Victoria - Carlton Gardens

Carlton Gardens, Melbourne



The Exhibition Fountain is the grandest fountain in the park and the only one original to it, set in front of the main southern entrance to the Royal Exhibition Building. It proves the world is turtles all the way down. Turtles spitting on you and probably laughing at you.


Looking south from there at the downtown Melbourne skyline.


The French Fountain is in the pavilion to the east of the exhibition building. It was brought over by the French at the 1880-1881 Melbourne International Exhibition, the first at these grounds, and left as a gift.


Believe it or not, this is also a fountain, not just a monument. The Westgarth Drinking Fountain was presented at the 1888 Centennial International Exhibition, to Victoria from one of its earliest colonists, anonymously. Drinking fountains were under the emu heads. This is indeed a park of strange fountain design.


Without further adieu, here is a perambulatory tour of the 1880 Royal Exhibition Building, the most complete exhibition hall remaining from the "exhibition era" of the world (whatever that means, I think that's an invented term for vanity's sake), from the south clockwise to the east.


Looking up from the north side of the building.


Architectural details from the main (south) side of the building.

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