For more comprenehsive coverage, see the works by Goad, Rollo, and Wilson and Sands from my source list.

The Golden Mile Heritage Trail

The Golden Mile is a self-guided tour of some of Melbourne's architectural heritage. The tour, about 4 km throughout the central city, focuses on the years between the city's founding in 1835 and the declaration of Melbourne as Australia's first capital in 1901. The website explores every stop in the ten precincts of the tour, often augmenting textual descriptions with archival and site images. A map of each precinct is also provided, and significant buildings (not just those on the tour) are labeled. The site contains excellent content and succeeds in contextualizing buildings with contemporary events and eras - I enjoy reading it even after having walked the trail - but is marred by poor navigability. The ten precincts are not interlinked, so you must back up from each to the main page to access the next section.

In addition to the list of buildings, this site provides a concise historical overview of this early period, emphasizing the effect on architecture of the city's booming and falling economy.

National Trust of Australia (Victoria)

While very similar to the resources in the collections section of this webliography, I'm including it here because of its importance in identifying structures and sites of historic significance. "About the Trust" explains its mission and the rationale for classifying our built heritage. "What to See" is a list of properties open to the public; several favorites are in the Melbourne area, such as Como House, Rippon Lea, the Old Melbourne Gaol, and Polly Woodside. Each site is described with its history, images, available educational programs, and visitor information. The site as a whole provides a look into the official workings of state heritage policies.

Of particular interest is NTA's searchable register of more than 7,000 buildings, gardens, and trees. Users can search by keyword, type (amusement park, doorway, mill, tunnel, etc.), level of classification, municipality, and location/postcode. The database covers all of Victoria, so to limit to Melbourne-area buildings select "Melbourne city" in the municipality pull-down menu. Not all entries have them, but the citations describe the history and significance of a building. Also useful for surveying the key historic buildings in an area.

Historic Structures of Inner Melbourne

Festivale, a Melbourne-based and -focused online magazine, maintains a pictoral guide to Melbourne. Included in this feature is a 30-item list of historic buildings in the central Melbourne area (mostly in the city itself, but some building are in the inner suburbs). A typical entry contains a brief description with architect, construction date, history, current status or function, address, phone number, and image. Some entries also have directions on city transit. Broad but succinct, this compilation builds a timeline of the city's architectural past, and its images provide a visual sense of the historic cityscape popping up among the trams and skyscrapers.

For historic buildings in the suburbs, see Festivale's Historic Sites in Melbourne's Environs.

Melbourne Mansions Database

Created by Dr. Miles Lewis, Professor, University of Melbourne Faculty of Architecture, Building, and Planning, this database compiles descriptive informaiton and primary source citations on Melbourne's major nineteenth century homes. Searches can be done by house name, architect, location, and date. This tool is difficult to use: thre is no help system, database fields are not clearly labeled, and there are many abbreviations in the text that are not explained. Designated by its author as a "research database," this resource is, however, excellent for finding primary and contemporary source information on historic domestic architecture. Because it is difficult to browse and contains no images, this site is recommended only for users already knowledgable about early Melbourne buildings or those who have a request about a specific building, architect, or location already in mind.

Visual Culture's Twentieth Century Architecture

This site provides a rougly chronological, visual overview of Melbourne's twentieth century structures, hosted by Monash University's School of Literacy, Visual, and Performance Studies. Photographs were selected by Associate Professor Conrad Hamann from the digital image collection of Monash's Visual Arts Library. Images only, with an identification the only text. If you want a simple look at different local projects, this survey shows the range of styles, types, and sizes. There is also a partner collection of nineteenth century architecture, containing works by John James Clark, architect of the Old Treasury and Customs House.

Art Deco Walk of Melbourne

This introduction to the Society Art Deco of Victoria's tour of more than twenty treasures of the late 1920s and 1930s follows the pattern of Festivale's Historic Structures list. These buildings are all in the city proper, and the list begins with well-known landmarks, the Myer and David Jones department stores on Bourke Street. This list additionally links to the Society's photo essay describing some of the interior features of buildings. There is similar material, easier to access, at the Art Deco Society.

"Melbourne Architecture 1970-86" by Norman Day

Norman Day, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Professor and multi-media architecture critic and commentator, reviews what and who was happening. This period of "revolutionary change" was brought about by a new emphasis on modernism, public dialogue, studio teaching, and government-sponsored construction. While not the most intelletually accessible piece in this resource list, Day succinctly highlights major players and projects in their historical context. Images on the site are artistic rather than illustrative.

"Center and Periphery" by Doug Evans

This piece by Aardvark editor Doug Evans is the chronological companion to Day's essay. Recent architecture, says the author, relates to issues of the center or issues of the periphery and must be understood in its social and political contexts. Here Evans explains these contexts and how they have influenced buildings over the last two decades. Of particular interest are his discussions of new utilization of and emphases on space in the city center and of the push and pull between the traditional city center and new suburban needs.

Despite their affiliation with RMIT's Aardvark Guide to Contemporary Melbourne Architecture (which I will discuss in other sections), neither Day's nor Evans's piece is hyperlinked to guide entries, which I think is a real missed opportunity, especially for users unfamiliar with some of the names and projects discussed. Still, both help clarify the trends and trajectories of the recent decades.

"Australian Storeys" by Davina Jackson

Quick and interesting assessment of the state of recent architecture in Melbourne (and Sydney). Jackson declares Melbourne "the center of experimentation," bursting with curves, angles, colors, and lines. Jackson gives connotative labels to Australia's architectural trends, calling Melbourne's "Free Geometries." Recommended for understanding at a glance the national and urban contexts.