Melbourne postcard featuring the famous dome of the Royal Exhibition Building, 1906.
Source: Museum Victoria
On 1 July 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building became the first building in Australia to receive World Heritage status. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the listing, the Royal Exhibition Building website has been updated with detailed information and historic images.
The Royal Exhibition Building has been one of Melbourne’s most identifiable, iconic landmarks for nearly 130 years. Built in 1879, it is the oldest surviving Great Hall from the International Exhibition era that is still used for exhibition events. While UNESCO has recognised a number of important natural and cultural sites in Australia, the only other Australian building on the register is the Sydney Opera House, which was listed in 2007.
The updated image galleries on the Royal Exhibition Building website include pictures from the building’s youth and early prominence, its period of neglect and disrepair in the mid-20th century and its magnificent restoration in recent decades. A series of charming postcards from the 1880s to the 1930s illustrate its popularity with locals and visitors alike.
Museum Victoria holds a large collection of objects, images and records associated with the building once known as Melbourne’s ‘white elephant’. The collection is not static; a small team of volunteers are steadily enriching the archives, and Senior Curator Dr Charlotte Smith actively acquires material from the building’s history, including the 1880 and 1888 International Exhibitions, Federation celebrations, and other events. She is always keen to hear from anyone with images, objects or stories about the Royal Exhibition Building via the Discovery Centre.