall and the State Library of Victoria). The building consisted of a Great Hall of over 12,000 square metres and many temporary annexes. The landmark dome is believed to be inspired by the Florence Cathedral.
The Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens was completed in 1880 for Melbourne's first International Exhibition. The city was still basking in the wealth obtained from the gold rush and figured that it would be a great way to show the colony's achievements and opportunities. The cultural, industrial and technological achievements of more than 30 nations were displayed to those looking for information and new ideas. The diverse range of exhibits included steam locomotives, fine china, silks and woollen textiles, lawn mowers, sewing machines, precious jewellery, paintings and statues, and decorative pottery. The International Exhibition was a huge success. Over eight months, more than one million people visited the eight hectares of exhibitions.
In 1888 the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition was held to promote the centenary of European settlement in Australia. This exhibition was officially opened for six months and the attendance was just over two million, nearly
Room with a View
This is the view from the Parliament library. That is St. Patrick's Church in the background. double the population of Melbourne at the time. It still qualifies as the biggest event ever held in Melbourne, surpassing the 1956 Olympic Games.
Since then the building has hosted a wide variety of local, national and international events, including trade exhibitions, conventions, concerts and performances, sporting fixtures, lectures, demonstrations and a range of important civic events. The most important of these was the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament of Australia on 9 May 1901, by the Duke of Cornwall and York, the heir to the throne. More than 10 000 guests were present, including politicians, naval and military officers, judges, consuls, mayors and clergy. There were two paintings commissioned to capture the event and you can find copies of them in a few of the buildings around town, though the original of one is hanging in the Royal Exhibition still and no idea where the other is located. One of the artists was colour blind but very good at portraits and there are over 300 recognizable people in the black and white painting of his including himself in one of the front rows as well as those who paid there way into history and no actually at
Upper House
The red room is where the upper house sits. A little more ornate then the lower house since use to be only those of stature that could get a seat here. Hard to see but behind the speakers chair is another more elaborate one which is reserved for the Governor General or Royalty if they are present. The speakers chair is removed in these cases. the event. After the official opening, the federal government moved to the Victorian State Parliament House, while the Victorian government moved to the Exhibition Building for the next 26 years. The building was again the location for a special sitting of Parliament during the 2001 Centenary of Federation celebrations.
The period after this time saw the building used for many purposes. As it decayed, it became known derogatively by locals as the White Elephant in the 1940s and by the 1950s, like many buildings in Melbourne of that time, it was marked for replacement by office blocks. The wings of the building which once housed Melbourne's aquarium and grand ballroom were progressively demolished, leaving the main structure in place along with annexes constructed in the 1960s/70s. Following the demolition of the grand ballroom in 1979 there was a public outcry which prevented the main building also from being demolished.
In 1984 when the Queen Elizabeth II visited Victoria granted the title 'Royal' to the Exhibition Building. This sparked a restoration of the interiors of the building in the late 1985, and the construction of a mirror glass annexe (which was later demolished).
In 2004, the Royal Exhibition
Roof of Upper House
Everything is with 23 carot gold leaf. The angels all around the room are in different positions representing peace, justice, liberty, etc. Building along with the surrounding Carlton Gardens was granted listing as a World Heritage Site, the first building in Australia to be granted this status. The heritage listing says that The Royal Exhibition Building is the only major extant nineteenth century exhibition building in Australia. It is one of the few major nineteenth century exhibition buildings to survive worldwide. Most of the other palaces of industry that were built in that time were never meant to be permanent structures so were taken down afterwards or in the case of the one in Sydney, burned down.
Hotel Windsor
Built in 1883, the Hotel Windsor is a grand hotel in Melbourne, Australia, and bills itself as "Australia’s only remaining grand hotel." Designed by Charles Webb in the Second Empire style, it was originally named The Grand Hotel. A few years after its construction, the Grand was purchased by the temperance movement leader James Munro, who burnt the liquor licence in public and operated it as a coffee palace, renamed it "The Grand Coffee Palace". The present name dates from the 1920s, and honours the surname which the British Royal Family adopted during the First World War.
Royal Exhibition Place
The only surviving Palace of Industry left in the world. All others were only meant to be temporary or were destroyed. Cook's Cottage
Captain Cooks' Cottage is located in the Fitzroy Gardens, which is yet another large green space located in the cities downtown area. The cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, by the parents of Captain James Cook, James and Grace Cook. It is a point of conjecture among historians whether James Cook, the famous navigator, ever lived in the house, but they can be almost certain that he visited his parents at the house.
In 1933 the owner of the cottage decided to sell it with a condition of sale that the building remain in England. She didn't want the building being moved to United States but was persuaded to change "England" to "the Empire", and accepted an Australian bid of £800, by Russell Grimwade as opposed to the highest local offer of £300. The cottage was deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels, for shipping onboard the Port Dunedin from Hull. Cuttings from ivy that adorned the house were also taken and planted when the house was re-erected in Melbourne. Grimwade, a notable businessman and philanthropist, donated the house to the people of Victoria
Dome in the Royal Exhibition
The enitire dome is decorated with various themes from seasons to different gods and goddeses. for the centenary anniversary of the settlement of Melbourne in October 1934.
The cottage immediately became a popular tourist attraction. In 1978 further restoration work was carried out on the cottage. An English cottage garden has been established around the house, further adding to its period reconstruction. Very few of the items in the house are from the Cook family, but all are representative furnishings from the period.
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Claudius Maximus
non-member comment
Melbourne part 2
Hi Travelus to the Maximus, Nice to hear from you and see sights of a beautiful city. I'm writing to you today thinking of you probably basking in the sunshine and warm weather while it was minus 26 celcius here last night. Temperature sounds rather Roman too!!! I drove Rob to the airport today at 4 a.m. - he's gone to Hawaii for 2 weeks. Why not me? !!! ... I'm tired now and going to bed to catch up on the sleep I missed. I hope you keep enjoying your adventures and recording all your experiences in you memory. I'm glad for you. Scout salute to you, Claudius Maximus