If you’ve spent any amount of time in Melbourne, the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building will be familiar to you.
Built in the late 18880s, the World Heritage-listed building grandly stands out in Carlton Gardens. It’s hosted huge exhibitions and the opening of the first Parliament of Australia; much more recently, thousands of Melburnians visited the building to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Thankfully there’s about to be a much more pleasant reason to visit: the building’s iconic dome promenade is opening to the public for the very first time in almost 100 years.
From Saturday, October 29th, the promenade deck located right at the top of the building will be open for tours. And with a stunning and unique view of the city being promised, it’ll be worth a trip.
“This guided experience allows visitors to once again be able to experience these spectacular views along with an exhibition that explores the building’s significant history and varied uses over time,” the official website says. “The Royal Exhibition Building is beautiful inside and out—and a true landmark of Melbourne.”
“I am delighted that we can at last welcome visitors to Melbourne’s newest ‘oldest attraction’ … and share the building’s stories from the near and distant past,” Museums Victoria CEO and director Lynley Crosswell shared in a statement.
“We are especially pleased to be opening during springtime, offering visitors a spectacular view of Carlton Gardens in full bloom and an outlook over Melbourne not experienced for nearly 100 years.”
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The Royal Exhibition Building’s dome promenade opens to the public on Saturday, October 29th. You can book a tour here.
It should be noted that the fourth level, the upper dome promenade, isn’t wheelchair accessible and requires a hefty climb of around 20 steps. The lower three levels of the exhibition, however, are wheelchair accessible via a lift.
