Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the great exhibition halls of the world. Completed in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition, it was the first building in Australia to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its Great Hall soars 20 metres above the concours floor, lit by a dome that has presided over some of the most significant events in Australian history.

To walk the concours lawn here is to understand why setting matters. The building's Lombardy Renaissance architecture, its vaulted ceilings and vast interior proportions, creates a context that almost no other event in the world can offer.

The Royal Exhibition Building sits within Carlton Gardens, a World Heritage landscape in the heart of Melbourne. It is ten minutes from the CBD, surrounded by some of the city's finest restaurants, hotels and cultural institutions. The weekend of the 24th and 25th of October is worth planning around.

Dress accordingly. The building rewards it.