Built to host the swimming events for the 1956 Olympic Games, this dramatically shaped structure is now used by the Collingwood AFL club as a training centre.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Melbourne attractions

1. Government House

0.3 MILES

On the outer edge of the Botanic Gardens, this Italianate Government House dates from 1872. A replica of Queen Victoria’s Osborne House on England’s Isle…

2. Melbourne Cricket Ground

0.34 MILES

With a capacity of 100,000 people, the "G" is one of the world’s great sporting venues, hosting cricket in summer and AFL (Australian Football League,…

3. Australian Sports Museum

0.42 MILES

Hidden away in the bowels of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, this sports museum features exhibits focusing on Australia’s favourite sports and historic…

4. Melbourne Observatory

0.46 MILES

Just outside Gate O of the Royal Botanic Gardens is the historic Melbourne Observatory. Built in the early 1860s, this was once a centre for weather…

5. Federation Bells

0.48 MILES

Created to celebrate the centenary of Australia’s federation in 2001, these 39 brass bells perch on the upper level of Birrarung Marr and ring out three…

6. Royal Botanic Gardens

0.49 MILES

Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens draw over two million visitors a year…

8. Scar Tree

0.5 MILES

This fenced-off stump of a river red gum is a rare reminder of pre-colonial Melbourne. The bark was removed by the local Wurundjeri people with a stone…