C&G’s Guide to Open House Melbourne Weekend

Local Community

Mark the 29th and 30th of June as ‘busy’ in your calendar because this year’s Open House Melbourne Weekend will have you running circles around the city. A favorite across the C&G community, we’ve handpicked the best of the exciting events Bayside and beyond!

With more doors open than ever before, this year’s Open House Melbourne Weekend will be the event’s biggest and best yet. An incredible 84 new buildings have been added to the program, and at C&G we are enthused to see Bayside suburbs Beaumaris and Brighton on the list. With 200+ residential homes, historical buildings, places of worship and businesses ‘open for inspection’, it’s your challenge to visit them all! At C&G we have selected a few Bayside beauties for your list:

Bayside Arts and Culture Centre, Former Brighton Town Hall

Open on Saturday and Sunday from 1-5pm, the beautiful Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre is an artwork in itself. Nestled between the Town Hall gardens and the Victorian streetscape, the Classic Revival Building is home to the Brighton Historical Society, the Brighton Art Society and the Brighton Theatre Company. Stroll through the gardens and the galleries at your leisure, check out the historical exhibition ‘Fictitious Realities’ and drop by the Slavko Tumbas’s contemporary sculpture Genesis (1998), commemorating the creation of the City of Bayside.

Luna Park Tour

It’s hard to pass Melbourne’s iconic amusement park Luna Park without marveling at its clownish grin - but on Saturday the 29th you can go beyond the famous Luna Park façade and delve deep into the history of this Bayside treasure.  With 102 years of stories to be told, the Ghost Train, the Carousel and Carousel motor room, the Scenic Railway motor room and the heritage listed Scenic Railway maintenance shed are open for your exploration. Did you know the original Luna Park Face was fashioned from chicken wire, hessian and cement? More facts like these on Saturday the 29th! Register here.

The MAD House, Modernist Australian Design

Stepping out of the past and bringing you back to the present, we suggest dropping by The MAD House in Beaumaris. This 1961 mid-century modernist family home combines vintage lighting, wallpaper and shelving with a fresh and re-imagined kitchen and bathroom, designed by architect Adrian Bonomi. A creative steel and timber ramp provides access to the backyard which is yours for the exploring. Make this a stop on your Sunday drive, open from 11am-4pm.

With Open House Melbourne events running throughout July, there are a great selection of talks, tours and workshops to compliment the Open House Weekend. Check them out here.