Built for the International Exhibition in 1880, and winning Unesco World Heritage status in 2004, this beautiful Victorian edifice symbolises the glory days of the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and 19th-century Melbourne’s economic supremacy. It was the first building to fly the Australian flag, and Australia’s first parliament was held here in 1901; it now hosts everything from trade fairs to car shows, as well as the biennial Melbourne Art Fair. Tours of the building leave from the Melbourne Museum at 2pm.
