10 Sights & Landmarks in Melbourne That You Shouldn't Miss

Sitting at the top end of Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD, the Old Treasury Building is widely regarded as one of the finest 19th century buildings in Australia.The Old Treasury building was designed by nineteen-year-old architect JJ Clark and built between 1858 and 1862.The Old Treasury Building hosts the original gold vaults where gold bullion was stored during the gold rush era, as well as rare and historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria highlighting key moments from Victoria’s history.Come and explore the intriguing gold vaults and you may earn yourself a gold license!

Step back in time and walk the road to the gallows in a 19th century prison, be arrested in a modern-day Police Station or put yourself on trial in court.Home to Melbourne's oldest prison, historic Magistrates' Court and former Police City Watch House, Russell Street has been at the heart of crime, law and order in Melbourne since the 1840s. Most of Australia’s infamous characters, including iconic bushranger, Ned Kelly and notorious gangster Squizzy Taylor have spent time within the walls of this amazing precinct. A ticket to the Old Melbourne Gaol grants you visiting rights to the past, present and future of crime and justice in Australia.

St Paul's Anglican Cathedral is a beautiful, historic building, situated in the centre of the City of Melbourne, Australia. It is a place of worship and prayer. St Paul's is built on the site where the first public Christian services in Melbourne were led by Dr Alexander Thomson in 1836. Soon afterwards a small wooden chapel was built elsewhere, and the area became a corn market until 1848, when it was made available for the building of the bluestone St Paul's Parish Church. Consecrated in 1852, this Church was used until 1885, when it was demolished to make way for the present Cathedral. The decision to build on the site of the existing church was made because of its proximity to the railway and soon to be completed cable tramway service.The Swanston Street and Flinders Street corner remains one of Melbourne's busiest intersections today, ensuring the Cathedral is a place at the heart of city life.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is Australia's largest, oldest and most popular sporting venue. The MCG has hosted plenty of international cricket, including the first-ever Test and the 1992 World Cup final, countless VFL/AFL Grand Finals, the 1956 Olympic Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games. It also hosted the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Other sporting spectacles include FIFA World Cup soccer qualifiers, rugby league home and away matches and State of Origin and international rugby union clashes. Apart from its sporting events, the MCG has also witnessed many blockbuster music concerts, and even Pope John Paul II held a mass there when he visited Melbourne in 1986. The MCG has a total capacity of 100,024 people, comprising 95,024 seats and 5000 standing room spaces. The stadium also houses the National Sports Museum, which includes some of the most priceless pieces of memorabilia in Australian sporting history.

Fitzroy Gardens is one of Melbourne’s most historic and beautiful Gardens. Originally set aside as a reserve in 1848, the layout follows a classic Victorian–era design, featuring pathways lined with magnificent Elm trees, and a variety of flowers, ornamental shrubs and trees which together with extensive lawns create a diverse and layered landscape. Points of interest include the magnificent floral displays in the Spanish mission style Conservatory. Cooks Cottage, a scarred tree, the Fairies’ Tree and model tudor village, sculptures, fountains and a stormwater cleaning and re-use system. The Fitzroy Gardens visitor centre provides tourism information and entry tickets to Cooks Cottage. A free guided walking tour departs from the visitor centre every Saturday at 10am. Refreshments are available from KereKere cafe at the visitor centre.

Victoria's Parliament House is one of Australia's oldest and most architecturally distinguished public buildings. It is a working State Parliament, and is also the building where Australia's first Federal Parliament met from 1901 until 1927. Free guided tours are provided on non-sitting days, Monday to Friday, at 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:45pm. (Tours for groups of 6 or more are also free, but must be booked in advance) The public galleries in both chambers are open on sitting days for visitors who wish to see Parliament in action. Visitors can book for High Tea or Lunch in Stranger's Corridor during non-sitting weeks.

The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the world's oldest remaining exhibition pavilions. On 1 July 2004, it became the first building in Australia to achieve a World Heritage listing. Located in Carlton Gardens, the pavilion was originally completed in 1880 for the first of two international fairs hosted by Melbourne. On May 1st, 1901, the initial Commonwealth Parliament was held here, an event commemorated in 2001, the centenary of Australian Federation. Today, with its meticulously restored interior, expansive galleries and soaring dome, the Great Hall offers an impressive setting for trade shows, fairs and cultural and community events.

Visit the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne's most iconic landmark, where Victorians have been coming since 1934 to honour the service and sacrifice of Australian men and women in war and peacekeeping. Enter the Shrine and experience the quiet solitude of the Sanctuary where hundreds of thousands pay their respects each year. All visitors are invited to participate in a Remembrance Ceremony featuring the Ray of Light re-enactment. Surrounded by the Shrine Reserve, the Shrine is elevated, overlooking the city of Melbourne within 13 hectares of beautiful parkland. Enjoy stunning views of the Reserve and many of Melbourne's landmarks from the balcony of the Shrine. Explore the monuments and memorials throughout the Reserve, including the Gallipoli Memorial, as well as the many remembrance trees dedicated to Victorian service units from the Boer War onwards. The Eternal Flame on the Second World War Forecourt symbolises eternal life for those who have served. The Ray of Light ceremony is central to the experience of the Shrine of Remembrance. A ray of natural sunlight passes through an aperture in the ceiling of the Sanctuary and falls onto the Stone of Remembrance over the word "love" at precisely 11.00 am on 11 November each year. This is the moment when the armistice was signed in 1918 marking the end of hostilities in the First World War. The ceremony is now reproduced every half hour using electric light to allow all visitors to the Shrine to experience it. The Shrine also has an extensive permanent and temporary exhibition space. The Galleries of Remembrance is a $45 million Victorian Government redevelopment that utilises 1,600 square metres of undercroft space beneath the Shrine. Over 850 objects illustrate the experiences of Australians at war and in peacekeeping operations, from Pre-Federation to the present day, with a particular focus on individual and unit stories of Victorian service and sacrifice. A highlight of the exhibition is the SS Devanha lifeboat, a Gallipoli landing boat on loan from the collection of the Australian War Memorial. The Devanha carried soldiers of the 12th Battalion and the 3rd Field Ambulance into Anzac Cove on the morning of 25 April 1915.