What to see at Open House Melbourne

Melbourne’s performing arts hub offers backstage tours every Sunday, offering visitors behind-the-scenes access to the State Theatre, Fairfax Studio, Playhouse and Hamer Hall. On the tour you can see costumes, sets and props from current productions, visit the stars’ dressing rooms and even make your own stage debut at some of Melbourne’s most famous performing spaces. But the truly rare, hidden secret at Arts Centre Melbourne is the extensive Performing Arts Collection, and you can only see that during Open House Melbourne. The space is deep inside Hamer Hall, behind a secret door, and it houses more than 610,000 items of performance art history: such treasures as Dame Nellie Melba’s costume wardrobe, Kylie Minogue’s costumes and red-carpet looks, and three-dimensional set models for shows. A particular highlight is Barry Humphries’ Dame Edna archives – it includes not only ornate and elaborate costumes (many with working parts) but also some marked-up scripts. There are six tours of the Performing Arts Collection running each day of Open House Melbourne weekend. Numbers are very limited – just 15 or so lucky Melburnians get to go on each one. 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004.

Built in 1863 in South Melbourne by the Emerald Hill Total Abstinence Society, Temperance Hall was the site of alcohol-free concerts, dances, lectures and other public gatherings. The building was home to numerous organisations (the South Melbourne Football Club – now of course the Sydney Swans – was said to have been formed at a meeting at the hall in 1874) and is now home to Phillip Adams BalletLab. The hall was lovingly restored, but not renovated – much of the building is in its original condition, cracks, faded paint and all. You feel the history of the space in every nook and cranny, from some original furniture to the windows on the first floor, which are too high to look directly out of and encourage your gaze heavenward. From the beautiful main hall downstairs to the chief rulers’ office and the grand staircase, Temperance Hall is a 150-year walk back in time and well worth a visit during Open House Melbourne. 199 Napier St, South Melbourne 3205.

The 164-metre tunnel connecting St Vincent’s Public Hospital and the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital under Victoria Parade was opened in 1983 and was designed to make it easier for patients and staff to travel between the hospitals. The tunnel was built using equipment that was sitting idle following the completion of the Thompson Dam in Gippsland. Lighting is entirely on the sides, so patients with eye difficulties being transported on their backs won’t be bothered by lights shining in their faces. The tunnel is also used to transport prisoners who are being treated at St Vincent’s, and it featured in the video clip for the Whitlams’ song ‘Fall for You’. In addition to the tunnel, St Vincent’s will be highlighting its 125th anniversary of the hospital with informative historical displays and photographs. 41 Victoria Pde, Fitzroy 3065.