Journey back to Melbourne’s federal years

9 May 2025

Parliament House in Melbourne was a new nation's political focal point during the first quarter of the 20th century. Photo: courtesy of State Library Victoria
Parliament House in Melbourne was a new nation's political focal point during the first quarter of the 20th century. Photo: courtesy of State Library Victoria

Much attention was focused on Melbourne during the recent federal election, just as it was 124 years ago when Australia’s first federal parliament was officially opened here in 1901.

With the newly federated nation still awaiting a permanent capital city, Melbourne won out as the interim capital, with federal parliament operating out of Victoria’s Parliament House for the first quarter of the 20th century. 

With the Australian Heritage Festival currently in full swing, the Victorian Parliament’s youth associate Mackenzie Archer has looked back to the first 26 years of federation to produce a series of short videos for social media on Melbourne’s federal years. 

To be rolled out during May, the reels provide a snapshot of a time when a new nation was laying the groundwork for its future.  

And the first reel in the series has been launched on the anniversary of the first federal parliament’s official opening, which took place at the Royal Exhibition Building on 9 May 1901. 

Tune in to Parliament’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube over the next few weeks to learn more about the founding years of our nation and how the focus was right here on Parliament House in Melbourne.