Royal Exhibition Building Tours

The magnificent interior of the Royal Exhibition Building.
Source: Museum Victoria

Discover the history and beauty of this magnificently restored building.

Tours are held most days at 2pm, subject to availability.  Please call 13 11 02 to confirm.

Built in 1879 for Melbourne’s first International Exhibition, it was chosen as the venue for the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament of Australia on 9 May 1901, and recently became Australia’s first World Heritage Listed building.

Experience the life, stories and affections of millions of people that have contributed to this national icon, Museum Victoria’s largest collection object.

Tour starts in the foyer at Melbourne Museum. Cost $5 adult and $3.50 concession.

What's On at the Royal Exhibition Building

Comments (13) popular  |  oldest  |  newest

Juliana 04 Oct 2011 13:24

I want to go there

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Adam North 25 Oct 2011 15:40

I will be in Melbourne from the 31 oct to 2nd Nov, I just wondering if the guilded tours of the Royal Exhibition Building will be operating then?

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darren turner 30 Oct 2011 09:30

hi just like to know whats on @ the museum next year thank you.

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Discovery Centre 30 Oct 2011 09:56

Hi Darren, Here is a link to the Royal Exhibition Building What's On page and Melbourne Museum's Upcoming Exhibitions page. Upcoming events and exhibitions are generally advertised 4-6 weeks prior.

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Discovery Centre 30 Oct 2011 10:15

Hi Adam, the Museum attempts to provide daily tours at 2pm, however this is subject to availability. I therefore recommend that on the day you wish to visit the Royal Exhibition Building you phone our Bookings & Enquiries Office to confirm that the tour will be running on 13 11 02.

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Lucita 31 Dec 2011 20:07

I called the no. 13 11 02 being making a trip to the Exhibition Building and the staff member told me that tours would be run every day. When I arrived I learned from the information desk at Melbourne Museum that the Exhhibition Centre is closed until Jan-8. This piece of information is nowhere to be found on this website. Disappointing.

 

Discovery Centre 03 Jan 2012 11:15

Hi Lucita, apologies for the misinformation you received about the tour.  We are following that up with staff to ensure they all have up to date information and we’ll check and update our website appropriately.  We appreciate your feedback and apologise for your inconvenience. (2)

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Judith 30 Mar 2012 19:39

I have friends coming from Adelaide for Easter - Thursday 5th April until Tuesday morning 10th April. Is there a time when they can see this beautfiful building which I, a Melbourne resident, first saw today at the Flower and Garden show? They are not free on the Saturday.

 

Discovery Centre 31 Mar 2012 10:38

Hi Judith, as indicated above, entry to the REB is via tour only or when there is an exhibition on. Our response to Adam suggests that you should ring the day before to check that the tour is running.

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Teresa 31 Mar 2012 20:50

Is it ok to take photos during a tour?

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Discovery Centre 01 Apr 2012 09:51

Hi Teresa, yes photography is allowed on the tour.

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cc 19 Apr 2012 08:42

I am surprised that under 'Visiting' there aren't any opening hours listed. I would expect to find that there and cannot see this info elsewhere on this website.

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Trevor 30 Apr 2012 01:38

Are tours available whilst there is an event ie, Australian Antiques and Art Dealers on?

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Brooke 10 May 2012 21:13

My self and a group of friends went to see the Melbourne Museum and also the Royal Exhibition Building. We were not able to see the Royal Exhibition Building as it was setting up for the art show and when we went to the Melbourne Museum to find information about the Royal Exhibition Building there was only 1 panflet on the building. I thought that was very disapointing as the Royal Exhibition Building has a lot of history and as a student i could not find enough inforamtion about it. I think that there should be more information about both the Royal Exhibition Building and also the Melbourne Museum.

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Discovery Centre 11 May 2012 16:47

Hi Brooke, There is indeed a great deal of information about the Royal Exhibition Building in the Discovery Centre on the lower ground level of the Melbourne Museum, and much of that information is available on the Museum Victoria website. These resources include:

Internet Resources:

• The Royal Exhibition Building website
• The Royal Exhibition Building InfoSheet
• The International Exhibitions InfoSheet
• The Royal Exhibition Building Collection Online
• The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens World Heritage Management Plan

Publications:

• The Royal Exhibition Building: a guide
• Victorian Icon: The Royal Exhibition Building

The Discovery Centre is open every day from 10am to 4:30pm.

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