Famous and historic Melbourne buildings open their doors

Did you know Melbourne Central has secret rooftops?

Or that you can access a series of historic former shops that lie hidden behind a series of bricked-up vaults along St Kilda’s Esplanade?

The surprises are many and varied at the city’s annual Open House weekend on July 28 and 29, which gives the public rare access to hundreds of Melbourne and Ballarat’s most well-known buildings, as well as many of the hidden gems you’ve probably never heard of.

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Jack’s Magazine features 13 bluestone buildings, constructed in the 1800s.

Among them are Jack’s Magazine – a fascinating former explosives storage facility in the City of Maribyrnong that features a series of historic rooms and earth mounds that were designed to store gunpowder and other explosives, while preventing damage to the surrounding in the event of an fiery accident.

The Magazine was offered up for lease last year as a potential retail or hospitality opportunity.

Amusement park enthusiasts can take the opportunity to explore rarely seen parts of the famous and historic Luna Park, including the Scenic Railway motor room and maintenance shed, the Carousel and its motor room, as well as the park’s Ghost Train.

The now bricked-up vaults in St Kilda will be accessible for one weekend only.

Then there’s the ‘Esplanade Vaults’, which were arched shopfronts that were constructed under St Kilda’s Upper Esplanade when the thoroughfare was built in the 1890s, but were closed in the 1950s and then bricked-up in the 1970s. But the spaces remain intact, and will now be explorable for one weekend only.

Modern buildings also feature prominently among the Open House buildings, with tours and access to new and architecturally significant spaces across the city.

Your behind-the-scenes look at Luna Park’s Scenic Railway.

Meanwhile, sport lovers can check grab a behind-the-scenes look at Rod Laver Arena, including the arena itself, artists’ rooms, back-of-house operations and the upmarket Superboxes.

While some events, spaces and tours are accessible free of charge or without a booking, many have limited access and require tickets to be pre-booked.

To view the full list of Open House buildings and tours, visit the Open House website here.