Federation Square Tour

I went on the free Federation Square Tour just before Christmas.........

.........Glenn the guide told me there's normally an average of 4-6 people on the tour but I managed to get a personal tour. Seems things had quietened down for Christmas :-)

I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about Fed Square and the different buildings/things to do there but Glenn pointed out a lot of interesting things I hadn’t known about.

The tour is meant to take 50 minutes according to the website but mine took an hour and a half and was full of interesting facts about the history of site, architecture, engineering feats and Melbourne.

It’s a very impressive development as it’s been built above railway lines, has extremely unusual architecture and is very environmentally friendly..........

.........You’ll learn about all these points and much more including how the designer attempted to incorporate a sense of Melbourne within the square with all it’s many doors and nooks and crannies mirroring Melbourne’s alleyways.

There are patterns in the ground mimicking the river, interwoven texts, areas to collect rainwater, views over the river, details about how the initial construction estimates were blown out of the water (although isn’t that the norm these days? - certainly in Britain it is!)

So, come along on one of these tours and be even more impressed with how much there is to see and do in Federation Square too..........

...........The guide will point out all the different uses, many of which are free to look round and that I've mentioned elsewhere in this website like the Ian Potter Centre at NGV Australia where all the Australian art is kept.........

..........the Australian Centre for the Moving Image which contains Screen Worlds and Mediateque - two fantastic free attractions which would take ages to see fully, and Kirra Galleries with it's unique glass art exhibition.

The Federation Square Tour goes from a sign located by the Melbourne Visitor Centre. The tours run Monday to Saturday starting at 11am. Fed Square is easy to find, being alongside Flinders Street railway station and opposite St Paul's Cathedral. See the map below:

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