Arrive in Melbourne and make your way to the hotel. An early check-in is included in the tour price and available from 12:00pm. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private transfer to the hotel and a room category upgrade.

At 13:00 meet tour leader Kenneth Park and fellow tour members for a welcome briefing at the hotel before taking a walking tour along the ever-evolving Collins Street, from its origins of colonial city planning to boom-style architecture. Wander the iconic laneways and arcades and appreciate hallmark buildings and grand foyers of the banks and financial institutions that underpin Collins Street’s historic grand identity.

In the evening experience a different side of the city for an exploration of ‘clubland’ Melbourne through an artistic lens. Enjoy a special welcome dinner in a private space.

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This morning, take a guided tour of the private Johnston Collection, a remarkable lifelong collection of antiques and art preserved in a Melbourne townhouse. Antiques dealer William Robert Johnston amassed an impressive array of Georgian, Regency, and Louis XV furniture, paintings, ceramics and objet d’art pieces, which upon his death he left to be enjoyed by the public.

In the afternoon enjoy lunch in the Garden Restaurant at the National Gallery of Victoria. Then, take a tour led by Kenneth of both the Ian Potter Centre and the NGV International through the lens of the Felton Bequest, one of the largest philanthropic gifts to the arts in Australia that shaped the foundations of the art world in late-nineteenth-century Victoria.

Enjoy the evening at leisure.

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Begin today with a visit to the Royal Exhibition building, a symbol of Melbourne’s transition from provincial town to world-focused metropolis. Set in the Carlton Gardens, this ‘palace of culture’ hosted the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880, which spurred a decade of investment in industry and technology which flowed into the arts.

Then enjoy a guided tour of the Housemuseum Galleries, opened in 2019. This family home of renowned architect Corbett Lyon is filled with a collection of eclectic works including sculptures by Patricia Piccinini and pieces by Australian contemporary artist Brook Andrew.

Enjoy lunch at leisure in Prahran before taking a private guided tour of the Justin Art House Museum. Designed by the family’s architect daughter, this space was purpose designed to house the family’s contemporary collection that is largely comprised of digital works by emerging local artists.

This evening enjoy a special farewell dinner in a unique Melbourne setting.

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After breakfast, take a private behind-the-scenes guided tour of the State Library of Victoria. This world-leading library was recently reopened after a five-year redevelopment and showcases Victoria’s social heritage alongside an extensive Australiana collection housed in the iconic LaTrobe Reading Room.

Tour arrangements conclude upon return to the hotel around midday. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour.

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