Welcome to the City of Melbourne

At the heart of the city, Melbourne’s central precinct brings together heritage, culture, innovation and everyday life. From historic streets and civic institutions to new housing, design studios and cultural programs, this is where Melbourne’s past and future meet.

Begin your exploration through the city’s changing housing landscape with projects such as Local: Kensington, Swift Walk and Two Sisters. Together, these offer a snapshot of new approaches to urban living, sustainability and community within Melbourne’s inner core.

Alongside these newer projects, reconnect with your favourite talks that continue to shape conversations about the city. Programs such as the Heritage Address with Robyn Annear, Designing with Country (in partnership with Melbourne Conversations) and MSD’s Taglietti: Life in Design offer deeper insight into Melbourne’s history, identity and evolving design culture.

Balance the built environment with time in some of the city’s most loved green spaces. Wander through the Fitzroy Gardens Conservatory, explore the riverside landscapes of Birrarung Marr, or pause in the quieter surrounds of Parliament Gardens. These spaces offer moments of rest while revealing the city’s long-standing relationship with the surrounding landscape and public life.

City of Melbourne Parks and Gardens

Continue your journey with a visit to Hassell Studio or ARM Architecture’s new studio. Gain insight into how the architects adapted one of Australia’s most recognisable buildings into a bold, contemporary workspace. Or step inside the Salvation Army Australia Museum to uncover stories of social impact, care and community, offering a different perspective on how institutions shape and support city life.

In Connection to Country, walk alongside a senior Wurundjeri Elder to uncover the First Nations stories embedded within the design of State Library Station and Town Hall Station. Continue your journey through living culture at the award-winning Koorie Heritage Trust, where design and cultural collections celebrate the enduring significance of Country. Or participate in a First Nations weaving workshop at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.

As you move between sites, keep an eye out for public art woven throughout the city. From permanent installations in Alexandra Gardens to the ever-evolving street art of AC/DC Lane.

Melbourne Street Art Walk

Discover how Gate 8 has shaped our Generous City, a civic-minded workplace in Jolimont that blends social impact, public life and architectural ambition. Then step inside Snøhetta’s Melbourne studio, a restored 1887 warehouse where some of Australasia’s most significant cultural and city-making projects are shaped.

You’ll also find a strong line-up of Open House Melbourne Weekend favourites returning across the city. From civic landmarks like the Parliament of Victoria and Melbourne Town Hall, to places of worship including the Scots’ Church Melbourne, Wesley Church Melbourne and St Michael’s Uniting Church, enjoy the chance to access these much-loved sites and hear the rich stories they hold.

When it’s time to eat or take a break, Melbourne’s laneways provide endless options. Head to Hardware Lane for a mix of casual dining and rooftop bars, explore Guildford Lane for quieter cafés and street art, or venture into Healeys Lane for a taste of the city’s vibrant Korean food scene.

Melbourne Food Map

Discover hidden interiors at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library, step inside commercial and institutional icons like Orica House, or explore behind the scenes at the Victorian Archives Centre. For a different perspective, take to the water with Port of Melbourne Boat Tours or join walking experiences such as the Generous City Walking Tour and the Greenline Project tour along the Birrarung’s north bank.

Extend your exploration across nearby precincts including Melbourne Quarter, City North and the Melbourne Arts Precinct, each offering a different perspective on how Melbourne continues to evolve.

Melbourne’s city centre is layered, dynamic and constantly changing. Take your time to explore, and you’ll uncover the many ways the city continues to grow, adapt and give back through its spaces, stories and communities. Keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the City of Melbourne so you can keep discovering more!

