Welcome to the City of Port Phillip
From art to green spaces to a breath of fresh air along St Kilda esplanade, you’ll find something for everyone in the City of Port Phillip over The Open House Melbourne Weekend!
Start Friday off at the Victorian Pride Centre, Australia’s first purpose-built hub for LGBTIQ+ communities. An architectural homage to both St Kilda and the people who make it, you can take a guided or self-guided tour through the gallery, rooftop and shared spaces. It’s open Saturday too. Afterwards, head down Fitzroy St to catch a gig in Victoria’s first live music precinct in St Kilda. If you pass the Espy, don’t miss the striking mural of Paul Kelly on the side.
On Saturday, join for a relaxed panel discussion at Armstrong Studios. Hear producers, engineers and hitmakers share the stories behind some of Australia’s most iconic acts from the last 50 years, such as John Franham, Little River Band and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Make your way over to the Australian Tapestry Workshop. Find out more about this heritage-listed building, and see how weavers create and collaborate to make beautiful works of textile art. Kids can also join a workshop and try their hand at basic weaving.
Nearby, the award-winning Piccolo House will be open to explore. This unique site combines original Victorian terraces with an off-form concrete structure and remarkable interiors. Afterwards, stop by Clarendon Street for a range of cafes and restaurants, or find more options for gifts, goodies and more at South Melbourne Market.
Less than 100 metres away you’ll find the Ferrars & York building and HV.Hotel by Hip V. Hype. Designed for the sustainably-minded, design-conscious traveller, the two-bedroom boutique apartment accommodation includes unique sustainability features.
Hop on a tram down to St Kilda and grab a view of the city and the bay at Edgewater Towers. Take a self-guided tour of the lobby to see the building’s original mid-century modern features, and speak to some of the residents before heading to the roof.
Make your way to the Botanic Gardens (be sure to detour along Acland Street for cake and culture along the way – the famous Monarch Cakes has been baking there since 1934!) then join the walking tour The Conquering Flat for a fascinating look at the rise and rise of flats in mid-20th century St Kilda.
Nearby, Holy Trinity Balaclava and Elwood is open for you to wander through, or join one of three tour times and learn about the storied stained glass windows and such mysterious characters as ‘the Vanishing Vicar’! The kids will be entertained with mystery quiz sheets – if they get the answers correct, they can ring the church bell.
Step inside the largest church in Melbourne; All Saints Church is home to a significant collection of art and iconography, and you’re free to wander through.
Then make your way just next door to St Michael’s Grammar School Performing Arts Centre, St George’s assist to see the transformation of the heritage-listed St George’s Uniting Church, now the Performing Arts Centre for St Michael’s Grammar School. See how this inspired reuse project has maintained the heritage integrity of the building while introducing the very latest audiovisual technologies. Plan your visit to catch a student performance and presentation.
Foodies will love a visit to the South Melbourne Markets, or a lunch stop along the café strip of Clarendon Street before taking a look inside the heritage-listed home of the Melbourne Camera Club for the exhibition A One Light Stand—Romancing the Darkness, shot by club members using single sources of light.
Nearby, take a step back to the days of the Goldrush at the Portable Iron Houses, three fascinating examples of the pre-fabricated iron homes which were erected in South Melbourne to house migrants who came pouring in hoping to make their fortune in the goldfields.
A tour of the recently refurbished, heritage-listed Victorian Institute of Sport is an insight into the co-existence of modern facilities and heritage architecture, and you can try your hand at speed and power tests to see how you compare to Victoria’s elite Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
There’s something for everyone in the City of Port Phillip over The Open House Melbourne Weekend, to engage with the precinct into the future, head to the Port Phillip What’s On page.
