The Melbourne Greeter Walking Tour is an excellent way to explore Melbourne city. The best thing: it is free and it is very very good ! Each tour lasts 2- 4 hours and we decided to focus on Collins St as it is one of the major and most beautiful streets in the CBD. Just doing this famous street alone can take up to several days to look at the history, the architecture, the many heritage buildings, the concentration of high end shopping like Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Prada, the arcades, the theatres and famous churches ( Scots Church, Collins St Baptist Church, St Michael’s Uniting Church, St Paul’s Cathedral ) from its Paris end at Spring Street in the east (where the building number starts) all the way to the ‘future end’ Docklands in the west…yes, I would love several days just to explore this one street and its laneways, and of course, stopping by for cake and coffees along the way…it is such a pleasure doing Collins St ! We had a lovely volunteer who gave us lots of interesting information and criss-crossing Collins St to visit the ‘must see’ buildings in our short 4 hour.
We started with 5 star Sofitel Hotel at 25 Collins St, with its famous restroom on the 35th floor, boasting panoramic views of East Melbourne all the way to the Dandenong. Here, we had a bird eye view of the MCG, the sporting arenas, Old Treasury, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Government House, the Shrine of Remembrance, Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens. And in the lobby hang 2 huge tapestries of Australian plants- the green wattle and pink heath.
With Melbourne Cup day ( the premier thoroughbred horse racing event ) approaching on the first Tuesday of November ( the race that stops a nation! ), there is a beautiful collection of portraits of racing horses famous in Melbourne’s history, and of course, the legendery PharLap.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is located at 60 Collins St, and a huge copper mural in the foyer entitled Eureka Stockade, depicts the historical clash in Ballarat, Victoria between the military troopers and the gold miners in 1854. Photograph taking is not allowed but the concierge kindly gave a print out of the artwork and the background to this insurgent.
80 Collins St. In order to secure the prestigious Collins St address, heritage value buildings were demolished, amidst public outcry, to provide this direct walkway to the 52 storey office building.
101 Collins St – with its entrance facade granite columns and even more majestic columns inside, this high tenant profile office building opened in 1991. It has a beautiful foyer with classical architecture and massive art installations and water pools.
Step into a light filled 9 storey high atrium at 171 Collins St, another premium grade building, with BHP as its anchor tenant.
333 Collins St – originally constructed for the Commercial Bank of Australia in 1891, it’s foyer spells opulence and grandeur of another era. It is one of the most exclusive business addresses in Melbourne.
380 Collins St is the ANZ Gothic bank. No photography is allowed. Look up at the rich decoration on on the ceiling. This building was built in the boom days of the prosperous Victorian era. There is even a banking museum in the lower ground floof and a self guided tour of the chambers and atriums.
This blue plaque marks the former AMP (Australian Mutual Provident Society) building. Built in 1927.
425 Collins St- the site of the first newspaper printing office in Melbourne, is now a sought- after function venue with its opulent chandeliers and strict dress code.
Our final stop was at the Rialto Intercontinental Hotel, 495 Collins St, which has beautiful scultpures of a migrant family reuniting, as well as fine dining at Vue de Monde restaurant on the 55th floor. The Intercon is nestled in the legal and financial district and it successfully integrated 18th century Gothic style with modern architecture.
I wish we could continue with our exploration of this enjoyable 1.6km street ! But for now, we ended it with a hot latte, pear tartlet and a pretty little macaroon at Laurent !
HappyChirashi 
