Melbourne: State Library Victoria

Around noon, we took a break from wandering the Melbourne Museum and had lunch in the museum’s table-service restaurant … Mercury … delicious meat pie and salmon & dill cake.

Thus energized, we were ready to resume our exploration. We were a little “museumed out” however. So, we decided to hop on the tram and go to the library instead. Not any old library, mind you.

The State Library Victoria was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library. As such, it is Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. According to 2023 statistics, it also claims to be the third busiest library globally.

Located in the same spot in the CBD since it was founded, the library has a large and varied collection … over five million items, which in addition to books includes manuscripts, paintings, maps, photographs and newspapers.

We went in to see the much vaunted La Trobe Reading Room, which was initially occupied by the Great Hall and Rotunda. Octagonal in shape and a lofty six storeys high, the room is topped by a glass dome. It is described as a “prime example of Edwardian splendour, whose design was inspired by the British Museum in London and Washington’s Library of Congress.”

After seeing the room from the ground level, we took the elevator up to the 6th floor balcony for an amazing top-down view. All I can say is that they don’t build libraries like this anymore.

Our visit extended to a couple of exhibits at the library, including the one in the Cowen Gallery where some of the priceless art from the library’s collection is on display.

From the library, we made our way to Collins Street, picked up some cash from an ATM, and then hopped on tram 109 back to the port … making sure to tap on with our MyKi cards after we left the free-zone.

We are now leaving mainland Australia behind and heading to Tasmania. That means that our time on Regatta is quickly drawing to a close. But first … Burnie.Read more