Description of the attraction
The Gold Museum is housed in the old Treasury building in Melbourne, built in 1858-1862. Once this building was the second most important in the city after the Parliament Building, but the Treasury itself was located in it for a short time - until 1878.
The architect of the building was a young but very talented John Clark, who started construction when he was barely 19 years old. Today, his neo-Renaissance creation is considered one of the most beautiful in the city. By the way, Clarke later designed the Treasury building in Brisbane, Queensland.
Only in 1994 was the Gold Museum opened to the public. Today the Museum has several permanent exhibitions dedicated not only to the history of the "gold rush" in Australia, but also to the formation and development of Melbourne. The museum is sometimes even called the city museum. For example, in the exhibition "Creating Melbourne" you can get acquainted with the history of the city, from its foundation in 1835 as a small settlement of colonists and ending today. Naturally, an important part of the exhibition tells about the turbulent times of gold mining, which provoked the rapid growth of Melbourne and turned it into the most important city on the continent. Another exhibition, Built on Gold, provides a glimpse into the very years when the first gold bar was found in Victoria and how this discovery changed the fate of Australia. The Museum also regularly hosts temporary exhibitions inviting visitors to experience Melbourne's great past.
