SWINGING SIXTIES EXHIBITION

SUNDAY – FRIDAY UNTIL 2027
10:00AM – 4:00PM

EXHIBITION

What comes to mind when we think about the 1960s? Is it miniskirts or music, protest or the Pill? A new exhibition at the Old Treasury Building explores what it was like to live in Victoria during the decade that is remembered as the Swinging Sixties.

This bright and vibrant exhibition explores some of those iconic moments in Melbourne, like super-model Jean Shrimpton’s appearance at Flemington in 1964 wearing ‘that dress’— a white, sleeveless, shift dress with a hemline fully five inches above the knee — or The Beatles’ tour in 1965. Several original garments on loan from Museums Victoria and Brighton Historical Society are displayed including a black mini dress by Australian designer Prue Acton alongside an image of the designer wearing it!

In the 1960s Melbourne was the centre of both a thriving youth fashion scene and a local pop music industry, with stars like Normie Rowe, Johnnie Farnham or The Seekers. Among objects and ephemera of the time, you’ll find one of Judith Durham’s dresses worn in The Seekers’ music video for Someday, One Day (filmed at Sydney Opera House then under-construction).

From the release of the Pill in 1961, to the Moon Walk in 1969, visit the Old Treasury Building to explore the Swinging Sixties in Victoria.

Old Treasury Building, 20 Spring St, East Melbourne

Free Event

• EVENT INFO

  All-ages event
  Not serving alcohol

  This is a temporary exhibition open until Sunday-Friday (closed Saturday’s) until 2027

• ACCESSIBILITY

  Accessible for wheelchair users

• ABOUT THE ORGANISER

  Designed by 19-year-old architect JJ Clark, the Old Treasury Building was built to house the gold bullion discovered during Victoria’s 1850s gold rush.
  
  The Old Treasury now houses a collection of rare historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria, highlighting key moments from Victoria’s history.
  
  A regular calendar of events and displays reflecting Melbourne’s history are held at the Old Treasury Building, including permanent and temporary exhibitions. Visit the vaults to see where the gold bullion was stored, and learn more about the gold era in the Built on Gold exhibition.

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• CONTACT

  For more information, please contact the event organiser:

  Old Treasury Building
  info@otb.org.au
  (03) 9651 2233