EXHIBITION BUILDING BY NIGHT

The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district. It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880-1881 and later hosted the opening of the first Parliament of Australia in 1901.

Throughout the 20th century smaller sections and wings of the building were subject to demolition and fire, however the main building, known as the Great Hall, survived.It received restoration throughout the 1990s and in 2004 became the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, being one of the last remaining major 19th century exhibition buildings in the world. Today, the building hosts various exhibitions and other events and is closely tied with events at the Melbourne Museum.

The colossal Hochgurtel Fountain stands some ten metres high on the south side of the Royal Exhibition Building, outside the Great Hall. It was constructed for the first of Melbourne's two grand international world fairs. The fountain's visual elements were designed to display the young colony's confidence and advancement, simultaneously signalling the purpose of world fairs to display the produce and industry of nations. In 1994, Hochgurtel's fountain underwent major restoration. It remains a great reminder of the glorious days of Marvellous Melbourne.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.