Melbourne Politics Walking Tours: Trace How the City Changed Sides
Journalist Paul Daffey leads two 90-minute politics walks on Saturday 21 and Saturday 28 November, the second falling on Victorian election day.
Melbourne used to be the jewel in the crown of the conservative side of politics. The tour description now calls it Australia’s most progressive city. Paul has built two walking tours around that shift, passing union halls, old party headquarters and laneways where the history happened. Each tour runs 90 minutes with no steps, costs $50 and is limited to eight people. Both tours run on each date, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and you are welcome to book both.
A word from Paul
About a decade ago, I was shocked to learn of the presence of the Eight-hour Day Monument on the corner of Russell and Victoria streets, on the northern edge of the city.
The monument had been there for decades. I had just never noticed it.
In my defence, many Melburnians fail to notice the Eight-hour Day Monument, possibly because we expect a certain bulk from our historic markers. This one is slender, as far as monuments go.
During the Gold Rush era, workers formed the Eight Hours League to campaign for an eight-hour day based on the maxim of eight hours’ work, eight hours’ rest and eight hours’ play. In April 1856, stonemasons who were working on the construction of Melbourne University put down their trowels to execute a planned protest.
The stonemasons marched from the university site to Parliament House in Spring Street.
The march eventually led to an Act of Parliament that made it illegal for bosses to demand that anyone work more than eight hours. It was the first such Act to be passed anywhere.
The success of the campaign led to the construction in 1903 of the monument. In 1924, the monument was moved to its location diagonally opposite Victorian Trades Hall.
On two days next month — including on the day of the Victorian state election — I will conduct politics tours for the voting members of Seniors in Melbourne.
I will take two tours on both days, with the morning tours beginning at Trades Hall and the afternoon tours outside the Old Treasury Building.
The tours will go for 90 minutes each — not eight hours.
Tour 1: Trades Hall to Curtin House (morning)
This walk starts outside the home of the union movement and finishes outside the old headquarters of the communist party. In between, you pass the Eight-hour Day Monument, the old Russell Street Police Headquarters, State Library Victoria and Drewery Lane.
- Dates: Saturday 21 November and Saturday 28 November (election day)
- Time: 10am to 11.30am
- Meet: outside Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street, Carlton, on the steps facing Lygon Street
- Finish: Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street
- Cost: $50 per person
- Group size: limited to 8 people
- Booking cut-off: 48 hours before the tour
Tour 2: Old Treasury Building to Collins Place (afternoon)
The afternoon walk begins alongside the likenesses of the four premiers in Treasury Place and ends at Collins Place, the site of what the description calls a defining battle in the quest for development. Along the way you will see the Monster Petition, the Windsor Hotel, Ridgway Place and the old state Liberal Party headquarters.
- Dates: Saturday 21 November and Saturday 28 November (election day)
- Time: 1pm to 2.30pm
- Meet: outside the Old Treasury Building, on the steps facing Spring Street
- Finish: Collins Place, 45 Collins Street
- Cost: $50 per person
- Group size: limited to 8 people
- Booking cut-off: 48 hours before the tour
Doing both tours in one day
Paul says you are encouraged to do both. The morning walk finishes at 11.30am on Swanston Street and the afternoon walk starts at 1pm on Spring Street, so you have 90 minutes in between for lunch and the walk across town. Both tours take in different parts of the city, so you won’t hear the same stories twice.
Tips for booking
- Groups are capped at eight, so book early, particularly for the election day sessions.
- Booking closes 48 hours before each tour.
- If you need step-free access, tell Paul when you book (see below).
- On Saturday 28 November, you can vote at any voting centre in Victoria. Early voting runs from Wednesday 18 to Friday 27 November, 9am to 6pm daily except Sunday 22 November, and you don’t need a reason to vote early. If you would rather not squeeze voting around a tour, check the Victorian Electoral Commission website for your options.
- Both tours are outdoors, so check the forecast and dress for Melbourne’s November weather.
Accessibility
Both tours offer disabled access, and there are no stairs involved. Please let Paul know beforehand if you need access arrangements.
A little about the starting points
Victorian Trades Hall sits on the corner of Lygon and Victoria streets in Carlton. The original hall opened in 1859, and it has been rebuilt and extended since. It was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2023 and is still the headquarters of the Victorian Trades Hall Council.
The Old Treasury Building at 20 Spring Street was built between 1858 and 1862 to a design by J.J. Clark, who was 19 when he began the plans. It now houses the Old Treasury Building Museum, among other tenants.
Politics Tours with Paul Daffey
$50 per person, maximum 8 people per tour
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