Beneath the bluestone cobbles of Federation Square, a network of tunnels and a labyrinthine maze has sat mostly out of sight since the square opened in 2002. During Open House Melbourne Weekend, that changes.
On 25 and 26 July, Fed Square will run guided behind-the-scenes tours that take small groups into those hidden spaces, part of a broader program across the precinct that includes ACMI’s media preservation lab, Koorie Heritage Trust tours, and an open studio at Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS).
The entire weekend runs 24 to 26 July with the theme ‘Generous City’, opening 180‑plus buildings across Melbourne to the public. Fed Square’s offering is particularly concentrated, and particularly subterranean.
A second batch of tickets for the most in‑demand tours, including the Fed Square tunnels, was released in early July and some timeslots have already been claimed. Check the Open House Melbourne website for what remains. Do not assume you can just drop in. Many sessions require advance booking.
The guided Fed Square tours at 10am, 11.30am and 1.30pm each day take you beneath the public piazza into service tunnels and the purpose‑built labyrinth that has delighted architecture buffs for years. It is not a ghost tour or a stunt. It is a straight look at the civic guts of a building that was famously controversial before becoming the city’s living room.
A few metres away, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image opens its Blackmagic Design Media Preservation Lab between 10.15am and 2.15pm. You can see how film material is cleaned, digitised and stored, then catch screenings of two archival gems: ‘The Melbourne Concert Hall (1982)’ and ‘Design for climate (1967)’.
At the Koorie Heritage Trust, open 10am to 5pm, you can view new exhibitions including paintings by Uncle Ray Thomas and an installation by Tahlia Palmer and Jasper Cohen‑Hunter. Guided tours run Friday and Saturday at 11am, noon and 1pm, unpacking the cultural narratives embedded in the centre’s collection.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, which relocated from a laneway freezer into Fed Square’s Atrium in August 2025, throws its doors open from 10am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can handle synthesisers and controllers, then on Sunday stick around for a talk by Amelia Borg of Sibling Architecture (11am to noon) on the intersection of sound, space and design. For a festival built around building access, the MESS open studio might be the most hands‑on experience on offer.
Few other precincts in the Open House program combine physical access to hidden infrastructure, First Nations‑centred exhibitions, and a chance to sit amid a working electronic music studio. Fed Square has bundled all three into one walkable loop.
A related ‘Designing with Country’ conversation happens at Fed Square on 22 July, ahead of the main weekend. If you are chasing First Nations design perspectives, that is your date.
Trains to Flinders Street and trams 70, 75 and 96 all deliver you to the square. Parking is limited and will only get tighter over the weekend, so leave the car at home. After you surface from the tunnels, you can wander across to NGV Australia, the Arts Centre or Birrarung Marr, all within a five‑minute walk, or use the full Open House Melbourne itinerary to map out a self‑guided crawl through the city.
For one weekend, the city lets you see how it holds itself together, from the tunnels below the pavement to the studios alive with sound.
Quick Facts
Fed Square
Iconic Melbourne public space and cultural precinct at the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets, home to arts organisations including ACMI, NGV Australia and Koorie Heritage Trust. It serves as a major gathering place with a rich ecology of art, design and performance venues.
Open House Melbourne
Independent organisation running Australia’s largest architecture festival, opening buildings and spaces each July to promote good design and public engagement with the built environment.
ACMI
Australian Centre for the Moving Image at Fed Square, a major cultural institution focused on film, television, games and digital culture, with extensive collection, exhibitions and conservation programs.