Parliament House

I arrived at Parliament House for the second stop on my 'Me Day' in the city, a 10:30 tour of the prominent building on Spring St.

After going through the security checkpoint, I met our guide and the rest of our small group in The Vestibule, or main entrance. Our bags were stored in a locker and we were issued with a tour sticker.
We were led into Queen's Hall, which is available to hire for events and functions. A statue of Queen Victoria was installed in 1883 and portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert adorn the walls of the upper level.
The lower walls feature images of former Victorian Premiers, such as John Brumby, Steve Bracks, Jeff Kennett and the state's first female Premier, Joan Kirner.
I can't think of the late Ms Kirner, without remembering with a chuckle the time she appeared on the D-Gen's The Late Show, as Joan Jett, singing 'I Love Rock'n'Roll'.

Next, we moved into the Legislative Council Chamber, with its Roman Corinthian style columns, ornate ceilings and royal red colours. The Royal Lion, Crown and Unicorn sit above a throne type chair, reserved for the Queen or the Governor General.

I'd rather hear about architecture than politics, so I have to admit I spent more time looking at the ceiling than listening to the guide talk about parliamentary proceedings...something something...
The amount of gold leaf used in the building was apparently worth $10 million in today's value. 
I loved the sculptural reliefs of female figures, symbolising concepts such as History and Plenty.
There was a midday sitting of Parliament on the day I did the tour, and we were invited to sit in and watch, if we were interested.

Along a corridor with ceilings of pastel pink, blue and yellow detail, through to the Legislative Assembly Chamber.
A pair of columns sit either side of the Speaker's Chair and a green theme runs throughout the room.

 Three huge Waterford crystal chandeliers lit up the room, illuminating the reliefs of cherubs and highlighting the intricate details of the ceiling.
And then to my favourite part of the tour, a peek at The Library. A stunning chandelier, made of 2000 pieces of crystal, sits under the domed ceiling.

The sun was streaming through the windows, creating a warm and sunny corner where a comfy old chair sat. I wanted to abandon the tour and the rest of my day, and just curl up in that corner with a dusty old book.

Books as far as the eye could see...

Doors either side of the Central Reading Room lead to two smaller rooms and a spiral staircase ascends to the upper gallery.

Back to The Vestibule, for a look at its huge mosaic floor and the end of the 45 minute tour.   I grabbed my bag and headed back out into the Winter sunshine for the next leg of my journey...

What: Parliament House Public Tour
Where: Spring St, East Melbourne
When: Times vary
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE tour
Nearby: St Patrick's Cathedral   State Library of Victoria

St Patrick's Cathedral

An 'RDO' on a Tuesday enabled me to take a 'Me Day' and head off into the city on a solo adventure. I had a jam-packed itinerary planned for the day and was intent on fitting as much as I could into my 6 hours of free time.

A lap around Carlton Gardens and I found the Holy Grail of street parking on Victoria Parade - no time limit and 80c an hour. 

No, this wasn't 1972. It was 2016 and I got my whole day's parking for a fiver! 

Seriously.

A quick walk over to St Patrick's Cathedral for my first visit. I've walked past, driven past, even poked my head in the door once. Now, I finally had some time to walk around inside and admire the stunning Gothic Revival bluestone and sandstone building, the tallest and  largest church building in Australia.

Stepping inside, the vast expanse took my breath away. 

From the soaring ceilings...

 ...to the exquisite stained glass windows...

 ...the giant organ pipes towering over the church...

 ...to the smooth rich tones of the timber doors and rows of pews.

I exited out the rear doors of the building, where a large water feature sits amongst the beautifully manicured gardens.

The Cathedral Shop was just around the back, and sells a range of items from books about the cathedral to handmade rosary beads and beautiful crosses like this one from El Salvador.

Back on the street I wandered off to my next stop, Parliament House. The route took me past location trucks filming "Offspring" and an Instagram worthy photo featuring a group of yellow taxis with the grand old Hotel Windsor in the background.

What: St Patrick's Cathedral
Where: 1 Cathedral Place, East Melbourne
When: Daily
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE to walk around and explore  
Nearby: Parliament House