Old Treasury Building

13/10/2026

Jenny Bannister's iconic 1978 'Je Suis Mod' dress is a perfect example of the Melbourne fashion designer's early foray into material experimentation and counterculture rebellion. Made from a mixture of PVC plastic and cotton, the original Je Suis Mod dress incorporates other people's junk, a great example of her early commitment to material reclamation.

Register for our free online talk, "Collision: Fashion and Fabric" to hear Dorela Gerardi, curator of the Jenny Bannister Collection at Museums Victoria, discuss one of Australia's most unconventional, experimental, exuberant, and exciting fashion designers.

"Collision: Fashion and Fabrics" is presented as part of the Melbourne Fashion Week Independent Program.

Melbourne Fashion Week returns from 19-25 October with a packed program of free and ticketed events celebrating Melbourne’s unique and vibrant fashion scene. Get ready for a week-long celebration of fashion, creativity, and culture, with city-wide runway shows in iconic locations, inspiring talks, exhibitions, hands-on workshops, and more. Head to the website to check out the program!

09/10/2026

Can you imagine Melbourne without running water? Without a sewer system? Discover the grubby realities of life in Melbourne before 1900 with Margaret Anderson later this month!
This talk is presented online as part of History Month.

Discover the grubby realities of life in Melbourne before 1900 and the changes that the twentieth century brought to homes and hygiene!

24/09/2026

Please note: The Old Treasury Building will be CLOSED Friday 25 September.

22/09/2026

22/09/2026

We still have a few spots left on our monthly tour this weekend! See the building in a new light and learn some interesting facts about early Melbourne.

🎟️ $16
📍 Old Treasury Building Museum
📅 Sunday 27th September
⏰ 11am

Buy tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/old-treasury-building-public-tour?c=fb
Resale tickets not accepted.

16/09/2026

We are very excited to be part of Melbourne Fashion Week's Independant Program in 2026!

Dive into the intricate world of fabrics and discover how designers are defined by the textiles they use. Hartnell of Melbourne used expensive French lace in their winning design for the 1963 Gown of the Year, while Jenny Bannister’s use of recycled materials made her a counter-culture rebel.

This talk looks back at two iconic decades for Melbourne / narrm fashion, discussing the demand for modern styles in the emerging youth market of the 1960s and the experimental turn towards unconventional materials in the 1970s.

Presented by the Old Treasury Building in partnership with Deakin University and Australian Catholic University as part of the Material Histories Seminar Series.

Dive into the intricate world of fabrics and discover how designers are defined by the textiles they use.

14/09/2026

If you love Melbourne's favourite river as much as we do, come check out our new ✨ refreshed ✨ 'Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River' exhibition. We've got new images and everything has been given a little bit of fairy dust to make it sparkle again.

02/09/2026

Have you ever wondered why people wear badges on their backpacks or work lanyards? Wearing badges for a cause has a long history in Australia, but their popularity exploded in the Vietnam Moratorium Campaigns of the 1960s and 1970s.

Learn more about this history by booking into Material Histories: Wearable Protest: https://events.humanitix.com/material-histories-wearable-protest?c=fb

Video sources:
Vietnam Lottery (ABC News, 1965)
Prime Minister Harold Holt with American President Lyndon Johnson, NAA: A1200, L57447
Photos of Monash University students outside the Old Treasury Building, Donation of Harry Fatouros, City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection.
Badges from Museums Victoria Collection.
Herald Sun Moratorium image

30/08/2026

📺 Did you miss our July Making Public Histories webinar? It is now available to watch on YouTube!

Chair of the HCV and Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee moderated a fascinating session on 'Why Republics Die' along with our panel of eminent historians.

Our scholars Ángel Alcade, Frederik Juliaan Vervaet & Julia Bowes, all experts on three distinct periods, considered how democratic and republican regimes fail. Are they vulnerable to authoritarian and military threats, or are they victims of their own shortcomings?

➡️ Watch now: https://youtu.be/F3qQDg7LtP8?si=Ib1sGMujksc8QQv0

Making Public Histories is co-presented by Old Treasury Building & Monash University Publishing.