Open House Melbourne 2025 was only two weeks ago, instead of letting the photos fall into the backlog I made a point of processing them right away: https://www.flickr.com/photos/popcorncx/albums/72177720328290744/
Explore this photo album by Stephen Edmonds on Flickr!
Less than a month until Open House Melbourne for 2025, so I forced myself to finish sorting through my photos from last year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/popcorncx/albums/72177720327220602/
Explore this photo album by Stephen Edmonds on Flickr!
Here's some tips to make the most out of your Open House Melbourne experience.
- comfortable shoes and a powerbank to keep your phone charged are essential!
- Some tours (especially new to program ones) book out very fast so if there’s something you’re really keen on have your browser open ready to book the moment they’re available. Some bookings are free, some cost $7. There’s two ticket rounds and if you miss out at both you could try rocking up on the day and seeing if they let you join, I’ve heard that’s sometimes successful
-With meticulous planning and much speed walking I’ve made it to as many as 7 program buildings in a day but I really wouldn’t recommend trying this. Unless they’re clustered very close, 3 buildings/tours is probably good to aim for
- It’s worth having a few additional no booking buildings in mind in case any of your original plans don’t work out
- Early sunday afternoon trams tend to get disrupted by rallies so factor that into your plans for getting around if needed
- Make sure you check the Open House website for any building specific accessibility details, changes to opening times, photography restrictions, if you need to arrive early for the tour or other rules. For Parliament House this is especially important as they require ID and a security screening. Also important for tours involving boats as you don't want to miss the boat!
These are some things on the Open House Melbourne program that are new (or I just haven’t made it to before) that look really interesting.
RONE AND CALLUM PRESTON ARTIST STUDIOS (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bookings required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/rone-callum-preston-artists-studios/
Rone is one of my favourite artists and Callum also does really cool work so I’m very excited for this. I suspect this will be in very high demand so one to book tickets for as soon as they’re available.
WERRIBEE OPEN RANGE ZOO EXPANSION (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bookings required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/werribee-open-range-zoo-expansion/
Learning about the new elephant enclosures looks pretty interesting and the usually expensive zoo entry is complimentary with your tour booking
AUSTRALIAN TAPESTRY WORKSHOP (Saturday, no booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/australian-tapestry-workshop/
I’ve never managed to make it to this one but I want to. They create some incredible work so would be cool to see it in progress.
A FORREST FOR AUSTRALIA AND ALTONA TREATMENT PLANT (Saturday and Sunday, booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/greater-western-water-a-forest-for-australia-and-altona-treatment-plant/
Not sure if waste water treatment is my kind of interest but for the right type of nerd this will be fascinating.
WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE BIRRARUNG IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/whats-good-for-the-birrarung-is-good-for-everyone/
Learning about the river from a kayak on the river is pretty cool. This is another one I suspect will book out fast so be ready!
Here’s some Open House Melbourne buildings I’ve been to before and recommend.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE (Saturday, no bookings required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/government-house/
This building is the definition of extra. It’s like a palace meets Wes Anderson fever dream. Definitely one you want to go to if you’re a photographer. There’s also some interesting Victorian history to learn about there.
UKRANIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (Saturday, no bookings required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/ukrainian-catholic-church/
I consider this one of the most beautiful buildings in Melbourne but hardly anyone knows about it. It’s also a cool opportunity to learn about Ukranian culture.
PORT OF MELBOURNE BOAT TOUR (Saturday and Sunday, booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/port-of-melbourne/
This is a super interesting boat tour with commentary of the Melbourne container port. It’s so interesting to see the scale of operations and learn about the logistics. Every Melbournian should take this tour sometime and learn about an important part of our city’s functioning. Arrive pretty early so you can get a spot on the boat with a good view. If you can’t make it Open House weekend, the tour runs a handful of other times through the year.
ORICA HOUSE (Saturday and Sunday, no booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/orica-house/
It looks like a boring office building from the outside but being Melbourne’s first skyscraper you learn a bunch of interesting things about the city’s architectural history on the tour.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE (Saturday and Sunday, booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/parliament-of-victoria/
This tour runs very regularly but if you’ve never been able to make it to a weekday timeslot this is a good opportunity. It’s a fabulous building and you’ll learn a bit about how Victorian government works. It’s a great place to take photos, but do your snapping while the guide talks as they’ll move you on quickly. Photo ID and security screening is required for entry.
ANZAC STATION (Sunday, booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/metro-tunnel-anzac-station/
This is the first time on the Open House program but I got to go into the station a few weeks ago as part of another event and it was really interesting to see it in its pre-opening state.
FEDERATION SQUARE (Saturday & Sunday, booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/fed-square-behind-the-scenes-2025/
This tour goes beyond the regular Fed Square tours to take you into the tunnels under the square which is a cool experience.
SOUTHBANK THEATRE (Saturday and Sunday, no booking required)
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/southbank-theatre-home-of-the-melbourne-theatre-company/
Seeing behind the scenes at Melbourne Theatre Company’s main venue is fascinating. I really enjoyed learning more about how the stage setup works. Make sure you read the listing on the website as there’s different things open each of the days.
We’re just one month away from the best thing on the #melbourne cultural calendar, Open House Melbourne. Open House is an incredible event where a staggering array of interesting buildings and spaces around the city are open to the public for tours and exploring, sometimes guided by the architects who designed them. Many of these are not usually publicly accessible. It’s the best way to learn about the city. Most of the action is Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th July, with some buildings also open Friday 25th. Much of the program is free, some venues there’s a $7 booking fee. Bookings open midday Wednesday 2nd July.
I’ve been every year since 2012 and take planning what to see pretty seriously. To help you with your planning, here’s my guide to Open House Melbourne 2025. The next post in the thread will have places I’ve been before and recommend, followed by ones I haven’t been to but like the look of and finally some tips to make the most of it. There's way more worthwhile stuff than I've been able to highlight so make sure you look at the whole program
#Melbourne folk! Coming up next weekend is Open House, a super cool event where you get to see inside interesting buildings that often aren't open to the public. I've been every year since 2012 so I've see a LOT of buildings. Here are some of my favourites that are back on the program this year and don't require a booking.
Government House
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/government-house-victoria/
This is a stunningly ornate mansion full of Victorian history. I suspect this one might be busy so could be worth going early
Ukrainian Catholic Church
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/ukrainian-catholic-church/
This is my top pick. While it might not look like much from the outside, the art inside is incredible
Gothic Bank
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/transforming-anzs-gothic-chamber-into-a-21st-century-banking-museum/
This is open to the public during weekday business hours but Open House is a good chance to see this beautiful building from Victoria's golden era in its new more accessible museum setup. There's also some interesting displays on the history of banking.
Melbourne Recital Centre
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/melbourne-recital-centre/
This is a really interestingly designed performance space.
Queen Victoria Women's Centre
https://openhousemelbourne.org/event/queen-victoria-womens-centre/
If the rooftop terrace is open again this year its worth heading up for a great view of the centre of the CBD from above
Explore this photo album by Stephen Edmonds on Flickr!
Stephen Edmonds
Daniel Bowen
Joanna Holman
