Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
house the millions of pounds worth of loot that came from the Victorian goldfields and
now feature multimedia displays telling stories from the gold rush. Also downstairs is the
charmingly redolent reconstruction of the 1920s caretaker's residence, which beautifully
reveals what life in Melbourne was like in the early part of last century.
The adjacent
Treasury Gardens
, to the south of the the building, contain the
John F Kennedy
Memorial
.
Parliament House
HISTORIC BUILDING
( 03-9651 8568;
www.parliament.vic.gov.au
;
Spring St; tours 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm &
3.45pm Mon-Fri; City Circle, 86, 96, Parliament)
The grand steps of Victoria's parliament (c
1856) are often dotted with slow-moving, tulle-wearing brides smiling for the camera, or
placard-holding protesters doing the same. The only way to visit inside is on a tour, where
you'll see exuberant use of ornamental plasterwork, stencilling and gilt full of gold-rush-
era pride and optimism. Building began with the two main chambers: the lower house
(now the legislative assembly) and the upper house (now the legislative council).
The library was added in 1860 and Queen's Hall in 1879. Australia's first federal parlia-
ment sat here from 1901, before moving to Canberra in 1927. Though they've never been
used, gun slits are visible just below the roof, and a dungeon is now the cleaners' tearoom.
Free tours, held when parliament is in recess, take you through both houses and the lib-
rary. Fascinating design features and the symbolism underlying much of the ornamenta-
tion are illuminated by the knowledgeable guides. Ask about the mystery of the stolen ce-
remonial mace that disappeared from the lower house in 1891 - it's rumoured to have
ended up in a brothel. Express 20-minute tours run on Monday to Friday at 1pm and 4pm,
and architectural tours once a month. Booking is essential.
Chinatown
NEIGHBOURHOOD
(Little Bourke St, btwn Spring & Swanston Sts; 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67, 72)
Chinese miners arrived in
search of the 'new gold mountain' in the 1850s and settled in this strip of Little Bourke St,
03-9662 2888;
www.chinesemuseum.com.au
;
22 Cohen Pl; adult/child $8/6; 10am-5pm)
here does a won-
derful job of putting it into context with five floors of displays, including artefacts from
the gold-rush era, dealings under the xenophobic White Australia policy, and the stunning
