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Melbourne Open House

A free open day in some of the city's more significant buildings. They are all within walking distance and provide a fascinating glimpse into Melbourne's past and present.

Planning public open days can be a bit of a nightmare. It might be OK to take a small group of invited guests into some ‘private’ areas, but for a public open day you need to deal with insurance, the danger of graffiti on irreplaceable surfaces, disability access (or obtaining legal dispensation for not providing it) and a host of other issues. It is not surprising then that the list of venues for Melbourne Open House has been changing with some deleted and some added.

Some of the buildings are commonly open to the public and so in that case the Open House is more of a rebadging. Others are not normally open so here are our recommendations in order, not of importance but of rarely presented opportunities:

1. Manchester Unity Boardroom – this is a rare opportunity to view this Melbourne Art Deco boardroom with its custom-made furniture. We discuss its significance in the Melbourne’s Hidden Gems in our article at The White Hat Guide to the Manchester Unity Building.
2. St Paul’s Cathedral – On most days you can wander around the Cathedral yourself (provided there is not a service in progress) so you may want to leave a more leisurely visit to a later date. However the Bell Tower and Bridge Gallery over the Nave and Main Church will be open to small groups over people over 12 years of age. Be warned, this involves steep climbs and some scary heights so it is not for the faint hearted. It also involves a ladder so we would warn ladies not to wear a short skirt, unless of course you are looking to make new friends. These spaces are rarely open to the public so take this opportunity while you can. I would expect long queues for this one. Because it does not open until 12.30 you may want to visit the Chapter House first (see below).
3. Chapter House at St Paul’s Cathedral. Those involved with ceremonies or concerts at St Paul’s may be familiar with the panelled wood and old world atmosphere of the Chapter House. However, the general public rarely get to see this tranquil space in the centre of the city.
4. Council House 2 (CH2). For those who have not taken the opportunity of the open days and guided tours we have told you about in the past this is an opportunity to examine some best-practice implementations of environmentally sustainable design.
5. Plaza Ballroom. Those in the corporate world are probably familiar with this space from business breakfasts and conferences. In fact some of you possibly heard me as the speaker at such an event recently and therefore know what White Hat looks like. If you haven’t had an opportunity to see the ballroom, now restored to its wonderful ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ architectural style, then Melbourne Open Day presents a good opportunity.
6. The Capitol Theatre of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin is one of Melbourne’s more important buildings. We only put it further down the list because regular small group tours are available on most weeks.
7. Nicholas Building – built for the Aspro king is well worth a visit. However much of the character of this building is tied up with its tenants. I don’t know whether any of the (often Bohemian) artists’ studios will be open to the public. If not, try returning for the open studio days which occur about twice a year. You can find details of the next one at The White Hat Guide to the Nicholas Building.
8. Melbourne Town Hall – Again, regular small group tours are available each week so we suggest you give higher priority to the places that are rarely open.
9. The Labyrinth at Federation Square – It is good to know it is there and how and why it works. However it is included in the regular daily tours of Fed Square so you may wish to visit on another day.

Free
10am to 5pm, Sunday 20 July 2008

Our rating: Five Hats

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