Tour of the Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade
Member Tour
While in 2026 you might find yourself at the Exhibition Building to sit an exam, browse an exhibition, or wander through a bustling design market, the member tour on Sunday February 1 offered a unique and memorable glimpse into the building’s rich past and vibrant present.
Thirty members of Geography Victoria and The Royal Society of Victoria were totally engaged for a fascinating hour of stories and historical insights as we explored the Royal Exhibition Building with expert guides Gabriel and Heather from the Melbourne Museum team.
The tour commences in the building’s basement, where participants learnt about the site’s remarkable history ... including its narrow, one vote escape from demolition to make way for a car park! From there we then moved to street level, pausing to admire the soaring ceilings and magnificent murals in the main hall which are currently undergoing painstaking restoration.
Ascending to the balcony beneath the dome we were rewarded with sweeping views from the Dandenong Ranges to Mount Macedon. The outlook towards the south beyond the gardens is now a myriad of CBD high-rise buildings, a striking contrast to the uninterrupted sweep of Port Phillip Bay that would have stretched across the horizon in 1880 when the building hosted its first international exhibition, and again in 1901 for the first sitting of the Federal Parliament. Each site revealed layers of history and transformation, inviting us to picture the city as it once was and to reflect on how profoundly it has changed.
Our tour concluded with a delightful afternoon tea at The Royal Society of Victoria. The setting felt especially fitting as the building was designed by Joseph Reed, the same visionary architect responsible for the Exhibition Building - Australia’s first UNESCO World Heritage listed site (2004). It was a very enjoyable way to finish a day immersed in history, architecture and the evolving story of Melbourne.
