Old Treasury Building
Old Treasury Building
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
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! Tours are available on the last Sunday of the month for $15 per person. Tickets through the Old Treasury Building website.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
505 reviews
Excellent
239
Very good
214
Average
43
Poor
8
Terrible
1
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,729 contributions
Dec 2022
The Old Treasury Building is one of Australia's finest public buildings remaining from the 19th century. It is built in Renaissance style, from sandstone. After over a century's exposure to Melbourne's variable climate and industrial pollutants, the exterior of the Old Treasury Building will be shrouded in scaffolding to allow for restoration to proceed in the first part of 2023. The interior will remain open. The Old Treasury Building is at the "Paris End" of Collins Street, Melbourne's main commercial thoroughfare. By the way, entry is free.
Written 3 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review 619jeffry! Hopefully the beautiful exterior will be revealed again soon!
Written 5 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ModernDayTimeTraveler
Chicago, IL364 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
In Melbourne for the first time for work and had a little time to kill. I always for local history museums if I can and this did not disappoint! I spent just over an hour here and was really impressed with the variety and quality of information. The volunteer who greeted me was incredibly friendly and shared some extra details about the building and the exhibitions. The best part is that it’s FREE! I definitely left with a better understanding of how Melbourne came to be and some important moments in its history. The replica gold nugget in the vault looks too big to be true. Could you imagine being the prospector who dug that up?!
Written 28 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review ModernDayTimeTravel! Glad you enjoyed your visit. The nugget is indeed a wonder to behold!
Written 5 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ron M
Menasha, WI602 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
My wife and I stopped in here on a short trip to Melbourne. This is a well-done history museum in what used to be the treasure building. There are numerous displays depicting the history of Melbourne as well as detailed descriptions of the gold rush and the impact it had on the city's grown, population, etc. The gold rush history includes the interaction and effect on the indigenous people. About half of the displays are in the old vaults on the lower level...pretty cool to see those and the living quarters that had been there. This was a fun find and a great way to spend an hour or two.
Written 20 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review! Great to hear you enjoyed your visit.
Written 20 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,729 contributions
May 2022
In 1851, the Great Australian Gold Rush took off. Soon, torrents of the precious metal were pouring into Melbourne. It was decided that a Treasury Building, with vaults to hold tons of gold, was required. Had the massive vaults been filled, the value would have been astronomical. Alas, the gold boom was tapering off by the time the Treasury Building was completed. Even so, the Treasury Building remains one of Australia's finest buildings constructed in Renaissance style. Entry is free.
Written 10 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review 619jeffry! The vaults are indeed impressive! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 20 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Betula103
Australia7,839 contributions
May 2021
The museum in this wonderful Renaissance style building is particularly interesting because in addition to several ongoing exhibitions there are others which change from time to time. Presently the ongoing ones are about The Yarra River, Past Protests in Melbourne, Women working during World War Two. 'Wayward Women' from Melbourne's Past and Conscription during World War One. The website for the Old Treasury Museum lists the time-frame for these in addition to listing the ongoing exhibitions of which the one on 'Gold' is extremely popular. The building was actually constructed during the 19th Century gold rush. Part of the building not open to the public still contain offices. Entry is Free.
Written 3 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review Betula103! Glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 9 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,729 contributions
June 2023 • Solo
The Old Treasury Building was built in 1869 to store the copious amounts of gold flowing from the Victorian goldfields. The Great Australian Gold Rush dated from 1851. Apart from the gold, it was also an office for the Victorian Treasury. These days, visitors can inspect the vaults; there are also a number of exhibitions, including the changing role of women and the evolution of work. Entry is free.
Written 30 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review 619jeffry! Glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 3 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Traveller
Melbourne, Australia17,563 contributions
Jan 2022
This place has reopened for the public to visit, after extended closures due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
My wife and I visited a few days ago, midweek at 10:30 am, after visiting The State Parliament Building. There were very few visitors during our entire visit. This is excellent for social distancing.
We found it interesting to view the various exhibits inside this museum, especially the gold vault in the very large basement.
My wife and I visited a few days ago, midweek at 10:30 am, after visiting The State Parliament Building. There were very few visitors during our entire visit. This is excellent for social distancing.
We found it interesting to view the various exhibits inside this museum, especially the gold vault in the very large basement.
Written 6 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review Global_Traveller_301! It's been exciting for us to be open, I'm glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 20 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia53,249 contributions
Apr 2021
The Old Treasury Building is a stunning 19th century building, completed in 1862. Now it houses some government offices, and acts as a functions venue as well as a museum exhibiting all sorts of items and information about the history of Melbourne and the state of Victoria in general. The most amazing "exhibits" are the original gold vaults where gold was meant to be stored during the gold rush era. However it is doubtful whether much gold was actually stored in the building, because by the time of its completion the gold rush was over! Also there are some rare and historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria that tell us some interesting moments about the history of Victoria. Entry is free.
Written 6 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review Dimitris! The vaults are one of the best architectural features of the building. Glad you enjoyed them!
Written 9 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Doug
42 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
While venue is open daily, we lucked in, to the 1 tour of the month. Well worth the $15, an excellent 90 minutes covering much of the Melbourne history & architecture. Tour guide was a fountain of knowledge.
Written 29 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Swisshen
Perth, Australia2,336 contributions
Dec 2020
The Old Treasury building is a beautiful example of Renaissance Revival architecture. The wealth from the Gold Rush fueled the construction, with the idea being to house the new found riches. Sadly no gold was stored here because the vaults in the basement were completed after the gold rush had finished, instead they were used to store government documents.
Written 12 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review Swisshen! Glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 11 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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