Arts & Culture » History

A pioneering experiment at the Menzies Hotel

June 24th, 2026 - Ashley Smith

Taken around the 1870s, this image shows the Menzies Hotel at the corner of William and Bourke streets.

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Reminders of wartime looms over Princes Bridge

May 27th, 2026 - Ashley Smith

In the early 1940s in Melbourne, as war ravages overseas, life in the city carries on as normal at the corner of Princes Bridge and Flinders St.

An escapee arrested at the Coffee Tavern

April 29th, 2026 - Ashley Smith

Opened in October 1882 on Bourke St between Swanston and Russell streets, the 90-foot-tall Melbourne Coffee Tavern featured 161 bedrooms and was also home to a sewing machine business owned by Hugo Wertheim.

The beginning of a square, and the end of history

March 25th, 2026 - CBD News

For those who are young or new to Melbourne, it might be a shock to discover that buildings once occupied the site of Town Hall Station, at the corner of Swanston and Collins streets.

The Melbourne Home

February 12th, 2026 - Ashley Smith

In the late 19th century, a number of female immigrants fresh off the ship from England would arrive at Victoria with no planned accommodation or nearby connections that could help them settle.

Melbourne’s forgotten St Kilda railway

January 27th, 2026 - CBD News

This photograph, taken around the early 1860s, shows us a different view of the south end of St Kilda Rd.

The lost Dolphin Fountain of Carlton Gardens

November 25th, 2025 - CBD News

This photograph shows a fountain that once stood in the pathways of Carlton Gardens during the 1870s.

When there’s smoke, there’s a fire to stop

October 29th, 2025 - CBD News

Dated from 1906, this photograph is of the south-west corner of Gisborne St and Victoria Parade, north-east of the main CBD.

Final months to uncover the mystery of the Viking Age at Melbourne Museum

October 13th, 2025 - Xianghan Meng

Time is running out for Melburnians to experience one of the most extraordinary archaeological exhibitions to ever reach Australian shores, with Treasures of the Viking Age: The Galloway Hoard continuing at Melbourne Museum until January 26, 2026.