What's on Melbourne

A selection of City of Melbourne program

Arched brick entry to Local: Kensington, with lush green planting framing a wide pedestrian path leading to glass lobby doors.
Local: Kensington

Saturday 25 July

Street-level view of Swift Walk, Kensington, with balconies, brick and tiled facades, and a pedestrian walkway leading into a landscaped courtyard as a person walks a bicycle.
Swift Walk, Kensington

Saturday 25 July

A row of modern townhouses with large wooden windows, beige brick planters, black metal gates, and small trees in front.
Two Sisters

Saturday 25 July

A person wearing a bright red blazer and floral shirt stands in a room with red chairs and red banners hanging in the background. The person has short gray hair and is wearing glasses.
Heritage Address with Robyn Annear

Monday 27 July

Five figures walk in a line, each with different flower heads, including a pink flower, green leaves, yellow petals, and a red flower
Designing with Country

Wednesday 22 July

A black and white photograph of a man sitting at a cluttered desk. He is looking at the camera with a large black pen in one hand. Behind him are bookshelves and an old telephone. He has architectural drawings in front of him.
Melbourne School of Design—Taglietti: Life in Design

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A ceiling with exposed ductwork and suspended pink tube lights in an office. The lights hang at different angles beneath metal cable trays and silver ventilation pipes.
Hassell Studio

Saturday 25 July

People walking out of a lift into a vibrantly blue coloured lobby. Two people are embracing.
ARM Melbourne by ARM Architecture

Sunday 26 July

Photograph of the white stuccoed facade of 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne, an historic 1890 Victorian-era building and home of The Salvation Army Australia Museum. The five bay facade consists almost entirely of windows, with a profusion of segmental pediments, festoons and half-fluted Corinthian pilasters. The central bay is corbelled out at the second and third storeys and is capped by a Baroque style pediment on the parapet. A pair of cast iron gates and a frieze give access to the foyer area
The Salvation Army Australia Museum

Friday 24 July, Saturday 25 July

A crowd gathered around a smoking dish in Melbourne's City Square. Wurundjeri artist and emerging elder Craig Murphy sits in the foreground with a possum skin cloak and clapsticks.
Connection to Country: Melbourne Metro Tunnel and beyond

Sunday 26 July

Interior featuring warm wood and moody lighting - a panelled desk is sitting on a red carpet
Koorie Heritage Trust: First Peoples Cultures and Songlines in Art, Design and Architecture

Friday 24 July, Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A smiling woman in a colorful sweater demonstrates string craft to another woman seated beside her in a bright indoor space.
Queen Victoria Women's Centre

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A corner perspective of Gate 8, a multi-storey red brick building with strong vertical window rhythms and arched openings at street level, captured in soft evening light with trees, parked cars and neighbouring apartments nearby.
Gate 8

Thursday 25 June, Sunday 26 July

People are gathered in an exhibition space, closely examining items laid out on a table with books and papers, under a warm light setting. Some individuals are walking around the room or looking at displays on the walls.
Snøhetta

Friday 24 July, Saturday 25 July

A grand neoclassical building with large columns and steps leading up to the entrance, featuring flags on top and birds flying above.
Parliament of Victoria

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

The first image shows three people inside an ornate room with intricately carved ceilings, wooden paneling, and brown marble columns
Melbourne Town Hall

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

Historic church with tall stone spire centered on a busy city street, surrounded by modern buildings in Melbourne CBD.
Scots' Church Melbourne

Friday 24 July, Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A stained glass window depicting a figure with a head covering, holding a book and a sword, surrounded by ornate architectural details..
Wesley Church Melbourne

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A minimalist room features a large rock with a feather-like sculpture on top, surrounded by archways and wooden chairs under a geometric ceiling light
St Michael's Uniting Church

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A library interior with shelves filled with books and a desk with computers in the foreground.
Melbourne Athenaeum Library: A Hidden Gem

Friday 24 July, Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

Two tall office buildings stand side by side, with one branded
Orica House

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A large rolled-up document is displayed on a stand in front of rows of archive shelves containing various labeled boxes and volumes.
Victorian Archives Centre

Saturday 25 July

A large container ship loaded with colorful shipping containers is being guided by two tugboats through a wide waterway. Cranes and industrial port structures are visible in the background, with a city skyline in the distance.
Port of Melbourne boat tour

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July

A wide riverside promenade runs along the water at Birrarung Marr, with boardwalks, paths, and seating surrounded by native plants and trees. On a clear sunny day people are walking and sitting along the landscaped river edge, with the city skyline in the background.
Get to Know the Greenline Project: Birrarung north bank walking tour

Saturday 25 July, Sunday 26 July