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Victorian
State Parliament
Melbourne's Heritage Buildings
The
Victorian Parliament Building is an amazing structure with a classical
look known as Roman Revival architecture.
It
sits in Spring St at the junction with Bourke St and is a very impressive
building, widely regarded as being modelled on the much-praised
Leeds Town Hall in Yorkshire, England.
Construction
on the the Parliament Building began in 1855 and went on - through
various stages - until 1929.
While
built to govern the state of Victoria it was also the national Parliament
between 1901 and 1927 due to the delays in creating the Australian
capital of Canberra.
Inside
the Parliament Building is stunning, I worked in the press gallery
there for a number of years and it is well worth taking an official
tour through.
The
public tours run on weekdays when Parliament is not sitting. They
start at 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.45pm. On
sitting Tuesdays, public tours are offered during the morning, at
9.30am, 10.30am and 11.30am. It is not necessary to book for a public
tour, unless you have a group of 6 or more.
While
we were in Melbourne the buildings grand steps were being repaired
which was a huge shame. They offer much better angles of the Parliament
and its marvellous colonnade. The repairs are expected to be finished
by the end of 2013 and tours are still running.
-
Richard Moore.
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