The story of this place
On 1 January 1901, the Royal Exhibition Building hosted the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia — the moment six colonies became one nation. Lord Hopetoun, the first Governor-General, took the oath inside this vast domed hall, which had already hosted the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The building was designed to express imperial confidence: its dome rises 61 metres, modelled on Brunelleschi's Florence Cathedral, and its grand facade stretches nearly 200 metres.
After federation, the building served as Australia's first federal parliament until Canberra was ready. It then became a migrant reception centre, an army hospital during World War I, and a staging depot in World War II. Its near-demolition in the 1960s was narrowly averted by heritage campaigners. In 2004, it became Australia's first and only UNESCO World Heritage-listed building — a rare honour for a structure that isn't a natural wonder.