- Address: 20 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3072, Australia;
- Official site: oldtreasurybuilding.org.au;
- Phone: +61 3 9651 2233;
- Working hours: every day from 10 to 16, Saturday is a day off.
The Museum of Gold (sometimes called the City Museum) is one of the most interesting branches of the Melbourne Museum . Located in the building of the old treasury, which has great architectural and historical value. This is one of the most unique government buildings of the 19th century in Melbourne.
History of the museum
The middle of the 19th century - the time of rapid development of mass gold mining in southeastern Australia, "Gold rush." Gold bars had to be stored somewhere, so the authorities of Victoria decided to build a treasury building. The project was entrusted to J. Clark - a very young but talented architect. Construction continued from 1858 to 1862. In addition to gold storage facilities, the building provided for offices, meeting rooms and office space for the governor and government officials of the colony.
In different periods, the building housed government organizations, including the Ministry of Finance of the State of Victoria. And only in 1994 the gold depository opened its doors to the general public.
The Melbourne Gold Museum in our days
The Museum of Gold regularly displays exhibitions about the period of the "gold rush", which gave impetus to the rapid economic development of Melbourne. Visitors will get acquainted with the history of gold mining, the organization of work and life in gold mines, see treasury bars, as well as samples of precious metal nuggets, of which ingots were smelted. The exact replica of the most famous nugget, the "Welcome Stranger" weighing 72 kg, found by Richard Oates and John Dees in 1869 in the town of Molyagul, is 200 km northwest of Melbourne. To date, this nugget is considered the largest in the world.
Interest is the collection of silver donated to Captain William Lonsdale after he graduated in 1839 as a first state police judge.
Also in the museum are expositions, thanks to which you can learn more about the fascinating history of Melbourne, from the creation of the first European settlement in 1835, and to the present day. In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum constantly organizes temporary exhibitions, takes an active part in the creation of educational programs for students and students.
How to get there?
The museum is located in East Melbourne , Spring Street, 20. It is open from 09:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday and from 10:00 to 16:00 on holidays and weekends. Admission price: $ 7 for adults, $ 3.50 for children. To get to the museum easily by tramway route Nos. 11, 35, 42, 48, 109, 112, the landmark is the crossroads of Parliament and Collins Street.
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