Do you remember the Commonwealth Games mascots of 2006? This stunning series from our collection was used in the planning of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies. These drawings can be ordered for viewing in our reading room: prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VPRS...

It's on again! Open House Melbourne is this coming weekend! Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to go behind the door of some of Melbournes best buildings. Our highlight this year? The wonderful tours of the @vicarchives.bsky.social of course! Don't miss out!

Public Record Office Victoria@vicarchives.bsky.social · 3w ago

This only happens once a year! On Saturday 25 July, take a guided tour around the parts of the Victorian Archives Centre usually reserved for archivists. openhousemelbourne.org/event/victor...

The 1960s is remembered as a time of loud and energetic protest, most think only of student protests, but they were one part of a cross-generational push for change! Australians from all walks of life questioned old hierarchies, developing new strategies of protest in the process.

You Say You Want A Revolution: Protest in the Sixties – Old Treasury Building

More than any other decade the 1960s is remembered as a time of loud and energetic protest. Most think first of student radicals, but they were only one part of […]

oldtreasurybuilding.org.au

In Melbourne and looking for something to do on Sunday? Free displays of piping and highland dancing from 11:30am on the OTB forecourt as part of the Melbourne Tartan Festival!

History museums have a bad rep for being stuffy places. But we think learning history should be fun!. Have you had fun with our basement cutouts? Our Christmas cards propose an alternate universe where giant octopuses lived in the Treasury Gardens! #FunInTheMuseumMW #MuseumsWeek

Melbourne’s iconic Yarra River (Birrarung) has always been an important resource. After Europeans arrived, wharves and factories replaced the wetlands, the river was straightened and deepened. In 1883 the Yarra Falls were explosively demolished! #MuseumsWeek #Museums4ThePlanetMW

The Rare Book Week program is LIVE! We're so excited to be presenting 'Making Public Histories: Why Republics Die'. rarebooksmelbourne.com

Rare Book Week - Rare Books Melbourne

Melbourne Rare Book Week 2026 is a free, city-wide festival celebrating the written, printed and illustrated word. Talks, exhibitions, tours and more.

rarebooksmelbourne.com

When this dress arrived at OTB, it had already lived a long life. Look closely at the beautiful, beaded hem of this dress and think of the nights it spent swinging away as its wearer danced an energetic Charleston, spilling champagne onto a crowded dancefloor. #MuseumsWeek #IfObjectsCouldSpeakMW

Museums tell stories of not only conflict but the constant struggle for peace. Most of our exhibitions share stories of the everyday Australians who campaigned for a peaceful world. Swinging 60s includes protest ephemera, showing the ways people have fought for peace. #Museums4PeaceMW #MuseumWeek

It's #MuseumWeek! A time for museums around the world to come together to celebrate what we do. #AIFuturesMW has us considering the future of museums in response to AI. Will museums always be reliable sources of information? How long will critical research be sustainable when convenience wins?

Did you miss our talk last week on the power of objects? Good news! it's now available to view on our YouTube Channel!

Belief, Magic and the Supernatural: the Power of Objects

YouTube video by OldTreasuryBuilding

youtu.be

Some really interesting articles!

Public Record Office Victoria@vicarchives.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Provenance 2026 is now online! Provenance is our free annual online journal featuring articles that utilise records from our vast historic collection to tell stories of Victoria's past. Read the issue now: go.vic.gov.au/4cOkd7D

The 1960s were a time of change. One of the biggest? Skirt lengths! From conservative to scandalous, the decade had it all!

Ready-to-Wear Fashion in the 1960s – Old Treasury Building

What comes to mind when we think about fashion and the 1960s? Almost certainly it is the miniskirt for women and brightly patterned shirts for men. Gone were the demure […]

oldtreasurybuilding.org.au

Don't panic, but you've only got one day left to see 'Behind the Lines' in Melbourne! See you Sunday 3 May, 10am-4pm for its last day before it sails to Tasmania! Accurate cartoon by Shuturp (find them on Instagram) In Tasmania? Good news! FInd it at the Burnie Regional Art Gallery from May 15!

Not long now! 'Behind the Lines' closes this Sunday 3 May. Don't miss out on seeing this excellent exhibition at its only Melbourne Venue! Thanks to @fionakatauskas.bsky.social for this brilliant cartoon! The exhibition will be visiting Tasmania next at Burnie Arts.

