Soon after gold nuggets were discovered in the town of Clunes in 1850, one of the world’s most prosperous gold rushes was on. Prospectors raced in. Melbourne’s population increased ten-fold and so did its riches. The city quickly repaid all of its British debt and invested in elaborate architecture. One of those buildings was needed to stockpile the gold. The Victorian Government Treasury opened in 1862 based on the Renaissance Revival design of a teenage architect, John James Clark. After it was vacated in 1878, this became the Old Treasury Building. The current museum has many fascinating displays including old bullion vaults and an exhibit titled, “Built on Gold.”
