The Invention of Melbourne presents a rare opportunity to see some little-known treasures of gold rush Melbourne relating to the lives of two remarkable men and prominent Melburnians, James Alipius Goold, first Catholic bishop of Melbourne, and William Wilkinson Wardell, architect of St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Bishop (later Archibishop) James Goold arrived in Melbourne in 1848. He soon developed an ambitious vision for Catholic Melbourne, which included building a fine cathedral. It would be the largest ecclesiastical building in Melbourne. Less wellknown is Goold’s interest in collecting both pictures and books.
Some of those works feature in this exhibition - which also featured early literature and baroque art which played a part in influencing what was to become the unique and iconic visual style of Melbourne - and it's opened at The Old Treasury Building until March 2nd.