What do a boot from country Victoria and a mansion on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands have in common? They're both in our next 'Material Histories' seminar! Discover the stories objects can tell about the past and present. Free talk via Zoom. Bookings essential.

Belief, Magic and the Supernatural: the Power of Objects

Join Dr David Waldron and Melathi Saldin as they explore the supernatural on the Victorian gold fields and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands respectively.

events.humanitix.com

To celebrate Chinese Language Day we re-share episode 10 of our Look History in the Eye podcast. In this episode, Anna Kyi explains the importance of 19th Century Victorian Chinese petitions in understanding the Australian Chinese immigrant experience of the goldfields. go.vic.gov.au/4mBZpDA

The Law Week program is out! Our sold out tour from last year 'The Constitution, the Governor and Royal Assent' is back! events.humanitix.com/the-constitu... Don't miss out on a great collection of events! www.viclawweek.org.au

The Constitution, the Governor and Royal Assent (Law Week)

Discover the Constitution, the role of the Governor and Royal Assent, but also the way in which ‘direct democracy’ can influence law makers.

events.humanitix.com

Run, don't walk! There's just over 2 weeks left to see 'Behind the Lines' in Melbourne! Cartoon by @nordacious.bsky.social!

Our latest episode of Look History in the Eye, Melbourne follows Sean Reynolds into the archives, where his Melbourne Ghost Signs research leads him through criminal files and forgotten stories of women long overlooked. Listen through Spotify, Apple Podcasts or our website: go.vic.gov.au/4snv2SM

More tickets have been released for April's public tour! Discover the museum beyond the walls with one of our expert guides! A reminder that we do not accept resale tickets.

*ACCESS NOTICE* Unfortunately the Old Treasury Building lift is currently not operational. We are trying to get it working ASAP, but will likely be offline for 48 hours. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Please note: OTB will be closed Good Friday and Easter Sunday. OPEN Easter Monday!

Did you miss ourtalk on Friday with @goldingcartoons.bsky.social, @meganjherbert.bsky.social and Matt Jones, curator at Museum of Australian Democracy? You're in luck! The recording is now available on our YouTube Channel!

In Conversation with Matt Golding, Political Cartoonist of the Year

YouTube video by OldTreasuryBuilding

youtu.be

Have you enjoyed the ‘Behind the Lines’ exhibition? Delve deeper with our conversation next week with @goldingcartoons.bsky.social and Museum of Australian Democracy curator Matt Jones. They’ll be joined by guest @meganjherbert.bsky.social! 'Behind the Lines' is on display at OTB until 3 May 2026.

Mabel Ambrose was a 17 year-old seamstress and domestic servant from South Yarra. In 1898 she was taken to see Madame Olga Radalyski, to help her ‘get rid of her trouble’. What followed was a gruesome tragedy and and a case that would grip the nation! #WomensHistoryMonth

Olga Radalyski and the Body in the Boot Box Scandal

In December 1898 Melbourne was transfixed by a gruesome mystery. The body of a young woman was found in the Yarra River at Richmond, her naked body jammed into a […]

oldtreasurybuilding.org.au

March is #WomensHistoryMonth and we're revisiting our 'Wayward Women?' exhibition. Starting with the most notorious: Caroline Hodgson AKA Madame Brussels!

Madame Brussels- Wayward Women? at Old Treasury Building

Madame Brussels (1851-1908) was one of the most famous brothel-keepers in late nineteenth-century Melbourne.  Her houses in Lonsdale Street entertained men of influence and made her a wealthy woman. H...

oldtreasurybuilding.org.au

Get excited! 'Behind the Lines' travelling from the Museum of Australian Democracy is up at the OTB! We're excited to be the only Victorian venue for this always entertaining (and thought provoking) exhibition! We'll be sharing some of our favourite cartoons soon! Last day is Sunday 3 May 2026.

Did you miss out talk last week as part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Independent Programme? Good news! It's now available to watch on our YouTube channel!

Cuttings, Combings, Fettlings and Flock: Fashionable Consumption and Australian Wool ‘Waste’

YouTube video by OldTreasuryBuilding

youtu.be

We are very excited to announced that the Museum of Australian Democracy and OTB will be holding an online PD session for educators on media literacy and using 'Behind the Lines' cartoons in classroom settings! Thursday 12 March at 4pm. Free, registration essential. The session will be recorded.

Media Literacy and Political Cartoons in the classroom (for Educators)

This online session will provide tips and resources to help you use political cartoons in the classroom to build students' media literacy skills.

events.humanitix.com