HOW has the philosophy, architecture, science and arts of ancient Greece influenced Melbourne?
OUR walking tour visits important buildings, architecture and historic places in the Melbourne CBD and examines their influence by Hellenic culture.
WE allocate an Ancient Greece Identity to each student during the tour to enable their learning goals and enhance their experience on the Greek everyday influence on the cities of tthe world.

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“We learned so much on this tour, so much content I knew little about and so many interesting places for our Year Nine students.”
Oakleigh Grammar College

Examples of Hellenic-influenced places in Melbourne include:

• Greek Centre for  Contemporary Culture, Lonsdale Street
• QV  Centre and the Hippocratic Oath. Artemis Lane
• Sister city monument Thessalonika, Lonsdale Street
•  The Greek Precinct and the annual Antipodes Festival.
• Olympic Games Melbourne 1957, Bourke Street
• Melbourne Town Hall and the Acropolis
• The Pythagorean theorem and Federation Square
• Eureka, St Pauls and Demokratsia
• The Athenaeum 1842
• Zeus and 271 Collins Street
• Maps, Hoddle and the Hippodamus Grid
• Royal Arcade: Gog and Magog and Chronos
• Meditteranean culture and the lane system: piazzas, cafes and coffee-culture.
• Nicholas Buildings 27-41 Swanston Street Greek Revival and Doric commercial palazzo. 
• Caryatid Maidens, Block Arcade
• The GPO is composed of three levels built over 48 years: Doric, Corinthian and Ionic architecture. The extraordinary spiral staircase was an invention at the Greek City of Selimunte.  Its architecture adheres to classical Greek with French Second Empire influences.The Former Mail Exchange is of architectural significance as a major example of the early work of the Commonwealth Department of Works and its first chief architect, J.S. Murdoch. The building is a distinguished example of beaux-arts classical design, and its Greek flavour was ten years ahead of Melbourne’s mainstream Modern Greek revival.
• Olympic Park, Olympic Blvd, Melbourne VIC 3000. The Former Port of Melbourne Authority Building is of architectural significance as one of the most accomplished examples in Melbourne of 20th century Beaux-Arts-influenced Greek Revival architecture.
• Argus Building, Elizabeth Street, Beaux Arts.
• Athenaum, Collins Street is a club, library, theatre and art centre inspired by the sanctuary of Athena at Athens 7th century BC which was frequented by poets and scholars.
• Nonda Katsilidis the Greek-born architect from Athens is one of Melbourne’s most influential architects through landmark buildings such as Eureka, Phoenix, Republic Tower, and many others.
• The Main Hall of the Old Customs House (now the Immigration Museum) is an inside-out version of the Erechtheon, a temple near the Parthenon in Athens.
• The Shrine of Remembrance is based on the Mausoleum of Halicarnasos, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Greek cultural contributions include:

• Olympic Games;
• Democracy;
• Hippocratic Oath;
• Philosophy e.g Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras;
• Ionian, Doric and Corinthian architectural styles;
• Theatre styles e.g drama, comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy;
• Literary classics e.g Iliad & Odyssey, myths, fables, poetry and mythology;
• Early public libraries;
• Inventions including
  • Geometry,
  • Libraries,
  • Anchor,
  • Alarm Clock,
  • Automatic Doors,
  • Cement,
  • Central Heating,
  • Clock Tower,
  • Coin money,
  • Crane,
  • Lighthouse,
  • Maps,
  • Odometer,
  • Plumbing,
  • Sinks,
  • Showers,
  • Spiral Staircases,
  • Steam Engines,
  • Surveying tools,
  • Thermometer,
  • Urban Planning,
  • Vending Machines,
  • Olympics,
  • Water Mills.

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