Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
old-money Melbourne. With dozens of rooms, Rippon Lea House was built by
socialite Sir Frederick Thomas Sargood between 1868 and 1903; a pool and
ballroom were added in the 1930s. Though the Romanesque architecture is
interesting (note the stained glass and polychrome brickwork), the real attrac-
tion is the surrounding 5.3 hectares (13 acres) of landscaped gardens, which
include a conservatory, a lake, a lookout tower, an orchard, and extensive flower
beds and shrubbery. If you're here on a weekend, a public holiday, or during
school vacations, you might like to drop into the tearoom, which is open from
11am to 4pm. Allow 2 hours.
192 Hotham St., Elsternwick. & 03/9523 6095. Admission A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$5 (US$3.25) children
5-16, A$20 (US$13) families. Daily 10am-5pm (house closes at 4:45pm). Daily guided tours of house every
half-hour 10:30am-4pm and tour of estate at 2pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Tram: 67 to
Stop 40, then walk up Hotham St. Bus: 216/219 from Bourke and Queen sts. in the city to Stop 4. Train:
Sandringham Line from Flinders St. Station to Rippon Lea Station.
St. Patrick's Cathedral Though lacking the intricacy of design of St. Paul's,
the Roman Catholic St. Patrick's is another interesting Gothic Revival construc-
tion with exceptional stained-glass windows. Built between 1858 and 1940
(consecrated in 1897), St. Patrick's was closely associated with immigrants from
Ireland escaping the mid-19th-century potato famine. In the courtyard out front
is a statue of the Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell. Allow 15 minutes.
Cathedral Place. & 03/9662 2233. Mon-Fri 6:30am-6pm; Sat-Sun 7:15am-7:30pm.
St. Paul's Cathedral Built from 1880 to 1892 from the designs of William
Butterfield, a famous English Gothic revival architect, the Anglican St. Paul's
Cathedral is noteworthy for its highly-decorative interior and the English organ
built by T. S Lewis. Step inside to see gold mosaics on walls, Victorian tessellated
tiles on the floors, intricate woodcarvings, and stained-glass windows. The
cathedral sports the second highest spire (at 98m/321 ft.) in the Anglican Com-
munion. A boy's choir sings at 5:10pm Monday through Friday during school
times, and twice on Sunday at 10:30am and 6pm. Outside is a statue of
Matthew Flinders, the first sailor to navigate the Australian mainland between
1801 and 1803. Allow 15 minutes.
Flinders and Swanston sts. & 03/9650 3791. Daily 7:30am-6pm. Services: Sun 8, 9, and 10.30am; Eucharist
6pm. Choral evensong Mon-Fri 7:45am, and 12:15 and 5:10pm. Cathedral shop open 10am-4pm daily.
State Houses of Parliament Now the home of the Victorian Parliament,
this imposing monument to Victorian (as in Queen Victoria) architecture at
the top of a run of sandstone steps was built in 1856. Between the time of the
Australian Federation (1900-27), it was used as the National Parliament. When
the State Government is in session—generally on Tuesday afternoon and all day
Wednesday and Thursday between March and July, and again between August
and November—you can view the proceedings from the public gallery. How-
ever, you should ring ahead and check as sitting times do vary. During non-sitting
times both the extremely opulent Upper House and the less ornate Lower House
chambers are open to the public. Allow 30 minutes.
Spring St. & 03/9651 8568 or 03/9651 8569. www.parliament.vic.gov.au. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. Free guided
tours 10 and 11am, noon, and 2, 3, and 3:45pm on weekdays when parliament is not in session. Reserva-
tions recommended.
PARKS & GARDENS
Birrarung Marr, along the Yarra River and east of Federation Square on Batman
Avenue ( & 03/9658 9658; www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/parks), is Melbourne's
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